1
ANALYSIS OF CRUDE PETROLEUM OILS USING
FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
Alan G. Ryder*
1. INTRODUCTION
Crude oil is defined as “a mixture of hydrocarbons that existed in the liquid phase in
natural underground reservoirs and remains liquid at atmospheric pressure after passing
through surface separating facilities” (joint American Petroleum Institute, American
Association of Petroleum Geologists, and Society of Petroleum Engineers definition).
1
Crude petroleum oils are complex mixtures of different compounds (mainly organic),
which are obtained from an extensive range of different geological sources.
2, 3 Their
physical appearance can vary from solid black tars to almost transparent liquids. In their
natural state within an oilfield reservoir or entrapped within Hydrocarbon bearing Fluid
Inclusions (HCFI), crude oils will also contain varying amounts of gasses (carbon
dioxide, methane, etc.).
4 This presents the analyst with considerable challenges when
developing methods for the characterisation and analysis of crude oils.
5 The non-contact,
non-destructive, quantitative analysis of crude petroleum oils is a highly desirable
objective for both research (e.g. study of microscopic HCFI) and industry (e.g. real-time
assessment of oil production). Satisfying the needs of both macroscopic and microscopic
applications is not straightforward, however, optical methods offer a convenient route to
achieving these goals. Fluorescence spectroscopy is the best available optical technique,
because it offers high sensitivity, good diagnostic potential, relatively simple
instrumentation, and is perfectly suited to both microscopy and portable instrumentation.
This review encompasses a survey of fluorescence techniques used for the analysis
of crude petroleum oils. Specific sections focus on the analysis of bulk crude petroleum
oils, HCFI, and oil spills. The review focuses mainly on advances and studies reported in
the literature from 1990 onwards, and outlines some of the issues that need to be
addressed to make fluorescence methods more reproducible and quantitative.
* Alan G. Ryder, Department of Chemistry, and National Centre for Biomedical
Engineering Science,
National University of Ireland – Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Tel: 353-(0)91-524411 ext. 2943; Fax: 353-(0)91-750596;
Email: alan.ryder@nuigalway.ie
Cite this chapter:
Ryder, A.G. (2005). Analysis of Crude Petroleum Oils Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy. In: Geddes, C.D., Lakowicz, J.R. (eds) Reviews in
Fluorescence 2005. Reviews in Fluorescence, vol 2005. Springer, Boston, MA.
https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23690-2_8
ANALYSIS OF CRUDE PETROLEUM OILS USING
FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
Alan G. Ryder*
1. INTRODUCTION
Crude oil is defined as “a mixture of hydrocarbons that existed in the liquid phase in
natural underground reservoirs and remains liquid at atmospheric pressure after passing
through surface separating facilities” (joint American Petroleum Institute, American
Association of Petroleum Geologists, and Society of Petroleum Engineers definition).
1
Crude petroleum oils are complex mixtures of different compounds (mainly organic),
which are obtained from an extensive range of different geological sources.
2, 3 Their
physical appearance can vary from solid black tars to almost transparent liquids. In their
natural state within an oilfield reservoir or entrapped within Hydrocarbon bearing Fluid
Inclusions (HCFI), crude oils will also contain varying amounts of gasses (carbon
dioxide, methane, etc.).
4 This presents the analyst with considerable challenges when
developing methods for the characterisation and analysis of crude oils.
5 The non-contact,
non-destructive, quantitative analysis of crude petroleum oils is a highly desirable
objective for both research (e.g. study of microscopic HCFI) and industry (e.g. real-time
assessment of oil production). Satisfying the needs of both macroscopic and microscopic
applications is not straightforward, however, optical methods offer a convenient route to
achieving these goals. Fluorescence spectroscopy is the best available optical technique,
because it offers high sensitivity, good diagnostic potential, relatively simple
instrumentation, and is perfectly suited to both microscopy and portable instrumentation.
This review encompasses a survey of fluorescence techniques used for the analysis
of crude petroleum oils. Specific sections focus on the analysis of bulk crude petroleum
oils, HCFI, and oil spills. The review focuses mainly on advances and studies reported in
the literature from 1990 onwards, and outlines some of the issues that need to be
addressed to make fluorescence methods more reproducible and quantitative.
* Alan G. Ryder, Department of Chemistry, and National Centre for Biomedical
Engineering Science,
National University of Ireland – Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Tel: 353-(0)91-524411 ext. 2943; Fax: 353-(0)91-750596;
Email: alan.ryder@nuigalway.ie
Cite this chapter:
Ryder, A.G. (2005). Analysis of Crude Petroleum Oils Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy. In: Geddes, C.D., Lakowicz, J.R. (eds) Reviews in
Fluorescence 2005. Reviews in Fluorescence, vol 2005. Springer, Boston, MA.
https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23690-2_8