Department of Energy Posts Crude Oil Characteristics Research Plan

In their continuing efforts to obtain a science-based understanding of the production, treatment, and transportation of various types of crude oil, DOT and DOE asked the Sandia National Laboratories to prepare recommendations to address gaps in crude oil characterization data; uncertainty and a lack of uniformity regarding how best to sample, test and analyze crude oil to ensure that its properties are accurately determined; and deficiencies in the understanding of how crude oil properties affect its potential for accidental ignition, combustion, and explosion.

In response, Sandia prepared a Crude Oil Characteristics Research Sampling, Analysis and Experiment (SAE) Plan, which contains recommendations on research needed to improve understanding of transport-critical crude oil and especially tight crude oil properties. A working draft of the SAE Plan was posted today to DOE’s Fossil Energy website at: http://energy.gov/fe/office-fossil-energy. Contact for media: PHMSAPublicAffairs@dot.gov (202) 366-4831.