Automated sirulated distillation using an articulated laboratory robot system.

Area of Science:

• Petroleum Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Automation and Robotics

Background:

• Simulated distillation (SIMDIS) is crucial for characterizing petroleum fractions.
• Manual sample preparation for SIMDIS can be labor-intensive and prone to variability.
• Existing methods require optimization for higher throughput and consistency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an automated method for petroleum sample preparation and analysis by SIMDIS.
• To evaluate the performance of an automated system against manual preparation.
• To establish a foundation for a fully automated SIMDIS analysis system.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Hewlett-Packard ORCA (Optimized Robot for Chemical Analysis) system.
• Implemented automated sample preparation and analysis based on ASTM method D 2887.
• Compared results from robotically prepared samples with manually prepared samples.

Main Results:

• Robotically prepared samples yielded results in excellent agreement with manually prepared samples.
• The automated method demonstrated high precision and accuracy for SIMDIS analysis.
• The system proved capable of handling a variety of SIMDIS samples and methods.

Conclusions:

• The automated ORCA system provides a reliable and efficient alternative to manual SIMDIS sample preparation.
• This automation enhances consistency and reduces potential errors in petroleum analysis.
• The developed application serves as a basis for future advancements in automated SIMDIS workflows.