Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative 2014/2015 Hydrocarbon Intercalibration Experiment: Description and Results for SRM 2779 Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil and Candidate SRM 2777 Weathered Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil

Published

April 20, 2016

Author(s)

Jacolin A. Murray, Lane C. Sander, Stephen A. Wise, Christopher M. Reddy

Abstract

Following an open meeting entitled, “Hydrocarbon Chemistry QA/QC,” at the 2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference in Mobile, Alabama, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) initiated the Hydrocarbon Intercalibration Experiment (HIE) [1]. The goal of this effort was to address the importance of laboratory quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) practices and to promote participation in quality assurance programs for hydrocarbon compounds. Over thirty laboratories expressed interest in participation in the Hydrocarbon Intercalibration Experiment. These laboratories were supplied with two petroleum crude oil samples provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2779 Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil [2], and candidate SRM 2777 Weathered Gulf of Mexico Oil. SRM 2779 was prepared from neat oil collected directly from the leaking Macondo well during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill event, and candidate SRM 2777 is a field-weathered residue of the Macondo well oil dissolved in toluene. Twenty laboratories submitted results on traditional analytes (that included saturated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and biomarkers) measured by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry or flame ionization detection. The results for select hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and biomarkers from this intercomparison exercise are reported along with a summary of the analytical methods used.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 8123

Report Number

8123

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

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DOI Link

Citation

Murray, J. , Sander, L. , Wise, S. and Reddy, C. (2016), Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative 2014/2015 Hydrocarbon Intercalibration Experiment: Description and Results for SRM 2779 Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil and Candidate SRM 2777 Weathered Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8123 (Accessed April 18, 2024)