Inline Process Measurement: Sampling, Instrumentation, and Data Analysis
Many people assume that inline chemical analysis instrumentation is a black box that can be installed and
then forgotten. In reality, all of the usual laboratory analysis issues also apply to ‘magic’ black boxes.
This half-day course is presented in three sections: sampling, instrumentation and data analysis for inline
measurements.
1. Inline Sampling Systems
Presented by Duane Rowan, Canadian Sales & Marketing Manager for Jiskoot Quality Systems. Cameron
Canada Corporation, Edmonton.
The analytical market for hydrocarbon liquids seems to be moving away from the spot sample, and more
toward inline analytics and automated sampling. Why do we sample and what are the business drivers for
the sampling? A truly useful sample must be homogeneous, proportionally representative of the whole and
repeatable. The sample must remain unaltered until testing is completed, which often means it needs to be
protected to maintain its integrity.
There are five main steps in the custody transfer sampling process. You must take a good look at all of the
steps to ensure you are choosing the correct sampling system for the application.
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Pipeline Conditions – what are the characteristics of the fluid inside? Is it homogenous?
Sample Extraction – How do I get the sample out of the line?
Sample Collection - How much sample do I need for the analyses required?
Sample Handling and remixing - How am I going to move the sample from physical point of sample
to point of analysis?
Sample Analysis - What question are we trying to answer? How do I know my system is working
correctly?
2. Introduction to inline measurement systems
Presented by Ken Schmidt, PhD FCIC PChem, President, Wilson Analytical Services Inc, Sherwood Park, AB.
This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the inline chemical analysis systems available,
including the following:
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Self-cleaning / calibrating pH systems
Raman systems
NIR / IR systems
Mass Spec systems
Titration and uv/vis systems
Emission monitoring systems
GC systems
XRD / XRF systems
3. Introduction to the use of chemometrics for inline measurement systems
Presented by Paulina de la Mata, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta.
Inline process measurement systems that are based on chemical analysis can be divided into three parts.
There is the “hardware” that takes and analyzes the sample, there is the “software” that runs the hardware
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to make sure that it functions properly, and then there is the “wetware” that converts the data into
something useful for decision making. This “wetware” may be thought of as an advanced algorithm that
extracts process control data out of the analytical measurements obtained by the hardware of the system.
Since analyte concentrations and trending information are often not obvious from the data obtained,
statistical processes tuned to chemical analyses are used to create an “expert system” that pulls useful
information out of the measurements. This protocol is known as chemometrics, which mixes mathematical
and statistical techniques with chemical knowledge to evaluate analytical measurements for the design and
control of production systems. Chemometrics has been used in numerous fields for over 40 years, both in
and out of the laboratory, and has provided answers to diverse analytical questions in agriculture, food
processing, mining, manufacturing and petroleum refining.
This presentation will introduce chemometrics and its applications:
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What is chemometrics and why it is important
Types of models
Importance of variable selection
Examples from the lab and from process control
Presenter Biographies
1. Inline Sampling Systems
Duane Rowan, Canadian Sales & Marketing Manager for Jiskoot Quality Systems. Cameron Canada
Corporation, Edmonton.
Duane Rowan is the Canadian Sales and Marketing Manager for Jiskoot Quality Systems, which is the
sampling and blending group within the Measurement Systems Division at Cameron Canada Corporation.
Duane started on the production side of the oil and gas industry over 20 years ago. He started working in
operations and production in the oil and gas fields south of Drayton Valley in 1994. In 2007 he left the
production side of the industry and went to work as the Canadian Product Line Manager of
HMI/Optimization Software and Engineering Software for eProd Solutions, which is the optimization arm
for Weatherford’s Artificial Lift Group. From there he went to work as the Technical Sales and Service
Manager for Lufkin Automation, looking after automation service group and was responsible for all
technical sales and training for the Canadian arm of the company. He then was responsible for business
development for a small engineering firm that specialized in optimization, automation and communications
systems for reciprocating rod pumping. In 2012 Duane joined Cameron as an account manager within the
Measurement Systems Group, and then moved into the role as Sales & Marketing Manager in the fall of
2013.
Duane has an extensive knowledge and experience with business development, artificial lift systems
(reciprocating rod pumping system, PCP, ESP and Plunger Lift), pipelines, oil and gas processing facilities,
compression, instrumentation, measurement, automation and communications. He is a member of Society
of Petroleum Engineers, ISA, and the Canadian Heavy Oil Association.
2. Introduction to inline measurement systems
Ken Schmidt, PhD FCIC PChem, President, Wilson Analytical, Sherwood Park, AB
Ken Schmidt is Professional Chemist based out of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He is the President of
Wilson Analytical Services Inc, a chemical analysis and analytical instrumentation company serving the
oilfield industry. Prior to co-founding Wilson, Ken spent fifteen years in industry working on high-tech
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ceramics production, CVD coatings, sulphur chemistry, and industrial analytical development and
implementation. He also worked on joint industry/university/government projects in synchrotron science
(the Canadian Light Source) and in nanotechnology.
He holds a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Calgary, and a Combined Honours BSc in
Chemistry/Biochemistry from McMaster University. He served for 7 years on the board of the Association
of the Chemical Profession of Alberta (ACPA), and for three years on the national Canadian Society for
Chemistry (CSC) board. He has also been on the executive committee of the either the Calgary or the
Edmonton Sections of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) for over 25 years, and served as the Chair of
the Edmonton Section in 2004, and again in 2009. He received the Frank W. Bachelor Award for Service to
the Chemical Profession from the ACPA in 2009, and was elected as a Fellow of the CIC in 2011.
He is the author or co-author of over 50 scientific publications and presentations, and has co-organized (and
occasionally presented at) over 30 technical workshops or short courses. He has also been involved in many
outreach activities over the years aimed at highlighting the wonders of chemistry to students and the
general public.
3. Introduction to the use of chemometrics for inline measurement systems
Paulina de la Mata, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta
Paulina de la Mata is Analytical Chemist working for The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC), in
addition to being a primary research assistant / postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Harynuk’s group in the
Department of Chemistry at the Univeristy of Alberta. She works with TMIC clients in the design of
studies and experiments, developing and optimizing analytical methods, running samples, maintaining the
instruments, and processing the data using a variety of statistical tools. Her current research interests
include chemometrics, multiway analysis, exploratory analysis, MATLAB programming, and developing,
testing and adapting new metabolomics methods to GC×GC-TOFMS/FID GC-MS/MS. She has been
working for several years developing chemometric tools and exploring the capabilities and limitations of
multidimensional gas chromatography for metabolomic and other analyses. She has a diverse work history
including working in Spain and Denmark with HPLC-CAD and FTIR data with chemometrics to obtain
models to distinguish adulterations in olive oils. She has also been a cosmetics and health care buyer for
Comercial Mexicana (retail store) in Mexico.
Paulina de la Mata received a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry in 2002 and an MBA in 2004 from
Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, México. She obtained a Masters degree in 2007 and a Ph.D. in
Chemistry in 2011 from the University of Granada, Spain. Since 2011 she has been employed by
the University of Alberta, Canada at the Department of Chemistry, as a research associate.
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