Thermo Scientific Oil and Gas - Petroleum and Natural Gas - Analysis Workflows

Significance of the Topic

Analytical chemistry plays a pivotal role across the petroleum and natural gas industry—from exploration through refining and beyond. High-throughput, reliable analytical workflows ensure product quality, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Modern instrumentation and informatics solutions empower laboratories to deliver accurate data on complex matrices such as crude oil, natural gas, refinery streams, and industrial waters.

Objectives and Study Overview

This whitepaper presents an integrated suite of analytical techniques and informatics tailored to the oil and gas value chain. It outlines:

• The key analytical challenges at upstream, midstream, and downstream stages
• Standardized methods for compositional and elemental analysis
• Strategies to streamline laboratory operations and data management

Methodology and Instrumentation

The approach combines multiple separation and detection methods optimized for hydrocarbon matrices and aqueous process streams:

• Gas Chromatography (GC) and GC–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) for hydrocarbon speciation, boiling range determination (SIMDIS), biomarkers, BTEX, sulfur compounds, and oxygenates
• Ion Chromatography (IC) and Combustion IC for halides, sulfur, anions, cations, and heat‐stable salts in amine scrubbers and waste water
• Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) for trace metals in lube oils, coke, crude, and process water
• Organic Elemental Analysis (OEA) for C, H, N, S, O determination in oils, fuels, and petrochemicals
• Laboratory informatics (LIMS) and Chromatography Data Systems (CDS) to automate workflows, ensure compliance, and integrate multi‐facility data

Main Results and Discussion

Implementation of these workflows yields:

• Rapid GC module replacement reducing downtime to under 30 minutes
• High‐resolution Orbitrap GC–MS/MS enabling accurate-mass biomarker and trace contaminant identification
• Robust CIC and IC methods achieving low‐µg/L detection of halides, sulfur, and organic acids in complex matrices
• ICP-OES protocols that tolerate high‐salt and organic load samples with consistent precision (RSD < 5 %)

Case studies demonstrate improved sample throughput, lower operating costs, and enhanced confidence in custody‐transfer and product‐specification testing.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Integrated analytical solutions deliver:

• Faster decision making in exploration and production thanks to real‐time gas composition and BTU analysis
• Accurate tracking of feedstock quality during pipeline custody transfer
• Streamlined refinery process control via refined sulfur, metals, and hydrocarbon profiles
• Optimized water treatment and environmental monitoring through targeted ion and organic acid analyses

Future Trends and Applications

Emerging opportunities include:

• Greater adoption of high‐resolution mass spectrometry for non‐targeted screening of emerging contaminants
• Advanced automation and remote sampling for offshore and distributed facilities
• Machine learning–driven data analysis embedded within LIMS and CDS platforms
• Green chemistry approaches for reagent reduction in IC and CIC workflows

Conclusion

A comprehensive analytical portfolio, supported by modern informatics, is essential to meet the evolving needs of the oil and gas industry. By integrating GC, MS, IC, ICP-OES, and OEA techniques with robust data management, laboratories can enhance throughput, reliability, and regulatory compliance across the entire value chain.

References

No external literature references were provided in the source text.