Metallic Composition Analysis of Crude Petroleum from Some Oil Fields in Ghana

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of chemical elements in crude petroleum using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopic technique has attracted the attention of scientific world because it is fast, cheap, non-destructive and assurance in quality compared to other methods. Metallic element characterisation of crude petroleum is important in the petrochemical industry because it determines rock reservoir properties, the technology needed for extraction and refinery process, hence an exciting field that calls for research. X-ray fluorescence method was used for metallic composition analysis of four rundown crude petroleum samples (SB-2, SB-4, TB-2 and TB-1) from three oil fields (Saltpond, TEN and Jubilee). It was conducted at the National Nuclear Research Institute of Ghana. Analysis of the four samples concluded that oil field maturity decreases orderly from Saltpond, Jubilee and TEN. Vanadium-nickel ratios for each crude petroleum sample was less than 0.5, indicating that both Saltpond and Tano sedimentary rocks are of marine organic origin. Higher concentration levels of rare earth metal elements (scandium and yttrium) in the Saltpond sedimentary basin compared to Tano sedimentary rock suggest seismic effect of McCarthy Hills on Saltpond Basin. The strong negative correlation between the vanadium-nickel ratio (predictor) and scandium concentration (dependent) among the three oil fields implies that scandium concentration can equally be used to characterise the oil fields just as the vanadium-nickel ratios.