Agilent Technologies and University of Houston collaborate to advance petroleum research

11 October 2012

Agilent Technologies Inc. and the University of Houston will work together to further understanding of the geology and composition of crude oil.

Under the agreement, Agilent is providing a portfolio of instruments valued at more than $1 million, including such advanced technology as microwave plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectroscopy (GC-QQQ), and gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (GC-QTOF).

The instruments will be used to identify and measure the constituents in geological specimens or to separate, to identify and to measure the thousands of compounds found in crude oil samples. These types of studies aid in understanding the geology of oil-bearing formations, which is useful in the search for new deposits as well as in assessing the potential for exploitation of proven reserves. In addition, improvements in the methods used to characterize crude oil will allow it to be processed more efficiently, which can improve the yield from each barrel and lower the cost of refined products.

The state-of-the-art instruments that Agilent is furnishing through this collaborative effort will allow the research teams at the University of Houston to move to the forefront of their research areas by generating data that has not been available to them until now. This collaboration with a premier energy university reaffirms our commitment, as the market leader in instruments for this industry, to continue to develop new technologies and applications for our customers.

—Wayne Collins, global energy manager, Agilent

Over the three-year term of the collaboration, some of the work will also focus on developing the science of shale gas, which has recently transformed the energy outlook in the United States. New technologies that have allowed this resource to be tapped have opened vast new reserves and provided low-cost feedstocks to the petrochemical and chemical industries while also providing low-cost natural gas to allow some power plants to switch from coal, lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

The research aims to investigate the science behind the extraction of shale gas and liquids to aid in evaluating the potential production of a particular formation as well as to provide guidance in avoiding detrimental environmental impact to ground water.