Overview
Engineering reference data for Nickel Vanadium Ni V Crude Oil Petroleum Gravity Density in material science and properties.
Key Formulas
Stress
Force per unit area.
Strain
Change in length per original length.
Hooke's Law
Stress proportional to strain in elastic region.
Thermal Expansion
Length change due to temperature.
Variables
| Symbol | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Stress | Pa | |
| Strain | — | |
| Young's modulus | Pa | |
| Thermal expansion coefficient | 1/°C | |
| Temperature change | °C |
Nickel and Vanadium Content in Crude Oils vs. API Gravity
Analysis of over 120 crude oil assays from major producers (BP, ExxonMobil, Statoil, 2008-2017) reveals a distinct pattern in the concentration of trace metals. Each data point represents a single crude oil, which invariably contains both nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V).
A key observable trend is that heavier, denser crude oils (lower API gravity) typically contain significantly higher concentrations of nickel and vanadium. These metals are often associated with the heavier asphaltene and resin fractions of petroleum.
Example Data: Trace Metals vs. Crude Oil Density
The following table illustrates the inverse relationship between API gravity and Ni/V content, using representative data points inspired by the cited assays.
Important Properties
- Source of Metals: Nickel and vanadium are naturally occurring, bound within complex organometallic compounds (e.g., porphyrins) in the heaviest fractions of crude oil.
- Significance: High concentrations of these metals are undesirable as they poison catalysts during fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) and other refining processes, leading to increased operational costs and catalyst replacement.
- Visual Trend: When plotted, the data for Ni and V versus API gravity typically shows a strong negative correlation. This means as the density increases (API gravity decreases), the metal content increases sharply.