Researchers have introduced innovative analytical methods for quickly assessing fuels and complex petroleum products through high-resolution mass spectrometry.
Mark Romanczyk, Ph.D., a researcher at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, has created new analytical techniques for the swift evaluation of fuels and intricate petroleum products using high-resolution mass spectrometry.
Romanczyk’s methods allow for detailed qualitative analysis of complex mixtures within minutes. Recently, one technique was used to analyze the chemical transformations in weathered crude oil exposed to land environments. Several of these methods were published in the scientific journal Fuel.
“While oil spills on land often occur, comparatively less research focuses on understanding how oil composition changes before it enters aquatic environments,” Romanczyk explained. “This gap provides an opportunity to explore and qualitatively analyze oil as it weathers over time without being in water. Such studies can offer valuable insights that could greatly assist with oil spill cleanup and exposure assessments.”
During direct sunlight exposure, the lightest aromatic hydrocarbons (such as alkylbenzenes and alkyltetralins, which contain around twelve carbon atoms) in the crude oil dissipated within the first 24 hours. After this period, a thin film developed on the surface, trapping the lightest aromatic hydrocarbons, indicating that the overall composition remained steady.
Conversely, heavier aromatic hydrocarbons (like naphthalenes and anthracenes) showed signs of photooxidation despite the formation of the surface film. These findings suggest that the compositional changes of oil in dry environments may differ from those in water, where wave action is likely to disperse the oil, which prevents film creation.
Additional techniques have been developed to detect and analyze compounds containing heteroatoms (HCCs) in fuels. HCCs pose a risk to fuel stability as they can trigger harmful chemical reactions. These novel methods have identified new classes of HCCs that were not documented before and facilitate connecting fuel composition with its performance and characteristics.
“The methods developed by Mark and his team allow for extremely detailed analysis of fuel composition in just minutes,” stated Kevin J. Johnson, Ph.D., head of the Navy Technology Center for Safety and Survivability. “I anticipate this will lead to significant progress soon in how fuels are managed and formulated within the Navy and the Department of Defense.”
Recently, Romanczyk received the Chevron Research Award of Excellence in honor of John Bacha from the International Association for Fuel Stability and Handling (IASH) at their 2024 International Symposium this past September in Louisville, Kentucky.
Bacha was a consulting scientist at Chevron Products Company and a key supporter of IASH, renowned for his research in diesel fuel and residual fuel chemistry. He dedicated efforts to inspiring the younger generation to engage with and enhance the industry.
Romanczyk is a well-respected expert in analyzing complex mixtures, including petroleum-based fuels, crude oils, and alternative fuels. He is currently working on establishing new connections between fuel compositions and their stability properties, along with analytical techniques to detect PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) at extremely low concentrations. He is also researching the weathering process of crude oil, having authored sixteen publications in prestigious journals with numerous citations. He holds memberships in the American Chemical Society, IASH, and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.
The Chemical Sensing and Fuel Technology Section conducts research aimed at enhancing the Navy’s comprehension of chemical processes that lead to the invention of new sensing and data analysis methods. Their projects encompass the detection of chemical and biological hazards, detecting harmful chemicals, intelligent data integration, and applying chemometrics in sensor systems and analytical methodologies.
This program includes projects focused on cutting-edge methods for identifying hazardous chemicals, examining Navy fuel mobility characteristics, performing trace chemical analysis, and managing situations like fires and flooding. These research and development initiatives require expertise in organic chemistry, chemical analysis, instrument engineering, high-resolution mass spectrometry, analytical method development, computational modeling, chemometrics, and system verification.
Research areas focus on meeting environmental and workplace detection requirements through chemical sensors, personal monitoring, and area assessments. A further key research aspect is applying artificial intelligence to address data interpretation challenges in hazard detection and enhancing situational awareness related to fuels, along with creating novel chemometric algorithms for developing technologies that automate fuel quality assessment and forecasting.
