v Foreword No two fuels are exactly the same, even though they may appear to be identical. Fuel quality can change depending on the crude oil and feedstocks from which it is derived, on the type of processing it receives at the re?nery and on the way it is stored, blended and delivered to ships. Until the early 1970s, and in some areas well beyond that, shipowners never worried unduly about the quality of the fuel they were buying. Since then, once the quality of the fuel started to deteriorate as a result of ‘enhancements’ to the re?ning process, bunker buyers have become all too aware of the operational, ?nancial and legal dif?culties associated with buying and using poor quality fuels. In the 1980s, in response to increasing concern over the steady deterioration of the quality of bunker fuels, the ?rst dedicated specialist fuel testing services began to appear. Now, these services, with testing laboratories in all the main bunkering centres, play a vital role in determining whether a fuel is suitable for burning in a diesel engine or whether it should be of?oaded – or debunkered – to become subject to yet another bunker claim. Nowadays, for many owners, it is standard practice to send a bunker sample off to a laboratory for testing before the fuel oil is used onboard, and this process is well established and understood by buyers and suppliers alike. However, often the problems start when a testing laboratory has analysed the fuel and returned the results. What do those results mean? How should they be interpreted? What happens if the fuel is slightly outside the agreed speci?cations? What if other – as yet unknown or unspeci?ed – substances show up on the analysis? How can an owner or charterer, or a supplier or trader ?nd out what the lab results actually mean and what to do about them? On the basis that prevention is always better than cure, everyone involved in the supply or purchasing of bunker fuels should be aware of the many parameters that are covered in marine fuel speci?cations and know what is reasonable to expect and possible to accept. Armed with this information, many routine problems can be avoided and costly mistakes can be averted. Nigel Draf?n’s book, An Introduction to Fuel Analysis, brings home the importance of knowing the fuels you are dealing with in a bright, simple and effective way. In this book lies a wealth of information that will enable everyone from the newcomer to the ‘old hand’ to understand bunker fuels and what they contain, how to test each key parameter and what the test results actually mean, and what happens when problem results appear. Although never a substitute for the huge amount of detail that can be obtained from a professional analyst using a fully-equipped modern laboratory, this book certainly provides a substantial amount of information that should be welcomed and absorbed by anyone involved in any way with marine fuels. vi AN INTRODUCTION TO FUEL ANALYSIS In An Introduction to Fuel Analysis, Nigel Draf?n offers numerous detailed diagrams, tables, charts and photographs which will certainly help anyone who has any doubts about what can be found in marine fuels and, once found, what to do about it. In addition, some very useful appendices provide places to go for help, lists of abbreviations and a multi-lingual glossary of the words and terms most often found in fuel test analysis reports. I believe that An Introduction to Fuel Analysis is an important addition to the growing library of bunker-speci?c books now being published by Petrospot, and complements Nigel Draf?n’s previous best seller, An Introduction to Bunkering. Angus Ogilvie Technical Director Cockett Marine Oil Ltd June 2009 vii Preface After the effort of producing my only other book to date, An Introduction to Bunkering, in 2008, I was expecting to wait until after retirement before once again ‘picking up the pen’. However, I was then asked to consider writing another practical book on bunkering, this time focused on a single important area of the industry. I tried to recall the questions that I have been asked by colleagues and clients over the many years that I have been involved in this industry. The greatest number of questions concerned fuel analysis and the results of that analysis. Many of those asking the questions were from a commercial, general technical or operational background and wanted information, guidance and comment to help them deal with potential problems. My hope is that this book will bridge the gap between the general level of information on offer and that available from specialised sources. An Introduction to Fuel Analysis is intended to provide a guide and reference for those who, whilst not specialists in the technical aspects of marine fuels, need to understand the terminology and the reporting used in fuel analysis as part of their work. This book is not intended as a de?nitive reference work on fuel analysis or fuel technology. In many cases, descriptions and explanations have been simpli?ed to aid general understanding. Readers need to be aware that the professionals in this ?eld do not always agree with each other. The test methods are under constant review and changes are inevitable, so the information contained inside is the best I could provide at time of publishing. Furthermore, the de?nitive references to the standards and to the test methods mentioned in this book can only be found in the latest published editions of the standards concerned. Understanding fuel analysis need not be as complicated as it may seem, and if this book sheds some light on the processes involved and the reasons behind them, I feel the effort will have been very worthwhile. Nigel Draf?n June 2009 viii AN INTRODUCTION TO FUEL ANALYSIS