Micro Carbon Residue

Micro carbon residue

• Frequently referred to as "MCR," this laboratory test measures the quantity of
carbonaceous residue left over after the pyrolysis and evaporation of petroleum products.
• The test results are comparable to those found in the Conradson Carbon Residue test.
Different MCR Tester / Apparatus
• ACR-M3 Tester

•  HK-17144 Micro Carbon Residue Apparatus

• Micro Carbon Residue Tester - 97400-3

ACR-M3 TESTER
• The ACR-M3 tester is used to measure the quantity of
carbon residue left over after petroleum material has
been evaporated and pyrolyzed under specific
conditions, and it is meant to give some indication of
the relative coke-forming tendencies of such materials.
HK-17144 Micro Carbon Residue Apparatus
• This tester covers the determination of the amount of
carbon residue formed after evaporation and pyrolysis
of petroleum materials under certain conditions and is
intended to provide some indication of the relative coke
forming tendency of such materials.
Micro Carbon Residue Tester - 97400-3
• An automatic airtight furnace with pre-programmed
tests to identify Micro Carbon residue in petroleum
products after it evaporated and pyrolyzed under
specific conditions
• The digitally controlled furnace has a temperature range
of ambient to 500 °C. Temperature, flow and pressure
values are automatically controlled, and values are
displayed on the control pane
Procedure of Micro Carbon Residue (MCR)
•For the MCR test, a weighed quantity of the oil is placed in a crucible and subjected to destructive distillation.
It then undergoes severe heating to produce cracking and coking reactions. The residue left over from this
process is reported as a percentage of the original sample, with a condemning limit of 1.5%.

•If a sample reaches the limit, the used oil analysis report will flag that action is required to address the problem.
Importance of Micro Carbon Residue (MCR)
•Deposit formation can lead to several lubrication issues such as changes in viscosity, a decrease in flash point,
or an increase in oxidation or Total Acid Number (TAN). Deposits may also coat the heat exchanger of the heat
transfer system, thereby reducing system efficiency.

•If the problem is not identified through the MCR test, operators may mistakenly try to improve efficiency by
increasing heat input, which would have the undesirable effect of further degrading the oil and creating
additional deposits.

•That’s why the MCR test is a key measuring stick, as it will help define if a heat transfer oil is suitable for
continued service.