High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for Determination of Saturate, Aromatic, Resin and Asphaltene (SARA) Fractions
The decreasing conventional oil reserves and a drastic increase for oil demand with the growing world’s population bring the necessity for a gradual shift in interest towards recovery from unconventional resources. Bitumen, heavy oil, and extra heavy oil account for unconventional resources, and are estimated to cover around 55% of the total oil reserves worldwide.
Oil composition determination constitutes a key point from geochemists to the refiners, from the rock degradation degree to the amount of heavy organic dissolved and suspended solids precipitation. Results from SARA analysis are used as a quality indicator of oils and bitumens. Analysis results of the SARA fraction proportions are also used to calculate the asphaltene stability within the oil. Final SARA analysis is not possible without sample preparation prior to a variety of published analysis methods, such as GC, GC/MS and Isotopes analysis.
JAS has developed a refined solution for the analysis of SARA in Bitumen, residuals and crude oil:
- Saturated (alkanes and cycloparaffins)
- Aromatics (hydrocarbons, mono, di and polyaromatic)
- Resins (polar molecules with heteroatoms N,O,S)
- Asphaltenes (similar to the resins with higher molecular weight and polyaromatic core)
Oil composition determination constitutes a key point from geochemists to the refiners, from the rock degradation degree to the amount of heavy organic dissolved and suspended solids precipitation. Results from SARA analysis are used as a quality indicator of oils and bitumens. Analysis results of the SARA fraction proportions are also used to calculate the asphaltene stability within the oil.
JAS introduced a full solution for the analysis of SARA in Bitumen and Crude oil, with a repeatable and linear results:
