Method for evaluating the acidity of oil samples by isotopic labelling

• Main Authors: ROUQUETTE NICOLAS, KOWALEWSKI ISABELLE, ALBRECHT PIERRE, SCHAEFFER PHILIPPE, FAFET ANNE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.02.2007
• Subjects: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; TESTING

A method for evaluating the acidity of oil samples in small amounts, applicable at any stage of the petroleum industry, includes labelling by an isotope of a chemical element present in at least one acid function present in petroleum samples. Isotopic enrichment of the samples is then determined by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The acidity of the samples is deduced therefrom. This method is an alternative to the measurement of the Total Acid Number (TAN). In particular, it represents the only possibility to reliably measure the acidity of oil samples available in small amounts. The method can be applied to the economic evaluation of a hydrocarbon production field, to the determination of the carbon range responsible for the acidity of a crude, or to monitoring of the evolution of the acid distribution of a site polluted by hydrocarbons.