Applications of Submersible Fluorescence Sensors for Monitoring Hydrocarbons in Treated and Untreated Waters

Abstract

With development of new methods for oil and gas exploration, and in an effort to increase efficiency of petroleum production, rapid analysis of oil in water (OIW) has become increasingly important. Cost-effective, real-time analysis of refined oil products in water---whether their presence is as products or contaminants---enables nimble response to changing concentrations of analytes, which is not only of interest within the energy industry but also useful to ensure compliance within other industrial, municipal, and environmental applications. As a result of lab and field experimentation with a UV-fluorescence sensor responding to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) present in any oil derived from mineral sources, it was determined that OIW could be successfully measured through correlation of PAH and OIW concentration in industrial process water, wastewater, municipal water treatment, natural seawater, and source water samples containing stable oil content. In samples with repeatable and sustainable content, the concentration of hydrocarbons can be quantified, while the most useful application of the examined instrumentation was found for event detection and trending of oil in water.