Shimadzu Hydrocarbon Processing Industry

Importance of the Topic

Advanced analytical methods are essential for monitoring and controlling processes in the hydrocarbon processing industry. Accurate quantification of hydrocarbons, trace elements, sulfur, moisture and other compounds ensures product quality, regulatory compliance and efficient operation throughout exploration, refining and petrochemical production.

Objectives and Study Overview

This document presents a comprehensive overview of Shimadzu’s total solutions for the hydrocarbon processing industry. The main goal is to illustrate how a broad portfolio of gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, spectroscopic, thermal analysis and elemental techniques can support quality control, process management and research applications from upstream exploration to downstream manufacturing and trading.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Shimadzu integrates validated methods and hardware to meet ASTM, ISO, UOP, GPA and other international standards. Key approaches include gas chromatography for natural gas and refinery gas analysis, simulated distillation for crude oil, trace sulfur and moisture detection, high-performance liquid chromatography for aromatics and oxygenates, GC MS for VOCs, ICP MS and atomic emission for trace elements, FTIR and UV-Vis for functional group and colorimetric analysis, thermal analysis for polymer properties, and fluorescence spectroscopy for low-level organic markers. All systems are controlled via the LabSolutions networked data management suite to ensure data integrity and regulatory compliance.

Instrumental Setup

• Gas chromatography platforms (Nexis GC 2030) with third-party detectors (PFPD, PDHID, SCD, BID) and fast PIONA+ VUV detectors
• HPLC and UHPLC systems for aromatics, furan and polymer additive analysis
• GC MS and LC MS MS for volatile organics, arsine, phosphine and polymer additives
• ICP MS and ICP atomic emission for trace element quantification in fuels and polymers
• AAS for element analysis in oils and gasoline
• EDX fluorescence for sulfur and elemental screening
• FTIR for petroleum hydrocarbons, biodiesel and polymer additives
• UV-Vis for color analysis of fuels and tapes
• Thermal analyzers (DSC, TGA, TMA) for polymer characterization
• Spectrofluorophotometers for fluorescence detection of coumarin and oil in water
• Total organic carbon analyzers (TOC) for water analysis in process streams and condensate
• Automated tensile testing machines and particle size analyzers for materials characterization

Main Results and Discussion

Shimadzu’s solutions fulfill rigorous industry requirements, delivering high sensitivity, repeatability and speed across a wide range of analyses. Graphical data show excellent long-term stability for sulfur and moisture detectors, reliable calibration curves for TOC and fluorescence methods, and robust separations in simulated distillation and PIONA applications. Integration via LabSolutions simplifies instrument control, method development and secure data handling in both standalone and networked laboratory environments.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Shimadzu’s total solutions enable:

• Comprehensive quality control from raw material to finished products
• Regulatory compliance through standardized methods
• Improved laboratory productivity via automation and remote monitoring
• Cost savings through low maintenance, high throughput and method flexibility

Future Trends and Opportunities

Emerging developments include artificial intelligence for predictive process analytics, miniaturized and portable instrumentation for on-site monitoring, enhanced detectors for ultratrace analysis, green chemistry approaches to reduce solvent use, and integration with cloud-based data platforms to enable real-time decision support across distributed facilities.

Conclusion

Shimadzu’s integrated portfolio addresses the analytical needs of hydrocarbon processing from exploration to end users. By uniting a diverse range of instruments, validated methods and a unified software environment, laboratories can achieve reliable, high-throughput analysis, ensuring product quality, process optimization and regulatory compliance across the petrochemical and chemical industries.

References

• Shimadzu Corporation C10G-E067B Total Solutions for the Hydrocarbon Processing Industry 2023
• Applicable international standards: ASTM, ISO, UOP, GPA methods as referenced in instrument applications