Chemical analysis methods for crude oil

Abstract

Using an oil chemical analysis method developed in our laboratory, more than 280 compounds in the Alberta Sweet Mixed Blend (ASMB) oil have been positively identified. The distribution of selected target compounds offers unique and sensitive fingerprints for matching the source of spilled oil and tracing the weathering process of oil in the environment. The pattern recognition plots involving more than 100 oil-specific individual components and component groupings permit deduction of a best set of values for oil exposure to weathering. Using data from different samples including crude oil, weathered oil, and 22-year-old spilled oil as examples, the distinct advantages of the described method over the current methods are examined.