Intertek Sunbury UK Laboratory

Refinery & Chemical Plant Support

Refinery and Chemical Plant Process and Quality Analytical Support

Sunbury laboratory provides a wide range of testing services to the global petroleum and chemical industries. Sunbury offers significant experience in oil, chemical process, refining and exploration analytical laboratory support.

Refinery, Chemical Plant Services:
Refinery, Plant services.

Analytical support projects include:

• Feedstock analysis
• Petroleum products analysis
• Intermediate product anaysis
• Catalyst testing, assessment
• Unknowns contamination analysis
• Fuel contamination analysis
• Troubleshooting process problems
• Process feeds and products
• Instrument commissioning
• Method development
• Process plant start-up support
• Trace analysis laboratory training.
• Quality auditing
• Plant sample point positioning
• Root cause of process problems

On-Site Refinery Support Services:

Water Analysis
Water analysis monitoring in gases and organic liquid for refineries, petrochemical plants and others. Conflicts between analyzer readings and sampled readings are investigated. We monitor drier units, including molecular sieve systems.

Sulphur Analysis
Identification of sulphur contamination process problems and Unit optimisation. H2S measurement studies, mercaptans analyses and more for liquids and gases. Sulphur mass balance measurements for refinery complexes are conducted.

Mercury Analysis
For gas and condensate analysis, sample cylinders are prepared to ensure they are "mercury neutral" prior to taking samples. Methods are used to collect and analyse all forms of mercury. Studies have included the monitoring of mercury guard beds and treaters.

Off-site Support Services:

Crude Oil Assay
Petroleum assay data helps in crude oil selection and characterisation. Sunbury provides full petroleum assay and detailed hydrocarbon analysis testing services.

Clean Fuels
Sunbury supports refinery fuel quality specifications, measuring hydrocarbon distribution, sulphur speciation, nitrogen speciation and molecular composition.
Nitrogen and sulphur trace analysis monitors catalyst reformers and hydrocracking units.

Deposit Analysis
Deposits and contaminants in pipelines, reactors and compressors are analysed. Lab data helps determine risk assessment for pipelines and tanks. Analyses range from qualitative contaminant identification to detailed elemental composition.

Catalyst Testing, Catalyst Monitoring
Crucial refinery support activities are offered on a high priority status, with potential 24 hr turnaround analysis for catalyst samples from time of receipt. Sunbury supports process refinery and plant engineers during catalyst change-outs and catalyst regenerations. We help Units get back on-stream with accurate catalyst assessments.

Catalyst testing includes:

• Carbon build-up monitoring
• Chloride balance assessment
• Sulphur poisoning
• Platinum condition
• State of the gamma alumina
• Surface area measurement
• Physical properties
• Bulk density
• Loss on attrition
• Crush strength
• Fresh catalyst evaluation
• Precious metal assay work
• Elemental analysis
• Deposit identification
• Catalyst poisoning studies
• Catalyst deactivation studies