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Analytical Instrumentation - Rigaku Product Focus


Total Solutions for Sulfur and Metals Analysis in Exploration and Refinery Petroleum Process Intermediates and Final Products


Laura Oelofse, Product Marketing Manager, Rigaku Americas Corporation Scott Fess, Product Manager, Applied Rigaku Technologies


Te oil and gas industry is a highly complex conglomerate of “upstream”—the exploration and production sector in the industry—and “downstream”—the sector that deals with refining and processing, distribution and marketing sectors.


Companies operating in the industry may be fully integrated, (i.e., have both upstream and downstream interests), may concentrate on a particular sector (such as exploration and production, commonly known as an E&P company), or may concentrate just on refining and marketing (an R&M company). Many large companies operate globally, the “multi-nationals,” while other smaller companies concentrate on specific regions of the world and are often referred to as “independents.” In the upstream and downstream sectors, much reliance is placed upon oil field service companies and other contractor companies who provide specialist technical services to the industry.


addition to being energy intensive, the chemical industry contributed significantly to the nearly 30 billion tonnes of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emitted globally into the atmosphere in 2008.


The benefits of sustainable chemicals manufacturing for the production of 1,4-butanediol, an existing 1.3 million tonnes/year petrochemical, are self explanatory. Commercial production of 1,4- butanediol from sugar using an engineered microorganism will require much less energy, will release significantly less carbon dioxide, and is expected to be substantially cost advantaged relative to current petrochemical processes.


Each of these processes has intermediate products, with the economic product as well as the inevitable by-products being created. Each of the products, by-products and critical components in the reaction pathways have to be characterized to maximize yield and end-product quality. Analytical equipment, such as XRF, XRD and Raman instruments, can carefully characterize the end products— as well as intermediates—to help control key parameters that affect the quality of the product during the manufacturing process. The end products can then be characterized for certification and or compliance purposes.


Cost containment


In exploration, the costs of locating a viable deposit can be astronomical; therefore, it makes sense for exploration geologists to maximize the information available from the data generated to improve the accuracy of their understanding of the potential deposits and the geomorphology associated with the deposit.


Rigaku fulfills the role of such a service company, supplying analytical measurement technology to these various vendors based on well founded spectroscopic techniques. Rigaku is pleased to present a view of the integrated role of XRF, XRD and Raman techniques in the oil and gas industry.


Rigaku has long been a supplier of XRF and XRD equipment, focused on high quality, precision engineering to produce instrumentation with outstanding performance characteristics. In keeping with its long history of excellence, Rigaku now offers a complete line of material science solutions for the petroleum industry, from exploration to crude oil production, from transport of the crude oil to final refinery products, and from the blending tanks to the gasoline pumps, the lube oil vending stands and the tire companies.


Exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas is one of the largest-funded single economic markets globally. More than half of all the exploration dollars funded by companies are directed towards finding new reserves of petroleum-based raw materials, be it crude oil deposits, oil shales, or natural gas deposits.


Besides naturally occurring deposits, which seem to be becoming harder to find (and the ones that are being discovered tend to yield oil high in sulfur), there is a quest to use renewable sustainable routes to produce key petrochemicals necessary for our industrialized lifestyle. Alternative oil production (extracting lipids produced by algae, and the use of sugar as a raw material for sustainable production of existing industrial chemicals) offers great potential for cane- and beet- sugar producers to capture added value while helping to transform the chemical industry to a renewable feedstock base.


Large-scale global manufacture of existing industrial chemicals requires approximately 3 billion barrels/year of oil and its equivalents as the primary source of raw materials, heat, and power. In


Rigaku XRF and XRD data work synchronistically to feed geo steering data to drilling operations with on-site analysis. For example, the Supermini 200 W XRF spectrometer provides accurate major and trace element data to the MiniFlex™ II Rietveld program for accurate mineral phase identification.


XRF composition data can differentiate between shales, sandstones and other materials. Trace element composition can be used for discriminate analysis and possibly serve as an indicating element for potential hydrocarbon deposits.


XRD phase identification can further refine the geological information to assist in modeling of the exploration area.


Crude oil is readily characterized using XRF for sulfur content and Ni, V and Fe concentrations indicative of the geological environment where the crude is formed.


Refinery controls There are five critical areas in a refinery where XRF analysis would be of critical use.


Ref No. 1 2 3 4 5


Area Analysis


Crude Oil Desalters Na, Ca, S, Ni, V, Fe, Cu, Zn, Bi, Pb, Hg, and others Atmospheric Bottoms FCC


Al, Si, Na, Ca, P Reformate Sour Water Stripper


Metals on spent and regenerated catalysts Low level sulfur Cl


February / March 2011 • www.petro-online.com


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