Home > Resources > Innovations > Resources

Resource detail

Title: Oil in water analyzers based on infrared technology
Organization:Wilks-Spectro Scientific Company

Wilks Enterprise, founded in 1995, specializes in easy-to-use, portable infrared analyzers. Wilks has over 3500 InfraCal Analyzers in operation worldwide measuring the oil and grease levels in produced water from oil platforms, oil content in drill cuttings and mud, hydrocarbons in wastewater effluents from water treatment facilities and industrial plants, and TPH in soil at remediation sites. InfraCal Analyzers are designed to move the analysis out to the laboratory to the field where non-technical personnel can perform measurements in less than 15 minutes.

The analysis of oil in water by infrared technology is not new to the oil and gas industry as it has been used worldwide for over 40 years. Unlike UV fluorescence, which only measures aromatic hydrocarbons, infrared measures both aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. If there is any change in the aromatic/aliphatic ratio in produced water, infrared will see little effect while UV fluorescent analyzers will require recalibration.

This same infrared technology gives industrial wastewater professionals a rapid on-site method to ensure the oil level in their wastewater does not exceed limits. Having the capability to get results in 15 minutes gives operators of pretreatment systems the needed information to see how their oil separators work under different loading conditions. For the treatment facility that is imposing the limits, an on-site test allows them to catch offenders. Sending only the samples over the limit for further testing can save a significant amount on laboratory testing as well as avoiding a more costly sanitary sewer overflow by detecting effluent loaded with fats, oil and grease (FOG) that causes the blockages.

Oil in water analyzers for non-technical personnel: The InfraCal 2 ATR-SP, uses hexane, pentane or Vertrel MCA for the extraction process. Measurement data from either model will correlate to EPA Method 1664 since the procedure is based on an evaporation technique for measuring the residual oil and grease. It is equipped with a built-in cubic zirconia horizontal attenuated total reflection (HATR) stainless-steel sample stage on which the extract is deposited for analysis. The sample preparation takes a few simple steps and the ppm hydrocarbon result is obtained in less than 15 minutes. InfraCal 2 ATR-SP will measure down to 0.3 ppm and up to 2%.

The InfraCal 2 Model TRANS-SP is based on US EPA Methods 413.2 and 418.1 and ASTM D7066-04, which uses Freon 113, Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), or S-316, as the extracting solvent. Since the oil concentration is measured directly in the solvent, light end volatile components are retained, making it ideal for gas condensate measurements. The sample preparation takes a few simple steps and the result is obtained in less than 10 minutes. The InfraCal Analyzer was one of the instruments used to develop the ASTM D7066 oil in water method. The InfraCal 2 TRANS-SP will measure down to 0.1 ppm and up to 2000 ppm+.


Outcome/Benefits: InfraCal Analyzers are portable, rugged and compact and can be supplied with an internal battery for on-site testing. InfraCal Analyzers: • Eliminate waiting for off-site lab results • Provide oil content measurements in 10-15 minutes • Ideal for measuring TOG (total oil and grease), FOG (fats, oil and grease) and TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons) • Help avoid fines for out-of-compliance produced water and wastewater discharges • Are easy to use by non-technical personnel • Use infrared technology based on DTI, EPA and ASTM methods • Are designed for years of dependable, accurate operation

Commercially tested: Yes

Read more


Contact for further information