At West Texas Analytical Laboratory, LLC, has over 13 years of experience servicing the oil and gas industry, as well as the environmental sectors. It is our goal to provide our clients with comprehensive reporting and as much analytical data as possible. We realize the importance of the need for additional information used to troubleshoot problems and make important costly decisions in production, plant design, or exploration. We offer the highest availability of the range of analytical services, including testing procedures not available by most laboratories. The combination of the availability of services and comprehensive reporting brings us a step ahead of even our largest competitor laboratories.
In oilfield production, a continuous monitoring program is recommended to address water quality to prevent scale and corrosion issues before they become costly and inhibit production. Our standard water analysis contains a full ICP Metals Package, Alkalinity (HCO3, CO3, OH), Total Dissolved Solids, Total Hardness, Dissolved H2S & CO2, Specific Gravity, pH, Resistivity/Conductivity, Sulfate, Chloride, as well as scaling indices/predicted scale concentrations in pptb of the ten most common mineral scales and predicted CO2 corrosion rates in MPY.
We also offer water analysis to meet the needs of individuals who are concerned with potential toxic metals and contamination from runoff. For private water wells and fresh water sources we offer an analysis that includes Toxic Metals, Nitrate/Nitrite, Coliform/ E. Coli Bacteria/ Chloride/ pH. We also offer a wide variety of water analysis methods in fresh water, oilfield brines, and wastewater including PO4, Oil & Grease, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Bacteria, Particulate Solids, Formaldehyde, and much more.
We provide a comprehensive data analysis on natural gas and liquified petroleum products. Analytes are reported in mol %, vol. %, and wt. % and provided with calculated specific gravity, compressibility factor, viscosity, molecular weight, gross/net heating values in Btu/ft3 for both real and ideal gas, and ultimate calculated elemental analysis as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Additionally, phase diagrams are provided for bubble and dewpoint prediction, as well as critical points. We also
provide the most extensive detailed hydrocarbon analysis available, the detailed hydrocarbon analysis provides 166 compounds reported through dodecane+, with finalized grouping as paraffins, Iso paraffins, aromatics, naphthene's, and olefins (PIANO). The detailed hydrocarbon analysis can be provided on any hydrocarbon matrix: gas, LPG, natural gasoline, crude, refined products, and even water/solid matrix. Calculated properties such as specific gravity, molecular weight and heating values are provided. Characterization by hydrocarbon fingerprinting is very useful to classify product feedstocks and crude oil quality. If a detailed hydrocarbon analysis is not required NAL provides the advantage of a grouped hydrocarbon analysis for product characterization. Additionally, results can be provided up to C60+ for wax and asphaltene characterization in crudes, which is very beneficial for identifying and treating wax scale deposits.
Identifying sulfur compounds is important, as H2S can cause corrosion and mercaptans can foul up production in plants and lead to undesirable sour hydrocarbon fuels. Detection limit is important for analysis, WTAL uses gas chromatography coupled with pulsed flame photometric detector for detection limits of 0.04 ppm mol. Concentrations are reported in ppm mol, ppm vol., and ppm wt., coupled with total sulfur by compound. The following compounds are reported Hydrogen Sulfide, Carbonyl Sulfide, Methyl Mercaptan, Ethyl Mercaptan, Dimethyl Sulfide, Carbon Disulfide, Isopropyl Mercaptan, Tert Butyl Mercaptan, N-Propyl Mercaptan, Ethyl Methyl Sulfide, Sec-Butyl Mercaptan, Thiophene, Isobutyl Mercaptan, and N-Butyl Mercaptan.
We provide gas chromatography solutions for alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ethers, glycols, and terpenes. We can perform analyses on any sample matrix, by extraction or headspace. We have provided methanol testing in hand sanitizers, ethanol purity and fusel alcohol content, terpene content in cosmetics and essential oils, and alcohol/terpene analysis in biogas or natural gasoline. Our full analysis includes 72 compounds.
We provide a comprehensive list of crude oil analyses; our basic assay consists of API gravity/density, wax disappearance temperature, wax appearance temperature, pour point, paraffin wax %, BS&W %, sulfur, iron, nickel, lead, and vanadium, as well as a graphical representation of emulsion characteristics and comparisons to major world crudes. We also provide Total Acid Number, Distillation, Flash Point, Reid Vapor Pressure, Octane Number, API Gravity and much more.
We provide a VOC analysis on landfill and biogas, monitoring for VOC’s is important as chlorinated compounds and siloxanes often form from waste products in landfills and are considered undesirable products in the methane effluent. Filters containing activated are often used to remove the unwanted compounds, however eventually the filters will lose efficiency and become ineffective for proper VOC removal. A monitoring program for VOC compounds identifies gas quality and filter efficiency.
Scale and mineral precipitation are a serious problem in oilfield production, common minerals encountered include calcite, apatite, and iron sulfide. We have encountered exotic minerals such as galena and orpiment; lead and arsenic sulfide. As such we provide the most comprehensive report possible to identify and characterize complex solid precipitates. The analysis is coupled with XRF and solvent solubility for organic characterization. Results are reported on a dry and as-is basis with moisture content, solvent soluble waxes, and solvent soluble asphaltenes.
We can provide routine analysis of Millipore and filter media, Millipore’s may be collected in the field or performed in the lab under pressure. Results are performed using the NACE rinsing gravimetric procedure and include soluble salts, acid soluble oxides/sulfides, acid soluble carbonates, organics oil/paraffin, organics asphaltenes, and insoluble %. Saltwater disposal wells and brines contain a significant amount of salt, as such a separate column of data is provided with the soluble salts removed and renormalized for comparison. The insoluble fraction is characterized as calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, aluminum silicate (clays), and quartz. Recommendation is made based on volume of fluid vol, time, and pressure as a quantified plugging factor. NAL also offers a comprehensive filter media analysis on lubrication fluids, brines, and chemical formulations. The comprehensive filter media analysis provides particle distribution in volume % for particles ranging in microns from 1-10, 11-50, 51-100, and 100+, initially and after solvent rinse. Moreover, the particulates are analyzed by XRF and the same elements and mineral percents as our solid scale analysis are reported.
We can provide corrosion coupon analysis on a variety of different sizes and rods or flats. The coupon is photographed as it is received and after it has undergone an extensive cleaning to remove scale deposits. The initial/final weight is reported, as well as the weight loss to determine a corrosion rate in MPY. Pitting and coupon damage is also reported.
We use an isotope scintillation meter to provide a variety of nuclide identification in water, soil, gas, rock, or any matrix; results are reported in pCi/l or pCi/g, depending on the sample matrix. Quantification limits are dependent on sample size/volume and nuclide of interest. A nuclide screen can be provided to identify all nuclides present in the sample, with a dose rate provided in µRem/hr or individual nuclides of interest can be determined.
Unknown compounds can be analyzed in any matrix by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Results can reported as qualitative, semi-quantitative (based on peak area), or quantitative (calibration based). The NIST library contains mass spectra of over 300000 compounds and is particularly useful in identifying surfactants or semi-volatile fatty acids in condensate or targeting amine compounds in corrosion inhibitors. GCMS can be performed on any sample matrix.