Upstream Oil and Gas Industry

The upstream oil and gas sector (also known as exploration and production) is focused on uncovering hydrocarbon reservoirs, drilling oil and gas wells, testing, as well as producing and selling these materials for later refinement into end products such as gasoline.

In the testing phase, natural gas, crude oil and their contaminants are separated in a Gas Oil Separation Plant (GOSP) for reasons of safety, economy and environmental protection. The Plant processes crude oil from the well head and separates gases and contaminants from the crude.

The function of the upstream oil and gas industry ends when the resources are transferred to further downstream processing for refining and production of other derivative energy forms or products. Most oil companies are known as "integrated" because they combine upstream and downstream operations.

Using the proper analytical techniques helps in understanding product quality (hydrocarbon distribution, sulfur content, trace metals, etc.). Such analytical tools include:

• Natural Gas Analyzers
• Sulfur/Trace Sulfur Analyzers
• Simulated Distillation Analyzers
• Detailed Hydrocarbon Analyzers
• Refinery Gas Analyzers
• Custom GC Engineered Solutions
• Atomic Absorption (AA) Spectrometers
• Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)

Downstream Oil and Gas Industry

Crude oil is a mixture of hundreds of hydrocarbons, many of which contain sulfur.

The downstream oil and gas industry processes the crude oil and is responsible for all of the operations that take place after the production phase, following different refining operations, through to the point of sale of finished products.

It finally reaches the consumer through a number of end products such as gasoline and diesel, aviation fuel, heating oil, asphalt, plastics, lubricants, polymers, synthetic rubber, fertilizers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.

Quality testing of these chemical and petrochemical products is dictated by a number of official methods using multiple analytical techniques. Such analytical tools include:

• Sulfur/Trace Sulfur Analyzers
• Simulated Distillation Analyzers
• Detailed Hydrocarbon Analyzers
• Refinery Gas Analyzers
• Custom Engineered Solutions
• Liquid Chromatography (HPLC and UHPLC)
• Thermal Analysis
• Infrared (FTIR & IR) Spectrometers
• Raman Spectrometers
• UV/Vis & UV/Vis/NIR
• Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP-OES and ICP-AES)
• Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)

Application Literature

Petrochemical Analysis Capabilities – Brochure

Application Literature: Upstream Oil & Gas Industry

• GC Engineered Solutions / Arnel Analyzers – Product Brief Library
• Trace Sulfur Impurities in Petroleum Liquids Using the Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detector

Application Literature: Downstream Oil & Gas Industry

• GC Engineered Solutions / Arnel Analyzers – Product Brief Library
• Lubricants Analysis Capabilities – Brochure
• Analysis of Petroleum Samples by DRC-ICP-MS
• Applying Novel GC Oven Technology to Increase Throughput in Analysis of Diesel Range Organics – Method 8015
• Characterization of Textile Fibers Using the Spectrum 100 with Universal ATR Polarization Accessory
• Advantages of Raman Spectroscopy when Analyzing Materials through Glass or Polymer Containers and in Aqueous Solution
• Raman Analysis of a Polymorph within a Polymorph
• Characterization of Pharmaceutical Coatings by TMA
• Identification of an Aerosol Nozzle Blockage using the RamanMicro 200
• Oil Condition Monitoring Using Spectrum OilExpress
• Determination of Rigid and Mobile Amorphous Content of Semicrystalline Polymers by DSC
• The TGA Noack Test for the Assessment of Engine Oil Volatility
• Analysis of Silicon Wafers using the ELAN DRC ICP-MS
• Trace Impurities in Beverage-Grade CO2 Incorporating the Amperometric Sulfur Detector