Oil Fingerprinting

Crude Oil Fingerprinting is used by SGS to identify key biomarkers in crude oil for reservoir geochemistry, production commingling and oil sheen applications. Programmed-temperature, capillary chromatography combined with mass spectrometry delineates unique components in your particular sample of crude oil.

Identification of key compositional markers gives your organization information about the source reservoir, the degree of commingling and can identify the source of oil leaks from pipelines and production systems. This knowledge is essential for mapping the extent and size of your reservoir, for optimizing commingled production and for minimizing the costs of remediation.

SGS Fingerprinting Techniques

SGS crude oil fingerprinting utilizes capillary chromatography and mass spectrometry to give you comprehensive insight into your reservoir. Capillary gas chromatography (GC) identifies biomarkers (pristane, phytane, and other iso-prenoids) to generate a distinct chromatographic trace due to specific maturing processes of biogenic and thermogenic degradation. When we combine this technique with mass spectrometry analysis (measuring mass-to-charge ratios) even more detailed comparisons are made possible. Together these two techniques give you both qualitative and quantitative results for your samples. Our experts provide sophisticated interpretations, which give in-depth insight into your reservoir compartmentalization, commingled production and sources of oil sheens and leaks.

Contact your SGS representative to discuss all your Crude Oil Fingerprinting requirements.