Determination of stable carbon (δ13C) isotope systematics for alkylphenols and light aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) in petroleum formation waters and co-produced oils

Gordon D. Love, Andrew C. Aplin, Stephen R. Larter, Gillian Taylor

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    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Solid phase microextraction (SPME) techniques coupled with gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) were used to determine the stable carbon (δ13C) isotopic compositions of aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) and phenol in a small suite of co-produced oils and waters from a North Sea oilfield. The δ13C patterns and the compound profiles observed are consistent with the theory that the concentrations and distributions of BTEX and alkylphenols in oilfield waters can simply be explained by partition equilibrium between oil and water. The large difference in δ13C signatures for phenol compared with benzene and toluene (7-8 %c vs. PDB) in both the oil and water phases strongly suggests that, at least for BTEX and phenols, reversible chemical reactions controlled by master geochemical variables (such as fO2) do not appear to be important at the temperatures of most oilfields.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)465-467
    Number of pages3
    JournalJournal of Geochemical Exploration
    Volume78-79
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2003

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