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ASTM D189 - Conradson Carbon Residue of Petroleum Products

Significance and Use

5.1 The carbon residue value of burner fuel serves as a rough approximation of the tendency of the fuel to form deposits in vaporizing pot-type and sleeve-type burners. Similarly, provided alkyl nitrates are absent (or if present, provided the test is performed on the base fuel without additive) the carbon residue of diesel fuel correlates approximately with combustion chamber deposits.

5.2 The carbon residue value of motor oil, while at one time regarded as indicative of the amount of carbonaceous deposits a motor oil would form in the combustion chamber of an engine, is now considered to be of doubtful significance due to the presence of additives in many oils. For example, an ash-forming detergent additive may increase the carbon residue value of an oil yet will generally reduce its tendency to form deposits.

5.3 The carbon residue value of gas oil is useful as a guide in the manufacture of gas from gas oil, while carbon residue values of crude oil residuums, cylinder and bright stocks, are useful in the manufacture of lubricants.

Scope

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the amount of carbon residue (Note 1) left after evaporation and pyrolysis of an oil, and is intended to provide some indication of relative coke-forming propensities. This test method is generally applicable to relatively nonvolatile petroleum products which partially decompose on distillation at atmospheric pressure.

Petroleum products containing ash-forming constituents as determined by Test Method D482 or IP Method 4 will have an erroneously high carbon residue, depending upon the amount of ash formed.

Extracted, with permission, from ASTM D189-6 - Conradson Carbon Residue of Petroleum Products, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard may be purchased from ASTM International, astm.org