Petroleum Analysis : Why It's Important For Oil And Gas Companies

One of the most versatile resources in the world is petroleum. This substance can be used to create a wide variety of products, ranging from crude oil to fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, and other hydrocarbon products. Due to the fact that we use many of these petroleum products in our daily lives, the quality and standard of each of them should be anything but mediocre. This is exactly where  is necessary.

What Is Petroleum Analysis? 

Petroleum analysis refers to the testing and characterization of petroleum in its various forms. Important production-related information such as crude oil fractions, crude oil compositions, analysis of oil contaminants, and the necessity for fuel additives could be gleaned from Petroleum analysis.

Analysts and scientists at oil tool companies commonly refer to petrol analysis as crude oil assays. The reason for this is not far-fetched. At the core of it is the evaluation of the molecular and chemical characteristics of crude oil. This is done with the mindset that no crude oil is the same, hence the need to analyze before selecting, scheduling, and planning which crude oil to use. Thus, petrol analysis is often carried out in laboratories built especially for this purpose.

Importance Of Petroleum analysis

Petroleum analysis serves as an assessment tool for measuring the quality of petroleum and other related products. From upstream to downstream operations, it assesses the cost and market benefits and allows companies to find areas that have room for optimization. Other benefits of petroleum analysis include the following:

1. Determining The Quality Of Crude Oil

As crude oil is a crucial resource that plays a part in people’s day-to-day activities, the quality of the oil determines how helpful the end product would be. The feedback from the analysis is used to determine the fractions that can be extracted from the oil and the various activities it can be used for. When the quality of crude oil quality properly identified, refineries can make adjustments to their operations and equipment so that they can adhere to quality control standards to avoid mishaps and hefty fines.

2. Identifying Feedstock

Refineries don’t always get to process the same feedstock as others due to variations in the composition of the crude oil they’re handling. However, regardless of the kind of crude oil they refine, performing petrol analysis and biofuel testing help refiners choose the best feedstocks for their production process. Using the most appropriate feedstocks helps petroleum companies maximize output, efficiency, and profits.

3. Adhering To Quality Control Standards

Adhering to quality control standards is non-negotiable for oil and gas companies. During every stage of the production process, products must meet the standards set by the quality assurance institution. Failure to adhere to these standards leads to huge fines and loss of credibility, potentially robbing them of future partnerships.  Petroleum analysis helps companies guarantee the quality of their products before supplying them to the market. By doing so, they protect the best interest of their customers and avoid enormous fines.

4. Establishing Commercial Value

One of the major reasons companies analyze petroleum products is the pricing of their end products. Prices for petroleum-based products are normally set within a fixed range. However, products with impurities could end up being priced well below this range. A good example of this would be the presence of sulfur. Petroleum with a sulfur content of less than 0.5% is regarded as ‘sweet petroleum,’ while petroleum with sulfur over that amount is classified as ‘sour.’ In the market, sweet petroleum is often priced higher than sour. Petroleum analysis will help companies figure out whether they have to change crude oil suppliers or make changes to optimize production and sales based on the petroleum their current supply.

5. Detecting Traces Of Contaminants To Ensure Product Safety

Quality assurance is an essential step in the petroleum refining process. Through petroleum analysis, companies can detect traces of potentially harmful contaminants in the oil during and after processing it. These contaminants include dust or dirt, water, incorrect lubricants like mineral oils, and misplaced or wrong additives. When these traces of contamination are detected early and removed, the quality of the petroleum increases, allowing companies to consistently meet both quality and consumer safety standards.

Conclusion

Petroleum is a very complex substance. Some compounds contain 600 individual hydrocarbons, while others contain more. The complex nature of petroleum can make its analysis very complicated. However, this does not eliminate the necessity of petroleum analyis. Though the process requires time and resources, conducting proper analysis will reward Oil and Gas companies with amazing benefits such as those mentioned above and many others.

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