Residue Fuel

Residual fuel oil is one of the lowest-value petroleum products from a refinery. It is essentially a by-product of producing the light products that are the primary focus of a refinery. The primary end use for residual fuel oil is as a fuel in simple furnaces such as power plants and industrial boilers. It is also the primary fuel used on ocean-going ships, where it is called bunker fuel. Nonetheless, residual fuel oil has some quality specifications that it must meet, for performance. These specifications are primarily in the areas of viscosity, flash point, and sulfur content.