Background
Regulations limiting the sulfur content of fuel used in the marine industry continues to evolve. As of January 1, 2015 the revised Annex VI to Marpol 73/78 reduced the maximum sulfur content allowed when entering ECA’s (Emission Control Areas) to 0.1 wt%. After January 1, 2020 new IMO regulations require the sulfur content of any fuel used on board ships not to exceed 0.5 wt %. This is a substantial reduction from the 3.5 wt% limit established January 1, 2012.
To meet the needs of the industry, Rigaku offers the NEX QC Marine Fuel Analyzer, a simple, versatile, and portable benchtop EDXRF analyzer for the analysis of sulfur in marine fuels. In addition to sulfur, the unit can be set up to monitor the Nickel (Ni), Vanadium (V) and Iron (Fe) content of residual oils or to ensure fuels have not been adulterated with used engine oil or other undesirable oils. Screening for Zinc (Zn) will help ensure fuels are free of used engine oil.
