ASTM D189-24

This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what changes have been made to the previous version. Because
it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.
Designation: D189 − 06 (Reapproved 2019) D189 − 24 British Standard 4380
Standard Test Method for
Conradson Carbon Residue of Petroleum Products
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D189; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.
1. Scope Scope*
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the amount of carbon residue (Note 1) left after evaporation and pyrolysis of an
oil, and is intended to provide some indication of relative coke-forming propensities. This test method is generally applicable to
relatively nonvolatile petroleum products which partially decompose on distillation at atmospheric pressure. Petroleum products
containing ash-forming constituents as determined by Test Method D482 or IP Method 4 will have an erroneously high carbon
residue, depending upon the amount of ash formed (Note 2 and Note 4).
NOTE 1—The term carbon residue is used throughout this test method to designate the carbonaceous residue formed after evaporation and pyrolysis of
a petroleum product under the conditions specified in this test method. The residue is not composed entirely of carbon, but is a coke which can be further
changed by pyrolysis. The term carbon residue is continued in this test method only in deference to its wide common usage.
NOTE 2—Values obtained by this test method are not numerically the same as those obtained by Test Method D524. Approximate correlations have been
derived (see Fig. X1.1), but need not apply to all materials which can be tested because the carbon residue test is applied to a wide variety of petroleum
products.
NOTE 3—The test results are equivalent to Test Method D4530, (see Fig. X1.2).
NOTE 4—In diesel fuel, the presence of alkyl nitrates such as amyl nitrate, hexyl nitrate, or octyl nitrate causes a higher residue value than observed in
untreated fuel, which can lead to erroneous conclusions as to the coke forming propensity of the fuel. The presence of alkyl nitrate in the fuel can be
detected by Test Method D4046.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.3 WARNING—Mercury has been designated by many regulatory agencies as a hazardous materialsubstance that can cause
central nervous system, kidney and liver damage. serious medical issues. Mercury, or its vapor, may has been demonstrated to be
hazardous to health and corrosive to materials. Caution should be taken Use caution when handling mercury and mercury
containing mercury-containing products. See the applicable product Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for details and EPA’s
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
D02.06 on Analysis of Liquid Fuels and Lubricants.
Current edition approved Dec. 1, 2019May 1, 2024. Published December 2019May 2024. Originally approved in 1924. Last previous edition approved in 20142019 as
D189 – 06 (2014).(2019). DOI: 10.1520/D0189-06R19.10.1520/D0189-24.
In the IP, this test method is under the jurisdiction of the Standardization Committee and is issued under the fixed designation IP 13. The final number indicates the year
of last revision. This test method was adopted as a joint ASTM–IP standard in 1964.
This procedure is a modification of the original Conradson method and apparatus for Carbon Test and Ash Residue in Petroleum Lubricating Oils. See Proceedings, Eighth
International Congress of Applied Chemistry, New York, Vol 1, p. 131, September 1912; also Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, IECHA, Vol 4, No. 11,
December 1912.
In 1965, a new Fig. 2 on reproducibility and repeatability combining ASTM and IP precision data replaced old Fig. 2 and Note 4.
*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
D189 − 24
website—http://www.epa.gov/mercury/faq.htm—for additional information. Users should be aware (SDS) for additional informa-
tion. The potential exists that selling mercury and/or mercury containing products into your state or country may be prohibited by
law.or mercury-containing products, or both, is prohibited by local or national law. Users must determine legality of sales in their
location.
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of
regulatory limitations prior to use.
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization
established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued
by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
D482 Test Method for Ash from Petroleum Products
D524 Test Method for Ramsbottom Carbon Residue of Petroleum Products
D4046 Test Method for Alkyl Nitrate in Diesel Fuels by Spectrophotometry (Withdrawn 2019)
D4057 Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products
D4175 Terminology Relating to Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants
D4177 Practice for Automatic Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products
D4530 Test Method for Determination of Carbon Residue (Micro Method)
E1 Specification for ASTM Liquid-in-Glass Thermometers
E133 Specification for Distillation Equipment
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions:
3.1.1 For definitions of terms used in this test method, refer to Terminology D4175.
3.1.2 carbon residue, n—the residue formed by evaporation and thermal degradation of a carbon containing material.
3.1.2.1 Discussion—
The residue is not composed entirely of carbon but is a coke that can be further changed by carbon pyrolysis. The term carbon
residue is retained in deference to its wide common usage. D4175
4. Summary of Test Method
4.1 A weighed quantity of sample is placed in a crucible and subjected to destructive distillation. The residue undergoes cracking
and coking reactions during a fixed period of severe heating. At the end of the specified heating period, the test crucible containing
the carbonaceous residue is cooled in a desiccator and weighed. The residue remaining is calculated as a percentage of the original
sample, and reported as Conradson carbon residue.
5. Significance and Use
5.1 The carbon residue value of burner fuel serves as a rough approximation of the tendency of the fuel to form deposits in
vaporizing pot-type and sleeve-type burners. Similarly, provided alkyl nitrates are absent (or if present, provided the test is
performed on the base fuel without additive) the carbon residue of diesel fuel correlates approximately with combustion chamber
deposits.
5.2 The carbon residue value of motor oil, while at one time regarded as indicative of the amount of carbonaceous deposits a motor
oil would form in the combustion chamber of an engine, is now considered to be of doubtful significance due to the presence of
additives in many oils. For example, an ash-forming detergent additive may increase the carbon residue value of an oil yet will
generally reduce its tendency to form deposits.
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards
volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on the ASTM website.
The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on www.astm.org.
D189 − 24
FIG. 1 Apparatus for Determining Conradson Carbon Residue
5.3 The carbon residue value of gas oil is useful as a guide in the manufacture of gas from gas oil, while carbon residue values
of crude oil residuums, cylinder and bright stocks, are useful in the manufacture of lubricants.
6. Apparatus (see Fig. 1)
6.1 Porcelain Crucible, wide form, glazed throughout, or a silica crucible; 29 mL to 31 mL capacity, 46 mm to 49 mm in rim
diameter.
6.2 Iron Crucible—Skidmore iron crucible, flanged and ringed, 65 mL to 82 mL capacity, 53 mm to 57 mm inside and 60 mm to
67 mm outside diameter of flange, 37 mm to 39 mm in height supplied with a cover without delivery tubes and having the vertical
opening closed. The horizontal opening of about 6.5 mm shall be kept clean. The outside diameter of the flat bottom shall be
30 mm to 32 mm.
6.3 Iron Crucible—Spun sheet-iron crucible with cover; 78 mm to 82 mm in outside diameter at the top, 58 mm to 60 mm in
height, and approximately 0.8 mm in thickness. Place at the bottom of this crucible, and level before each test, a layer of about
25 mL of dry sand, or enough to bring the Skidmore crucible, with cover on, nearly to the top of the sheet-iron crucible.
6.4 Wire Support—Triangle of bare Nichrome wire of approximately No. 13 B & S gage having an opening small enough to
support the bottom of the sheet-iron crucible at the same level as the bottom of the heat-resistant block or hollow sheet-metal box
(6.6).
D189 − 24
6.5 Hood—Circular sheet-iron hood from 120 mm to 130 mm in diameter the height of the lower perpendicular side to be from
50 mm to 53 mm; provided at the top with a chimney 50 mm to 60 mm in height and 50 mm to 56 mm in inside diameter, which
is attached to the lower part having the perpendicular sides by a cone-shaped member, bringing the total height of the complete
hood to 125 mm to 130 mm. The hood can be made from a single piece of metal, provided it conforms to the foregoing dimensions.
As a guide for the height of the flame above the chimney, a bridge made of approximately 3 mm iron or Nichrome wire, and having
a height of 50 mm above the top of the chimney, shall be attached.
6.6 Insulator—Heat-resistant block, refractory ring, or hollow sheet-metal box, 150 mm to 175 mm in diameter if round, or on a
side if square, 32 mm to 38 mm in thickness, provided with a metal-lined, inverted cone-shaped opening through the center; 83 mm
in diameter at the bottom, and 89 mm in diameter at the top. In the case of the refractory ring no metal lining is necessary, providing
the ring is of hard, heat-resistant material.
NOTE 5—It is not know what type of insulators were used in the round robin conducted for obtaining the precision given in Section 13.
6.7 Burner, Meker type, having an orifice approximately 24 mm in diameter.
7. Sampling
7.1 For sampling techniques see Practices D4057 and D417
...