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Northrop Grumman provides customized services for analyses of crude oil, petroleum feedstocks, and petroleum products.
Crude oil assays comprise a suite of tests uniquely assembled for each client to meet their specification requirements. Oil assays start with full-range distillations (ASTM D2892/D 5236). Selections of cut ranges, physical property, and chemical property measurements are unique, and can be customized according to the clients needs. The data from each assay are reviewed for reasonableness and internal consistency. The assay is finalized in cdm file format (see Haverly Systems, Inc.), corrected for laboratory variation, and made available for use in LP and other optimization applications.
Assay management and modeling services are also available. Individual property curves from distillation cuts may be adjusted to match crude oil properties, compare with reference properties, and compare with index curves or empirical curves from other properties to improve the reliability of the assays. Assays may be converted into cru file format and modeled with Haverly Systems, Inc. CAL-II to generate assay libraries suited for hydrocarbon processing. Properties may be compared for different distillation cut ranges, different crude oil blends or mixed streams, and different separation efficiencies (towers, plants, laboratory, etc.). Assay results may also be exported for other user defined applications.
Distillate fuel specification can be evaluated to troubleshoot a variety of problems with fuels, including contamination, storage and handling issues. A variety of contamination sources are possible including microbial, water or sediment, other fuels, and unknown sources. Depending on the circumstances, specific specification tests may be performed on the fuel to verify, identify or troubleshoot the particular fuel problem. One of the testing approaches finding great utility for troubleshooting fuel problems is the use of ASTM method D 3241 (JFTOT, Thermal Stability test). Fuels are subjected to higher temperatures and pressures to accelerate thermal degradation, and pressure drop measurements are made across standardized filter systems to show the degree of degradation observed. Using such testing conditions against customized fuel treatments enables one to develop successful mitigating strategies.