🎯 Course Description:
This 5-day advanced course provides an in-depth understanding of the instrumental analytical techniques critical to petroleum product characterization and quality control. Participants will explore principles, operation, calibration, troubleshooting, and data interpretation of key instruments such as Gas Chromatography (GC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), and Mass Spectrometry (MS).
Through hands-on sessions, case studies, and problem-solving workshops, attendees will gain confidence in selecting appropriate analytical methods, optimizing instrument performance, and ensuring data accuracy in compliance with industry standards.
👥 Who Should Attend:
-
Petroleum laboratory chemists and technicians
-
Quality control and R&D professionals
-
Refinery and production analysts
-
Technical service engineers
-
Laboratory supervisors and managers
🗓️ Day 1: Fundamentals of Instrumental Analysis
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Welcome, Objectives, and Course Overview |
| 09:00 – 10:30 | Basic Principles of Instrumental Analysis – Sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:45 – 12:15 | Sample Preparation Techniques – Extraction, dilution, filtration |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | Calibration and Validation – Standards, linearity, detection limits |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | Workshop: Preparing calibration curves and standards |
🗓️ Day 2: Gas Chromatography (GC)
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | GC Principles and Instrumentation – Columns, detectors (FID, TCD), carriers |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | GC Method Development – Temperature programming, sample introduction |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | Troubleshooting GC Issues – Peak tailing, ghost peaks, baseline noise |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | Lab Session: Running and interpreting GC chromatograms |
🗓️ Day 3: Spectroscopic Techniques (FTIR, XRF, AAS)
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) – Theory, sample handling |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) – Sulfur and metal analysis |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | Instrument Maintenance and Calibration |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | Hands-On: Interpreting FTIR spectra and XRF elemental analysis |
🗓️ Day 4: Mass Spectrometry and Hyphenated Techniques
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | Mass Spectrometry (MS) Fundamentals – Ionization methods, analyzers, detectors |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | GC-MS and LC-MS Applications in Petroleum Analysis |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | Troubleshooting and Data Interpretation |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | Case Study: Identifying hydrocarbons and contaminants using MS |
🗓️ Day 5: Data Quality, Reporting, and Troubleshooting
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | Ensuring Data Quality and Integrity – QA/QC, uncertainty, control charts |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | Instrument Troubleshooting Workshop – Common faults and corrective actions |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 03:00 | Final Lab Exercise: Full analytical workflow from sample prep to data reporting |
| 03:00 – 03:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:15 – 04:30 | Final Q&A, Group Presentations, Feedback & Certification |
📂 Course Materials Provided:
-
Instrument operation and maintenance manuals
-
Calibration and validation checklists
-
Troubleshooting guides for GC, FTIR, XRF, AAS, MS
-
Sample data sets and interpretation worksheets
-
QA/QC protocols and data integrity best practices
