Crude oil assay - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A crude oil assay is essentially the chemical evaluation of crude oil feedstocks by petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

testing laboratories. Each crude oil type has unique molecular

Molecule

A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...

, chemical

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

characteristics. No crude oil type is identical and there are crucial differences in crude oil quality. The results of crude oil assay testing provide extensive detailed hydrocarbon

Hydrocarbon

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....

analysis data for refiners, oil traders and producers. Assay data help refineries determine if a crude oil feedstock is compatible for a particular petroleum refinery or if the crude oil could cause yield, quality, production, environmental and other problems.

The assay can be an inspection assay or comprehensive assay. Testing can include crude oil characterization of whole crude oils and the various boiling range fractions produced from physical or simulated distillation by various procedures. Information obtained from the petroleum assay is used for detailed refinery engineering and client marketing purposes. Feedstock assay data are an important tool in the refining process.

API gravity
API gravity
The American Petroleum Institute gravity, or API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water. If its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks...
Cetane index
Cetane index
Cetane index is used as a substitute for the cetane number of diesel fuel. The cetane index is calculated based on the fuel's density and distillation range . There are two methods used, ASTM D976 and D4737. The older D976, or "two-variable equation" is outdated and should no longer be used for...
Cloud point
Cloud point
The cloud point of a fluid is the temperature at which dissolved solids are no longer completely soluble, precipitating as a second phase giving the fluid a cloudy appearance...
Cold filter plugging point
Cold filter plugging point
Cold filter plugging point is the lowest temperature, expressed in 1°C, at which a given volume of diesel type of fuel still passes through a standardized filtration device in a specified time when cooled under certain conditions. This test gives an estimate for the lowest temperature that a fuel...
Density
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
Diesel fuel
Flash point
Flash point
The flash point of a volatile material is the lowest temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air. Measuring a flash point requires an ignition source...
Freeze point
Gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
List of crude oil products
Micro Carbon Residue
Octane rating
Octane rating
Octane rating or octane number is a standard measure of the anti-knock properties of a motor or aviation fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating...
Petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
Petroleum coke
Petroleum coke
Petroleum coke is a carbonaceous solid derived from oil refinery coker units or other cracking processes. Other coke has traditionally been derived from coal....
PONA number
PONA number
The PONA number is an index for oil components. It is used to determine the paraffins , olefins , naphthenes and aromatics content of FCC and coker gasoline....
Pour point
Pour point
The pour point of a liquid is the lowest temperature at which it will pour or flow under prescribed conditions. It is a rough indication of the lowest temperature at which oil is readily pumpable. In crude oil a high pour point is generally assosiated with a high paraffin content. And typically...
PNA analysis
Ramsbottom Carbon Residue
Ramsbottom Carbon Residue
Ramsbottom Carbon Residue, which abbreviation is RCR, is well known in the petroleum industry as a method to calculate the carbon residue of a fuel. The carbon residue value is considered by some to give an approximate indication of the combustibility and deposit forming tendencies of the...
Reid Vapour Pressure
SARA
Saturate, Aromatic, Resin and Asphaltene
Saturate, Aromatic, Resin and Asphaltene is an analysis method that divides crude oil components according to their polarizability and polarity. The saturate fraction consists of nonpolar material including linear, branched, and cyclic saturated hydrocarbons . Aromatics, which contain one or...
Smoke point
Smoke point
The smoke point generally refers to the temperature at which a cooking fat or oil begins to break down to glycerol and free fatty acids, and produce bluish smoke. The glycerol is then further broken down to acrolein which is a component of the smoke. It is the presence of the acrolein that causes...
TAN number
True vapor pressure
True vapor pressure
True vapor pressure is a common measure of the volatility of petroleum distillate fuels. It is defined as theequilibrium partial pressure exerted by a volatile organic liquid as a function of temperature as determined by the test method ASTM D 2879....
Viscosity
Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...

External links

Many oil companies have links to crude oil assays on their web pages. The assays are often on the pages with the field information.

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

See also

External links