Crude oil analysis

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation 
Kazan National Research Technological University 
D. Ibragimova, G. Timirbaeva
CRUDE OIL ANALYSIS 
Tutorial 
Kazan 
KNRTU Press 
2022 

UDC 665.61(07) 
Published by the decision of the Editorial Review Board  
of the Kazan National Research Technological University 
Reviewers: 
PhD. in Chemistry Е. Barskaya 
PhD. in Technical Science A. Vakhin 
Ibragimova D. 
Crude Oil Analysis : Tutorial / D. Ibragimova, G. Timirbaeva; The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Kazan 
National Research Technological University. – Kazan : KNRTU Press, 
2022. – 84 p. 
ISBN 978-5-7882-3271-3 
The tutorial presents the basic content of the practical part of the course "Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering of Natural Fuels and Carbon Materials" with 
examples and tasks for student self-directed learning. 
The tutorial is intended for students studying Bachelor programs 18.03.01 
"Chemical Technology" and 21.03.01 "Petroleum Engineering." It can be also useful 
for students studying Bachelor programs of Petroleum and Petrochemistry Faculty. 
Prepared at the Department of Chemical Technology of Petroleum and Gas 
Processing. 
UDC 665.61(07) 
ISBN 978-5-7882-3271-3 
© D. Ibragimova, G. Timirbaeva, 2022 
© Kazan National Research Technological 
University, 2022 
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CONTENTS 
Introduction 
............................................................................................................... 4 
Chemistry Laboratory Safety Rules 
.......................................................................... 8 
First Aid .................................................................................................................. 10 
Methods Of Crude Oil Analysis ............................................................................. 13 
Determination Of Physical And Chemical Properties Of The Crude Oil 
............... 14 
1. Determination of the Residual Water Content in Crude Oil ......................... 15 
2. Light Hydrocarbons Content in Crude Oil .................................................... 20 
3. Chlorides in Crude Oil .................................................................................. 22 
4. Mechanical Impurities (Sediments) in Crude Oil ......................................... 27 
5. Crude Oil Density 
.......................................................................................... 31 
6. Crude Oil Viscosity ....................................................................................... 37 
7. Pour Point of Crude Oil 
................................................................................. 41 
8. Sulfur and Sulfur Oil Compounds 
................................................................. 43 
9. Hydrogen Sulfide Content in Crude Oil 
........................................................ 49 
10. Resin-Asphaltene Compounds in Crude Oil ............................................... 53 
11. Crude Oil Saturated Vapor Pressure ........................................................... 57 
12. Other Tests .................................................................................................. 59 
Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 63 
Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 64 
Vocabulary bank ..................................................................................................... 66 
Appendix 1 
.............................................................................................................. 78 
Appendix 2 
.............................................................................................................. 81 
Appendix 3 
.............................................................................................................. 82 
Appendix 4 
.............................................................................................................. 83 
Appendix 5 
.............................................................................................................. 84 
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INTRODUCTION 
Crude oil or petroleum (from Latin petra: "rock" + oleum: "oil") is 
a naturally occurring, yellow-to-black liquid which is a mixture of a large 
number of different classes of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon components, such as sulfur-, oxygen- and nitrogen-containing compounds, and 
resin asphaltene compounds. Crude oil occurs in porous rocks, viz. sandstone, limestone, and clay rocks. Hydrocarbon gases and water with dissolved salts usually accompany crude oil. 
Petroleum, in one form or another, has been used since ancient times, 
and it is now important for the society, including economy, politics and technology. The rise in importance was due to the invention of the internal combustion engine, advances in commercial aviation, and the demand for petroleum in industrial organic chemistry, particularly in the synthesis of plastics, 
fertilizers, solvents, adhesives, and pesticides. 
According to the ancient historical data, natural bitumen and asphalt 
were used in the construction of the walls and towers more than 4,000 years 
ago. Archaeological finds indicate medicinal and lighting use of petroleum 
in the upper levels of the ancient society. 
The origin of petroleum has more uncertainties than any other common natural substances despite the immense amount of research.  
There are two basic frameworks, viz. the standard organic (biotic) theory and the nonorganic (abiotic) theory. The former states that petroleum and 
gas are formed from prehistoric plants and animals. The remains of plants 
were transformed into coal and the remains of animals to petroleum and gas. 
These remains were settled and accumulated at the ocean bottom buried under several kilometers of sediments. Over a few million years, the layers of 
the organic material were compressed under the weight of the sediments 
above them. The increase in pressure and temperature coupled with the absence of oxygen changed the mud, sand, slit or sediments into rock and organic matter into kerogen. After further burial and heating, the kerogen transformed via cracking into petroleum and natural gas. Organic theory states 
that the resources of petroleum and gas worldwide are limited. In other 
words, petroleum is a non-renewable fossilized mass, the amount of which 
is exhausting with our increasing consumption. 
The abiotic theory states that petroleum is of the non-organic genesis, 
supposedly of the primordial origin or that petroleum is a self-regenerating 
substance produced by the Earth itself with the assistance of chemical 
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interactions occurring deep within the Earth. In other words, it is assumed 
that petroleum is not a finite substance as oil and gas have not run out till 
now. Based on this theory, crude oil resources would be much larger than 
those predicted by the biogenic theory. Unfortunately, the abiogenic theory 
and its implications are not well known. 
Petroleum has mostly been recovered by oil drilling (natural petroleum springs are rare). Drilling is carried out after studies of structural geology (at the reservoir scale), sedimentary basin analysis, and reservoir characterization (mainly in terms of the porosity and permeability of geologic 
reservoir structures) have been completed. It is refined and separated, most 
easily by distillation, into a large number of consumer products, from gasoline (petrol) and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used to make 
plastics and pharmaceuticals. Crude oil is used in manufacturing a wide variety of materials, and it is estimated that the world consumes about 95 million barrels each day. 
The petroleum industry generally classifies crude oil by the geographic location it is produced in, its API gravity (an oil industry measure of 
density), and its sulfur content. Crude oil may be considered light if it has 
low density or heavy or extra heavy if it has high density; and it may be 
referred to as sweet if it contains relatively little sulfur or sour if it contains 
substantial amounts of sulfur. 
Light crude oil is liquid petroleum that has low density and flows 
freely at room temperature. It has low viscosity, low specific gravity and high 
API gravity due to the presence of a high proportion of light hydrocarbon 
fractions. It generally has low wax content. Light crude oil has a higher price 
than heavy crude oil on commodity markets because it produces a higher 
percentage of gasoline and diesel fuel when converted into products at oil 
refineries1. 
Heavy crude oil or extra heavy crude oil is oil that is highly viscous, 
and cannot easily flow to production wells under normal reservoir conditions. It is referred to as "heavy" because its density or specific gravity is 
higher than that of light crude oil. Heavy crude oil has been defined as any 
liquid petroleum with API gravity less than 20°. Physical properties that differ heavy crude oils from lighter grades include higher viscosity and specific 
gravity, as well as heavier molecular composition.  
1 Alken Murray Corp. "Glossary of Petroleum Industry Common Terms & Symbols". 1999. URL: http://www.alken-murray.com/fuel-glossary.htm. 
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Heavy crude oil is closely related to natural bitumen from oil sands. 
Petroleum geologists categorize bitumen from oil sands as ‘extra-heavy oil’ 
due to its density of less than 10° API. Bitumen is the heaviest, thickest form 
of petroleum.  Most heavy crude oil is found at the margins of geologic basins and is thought to be the residue of former light oil that has lost its lightmolecular-weight components through degradation by bacteria, water washing, and evaporation.  
Moreover, the geographical location of crude oil production is another 
main point. In the crude oil market, the three current references or pricing 
markers are the following: 
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is extremely high-quality crude oil 
which is greatly valued for the fact that it is of premium quality, and more 
and better gasoline can be refined from a single barrel than from most other 
types of oil available on the market. 
Brent Blend is actually a combination of different oils from 15 fields 
throughout the Scottish Brent and Ninian systems located in the North Sea. 
Its API gravity is 38.3°, which makes it light crude oil, but clearly not quite 
as light as West Texas Intermediate. It also contains about 0.37 percent sulfur, which makes it a “sweet” crude oil, but not quite as “sweet” as WTI. 
Dubai and Oman Crude is light sour crude oil extracted from Dubai. 
It is produced in the Emirate of Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates2. 
Oil fields, regions with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum 
(crude oil) from below ground, differ significantly in chemical composition. 
Therefore, to select the most appropriate treatment option for specific crude 
oil it is necessary to know its composition and properties, both taken as 
a whole and of the individual fractions. To facilitate the study of the crude 
oil it is separated by distillation into narrow fractions based on boiling temperature limits. 
Usually there are four narrow fractions: light distillates (liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, and naphtha), middle distillates (kerosene, jet fuel, and 
diesel), heavy distillates and residuum (heavy fuel oil, lubricating oils, wax, 
and asphalt).  
The objective of technical analysis of the crude oil and petroleum 
products is the technical evaluation of oil liquids in order to determine its 
processing options. 
 
2 Crude oil prices today, URL: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/A-DetailedGuide-On-The-Many-Different-Types-Of-Crude-Oil.html. 
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During the laboratory practical work, students are introduced to the laboratory methods of analysis of the crude oil and petroleum products. 
Before you start the study, it is necessary to explore the relevant literature and methods and rules how to carry out the experiment. This study 
guide briefly describes the analysis methodology.  
7 

CHEMISTRY LABORATORY SAFETY RULES 
Chemistry laboratories can be hazardous if the rules are not followed. 
During a chemistry course a student may handle materials which are carcinogenic, poisonous, flammable, and explosive. Some of these materials and 
equipment may also cause severe burns, cuts, or bruises if handled improperly or carelessly. Most accidents that occur in the chemistry laboratory are 
a result of carelessness, impatience, improper or unauthorized experimentation, and disregard for safety rules or proper operating procedures. In order 
to minimize the chances of an accident in the laboratory, certain rules and 
regulations must be obeyed when one is working or observing in a chemical 
laboratory. Therefore, it is not advisable for anyone to work in a laboratory 
without proper knowledge of the dangers involved. Due to the inherent dangers present in a chemical laboratory, it should be understood that the following rules must be obeyed to minimize the chance of an accident. The student is expected to exercise proper judgement and extreme caution when 
working in a laboratory. 
 
Learn and observe the safety and laboratory rules! 
 
1. Leave your outerwear in the cloakroom in advance. 
2. All personal belongings should be packed as you enter the laboratory. 
3. Appropriate clothing (laboratory coat) must be worn at all times in 
the laboratory. 
4. Long hair must be tied back while in the laboratory so that it will 
not fall into flame or chemicals. 
5. Eating, smoking, and drinking are not allowed in a chemistry laboratory. 
6. Know the location and proper use of fire extinguishers, fire blankets 
and first aid kits. 
7. Never place anything that is not directly required for the experiment 
on laboratory desks; other items may interfere with the experiment.  
8. DO NOT perform unauthorized experiments or work in the laboratory alone.  
9. Report any accident and/or injury to your tutor immediately, no 
matter how minor it may be. 
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10. Before obtaining any chemicals read carefully the label on the reagent bottles. 
11. Never direct the open end of test tube toward yourself or anyone
else. 
12. Use the fume hoods when toxic or irritating vapors are involved.
13. Liquid and solid waste containers must be properly used at all
times. 
14. Never return unused chemicals to their original container (unless
directed to do so by the tutor). 
15. Never pour water into concentrated acid.
16. Wear safety glasses in the laboratory when you are doing vacuum
distillation or work with acids. Also, protect your skin with protective gloves. 
17. Learn the proper procedure for igniting and operating a laboratory
burner. Always extinguish the flame when the burner is not being used. Make 
sure that all flammable reagents are removed before lighting the burner.  
18. Do not leave working an experimental set-up or apparatus unattended. 
19. Never place chemicals directly on the balance pan. Never pour
chemicals directly over the balance. 
20. Keep your work station neat and clean. Clean up any spill immediately. 
21. Your tutor is available for any assistance you may need. Never
hesitate to ask questions especially if there is any question concerning a 
proper operating procedure. Be sure that you understand every instruction 
before proceeding. 
22. Before leaving the laboratory, make sure your work area is clean
and dry. Ensure that all gas, water, vacuum, and air valves are completely 
turned off. 
23. Wash your hands thoroughly after leaving the laboratory.
Attention! You must read and sign the laboratory Safety Agreement 
after you have attended the Safety lecture. You cannot work in the lab until 
you have signed this agreement. 
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