Shimadzu Hydrocarbon Processing Industry

Importance of the Topic

The hydrocarbon processing industry underpins energy supply and chemical manufacturing worldwide. Reliable, precise analytical methods are critical for quality control, process optimization, environmental compliance and safety. Advanced instrumentation enables laboratories to track fuel composition, detect impurities at trace levels, and manage complex feedstocks from upstream exploration to downstream refining and petrochemical production.

Objectives and Overview

This document presents Shimadzu’s integrated solutions for the hydrocarbon processing industry. It outlines analytical challenges across natural gas, refinery gas, fuels and petrochemicals, and reviews a comprehensive portfolio of gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC), mass spectrometry (MS), spectroscopy and thermal analysis systems. The aim is to illustrate how combined hardware, software and sampling accessories support diverse ASTM, ISO, UOP and custom methods.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Shimadzu’s total solution covers multiple techniques:

• Gas chromatography: Natural gas (ASTM D1945/D1946), refinery gas (ASTM D2163/D7833), LPG, simulated distillation (ASTM D2887, D3710), detailed hydrocarbon analysis (ASTM D5134, D6730), sulfur and moisture by chemiluminescence (SCD) and barrier discharge ionization detector (BID).
• Headspace and thermal desorption for transformer oil (TOGA, ASTM D3612) and VOCs (EPA 8270B).
• LC-MS/MS for polymer additives analysis and trace compounds in fuels.
• ICP-MS and ICP atomic emission (ICPE) for ultratrace elemental profiling in naphtha, oils and lubricants.
• Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) for metals and additive quantitation in fuels.
• Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) for sulfur and multi-element screening in oils.
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-Vis spectrophotometry for FAME in biodiesel, oil-in-water and colored contaminant detection.
• Thermal analysis (DSC, TGA) for polymer feedstocks and thermal property characterization.
• Fluorescence spectrophotometry for oil-in-water and fluorescent tracers in fuels.
• Total organic carbon analyzers (standalone and online) for water quality monitoring in process streams.
• Mechanical testing and particle size analysis to assess polymeric materials and colloidal dispersions.
• LabSolutions networked data system for centralized instrument control, data integrity, regulatory compliance and cross-platform connectivity.

Main Results and Discussion

Shimadzu’s instruments demonstrate:

• High sensitivity and reproducibility across GC, MS and spectroscopic detectors, enabling ppb-level sulfur, moisture and trace gas analysis.
• Rapid analysis times (e.g., <6 min for advanced natural gas analysis, 10 min for simulated distillation) with automated sampling and vaporization modules.
• Robust long-term stability, as shown by sulfur detector response over hundreds of hours.
• Expandability to third-party detectors (PFPD, PDHID), software (DHA) and sampling accessories (LPG vaporizers, oil strippers).
• Integrated data management via LabSolutions, supporting ER/ES regulations, networked control of Agilent and Thermo instruments and mobile monitoring.

Benefits and Practical Applications

These solutions help laboratories to:

• Ensure product quality in refinery output, petrochemical intermediates and finished fuels.
• Meet regulatory standards for sulfur, moisture and VOC content in fuels and environmental discharges.
• Optimize process efficiency by real-time monitoring of feed composition and reaction by-products.
• Reduce downtime with automated maintenance features and easy method development.
• Unify data workflows across multiple instruments and sites, enhancing traceability and audit readiness.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Emerging directions include integration of vacuum UV detectors for PIONA and BTEX profiling, AI-driven data analysis for predictive process control, compact on-line analyzers for distributed monitoring, and expansion into bio-based feedstock characterization. Advances in micro-GC and portable FTIR/UV-Vis units will support field applications. Cloud-native data platforms and IoT connectivity promise further gains in operational intelligence.

Conclusion

Shimadzu’s total solutions address the full gamut of analytical needs in the hydrocarbon processing industry, from upstream gas characterization to downstream fuel quality assurance. By combining high-performance instrumentation, method flexibility and networked data management, laboratories can achieve accurate, reproducible, and efficient analysis while adapting to evolving regulatory and process demands.