Vanadium and Nickel Complexes in Petroleum Distillates

The presently existing federal specifications for distillate fuels used in motor vehicles give only broad limits of fuel properties. It is possible that a given fuel shipment will conform to the specification requirements but may cause malfunction of the engine because of the existence in the fuel of trace contaminants, in parts per million concentration range. One of the significant potentially harmful materials are metallo-organic compounds, particularly vanadium and nickel complexes. The complexes originated in the crude and still may be present in the distillates in spite of the processing in the refinery. The report presents a literature survey which describes the nature, properties and harmful effects of vanadium and nickel complexes and explains their presence in the distillates. Only those articles were selected which pertain to the understanding of the relationship between these fuel contaminants and malfunction of the motor vehicle.