Petra MAX Autosampler

As petroleum professionals continue to refine their production processes, products such as crude oil, residual fuel oils, and VGO can contain higher concentrations of problematic metals like nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), and vanadium (V). In the face of tightening regulations and increased demand for sweeter crudes, refiners are looking to buy lower-cost oils that contain these metals, with the intent of assessing their concentration levels throughout the refining process.

Petroleum coke (also referred to as petcoke), a by-product of the oil refining process, is typically sold and used as either fuel or material for anodes in the aluminum and steel industries, amongst others. However, petcoke may contain high levels of sulfur and a variety of metals that have the potential to cause fouling and damage to both the environment and refining equipment. Similarly, mined coal may contain varying levels of sulfur which will determine its quality and uses, and thus its value. In this paper, XOS reviews the results from recent studies of petcoke and coal using Petra MAX.

In this application note, XOS demonstrates how the Petra MAX, powered by monochromatic EDXRF, meets the repeatability and site precision criteria of UOP 979 based on real-world data.

In this application note, XOS reviews ASTM D8252 method compliance criteria, and compares data run on XOS Petra analyzers with the method’s precision statements.

Professionals in the field of lubrication and tribology are at the forefront of solving many of today's biggest problems. This application note demonstrates the performance and simplicity of Petra MAX™, powered by HDXRF, to meet the needs of lubricant professionals to perform these essential quality control analyses.

To assess the ability of Petra MAX to accurately measure chlorine content in catalyst matrices, XOS set up an empirical calibration for chlorine in catalyst using six alumina supported catalyst standards. Alumina supported catalysts are commonly used and can be found in most parts of the refinery. The calibration was used to run measurements for a known catalyst check sample.

With tightening sulfur regulations across the globe, petroleum professionals have the unique challenge of certifying their products as efficiently as possible. In addition, there is an increasing need to test critical elements in various matrices to protect valuable equipment and avoid downtime. Petra MAX delivers D4294 sulfur analysis in addition to 12 elements in matrices like hydrocarbon, water and catalysts. This analyzer was designed to save time for refineries, terminals, and third-party labs. Throughout this paper, XOS review some of the features that make Petra MAX so unique compared to its counterparts in the market.

In the following whitepaper XOS discuss how to eliminate the need to centrifuge for D4294 sulfur analysis in two different application studies:

• Application Study 1: Obtain Accurate Sulfur Results Without Centrifuging in Real-World Samples
• Application Study 2: Petra MAX vs Traditional XRF for D4294 Sulfur Analysis
  

Test methods for measuring sulfur content, like ASTM D4294 and ISO 8754, have become critical for assessing the value of crude oil. The blending of crude oils from different sources has become more commonplace within the industry to meet specifications for the classification of sweet crude oil. The introduction of new crudes brings new challenges, like higher concentrations of metals such as nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), and iron (Fe).

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) will lower the maximum allowable sulfur content from 3.50% to 0.50%, which will go into effect on January 1, 2020. In order to comply with the new regulation, ship owners and operators will need to decide between two main options: continue to burn High Sulfur Fuel Oil (HSFO) and retrofit their ships with exhaust gas scrubbers that remove the SOx, or switch from HSFO to Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (LSFO).