Determination of Wax Content in Oils

Wax content is an important characteristic affecting the physical properties of petroleum crude oils, in particular their viscosity. Thus, measuring wax content has become a routine analytical requirement for product quality control. The precise monitoring of the wax content in oils helps to predict and avoid wax blockage so that equipment can be maintained for high quality standards during oil processing.

There are a number methods available for determing the wax content of petroleum crude oils. This application note outlines how low resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance can be utilised to provide a quick, direct method for the determination of wax content in oils.