Influence of chemical composition on the fluorescence lifetimes of crude petroleum oils

Fluorescence based methods are increasingly being used for the analysis of crude oils because they offer high speed, low cost, non-contact, and non-destructive testing options. The fluorescence of crude oils is due to the presence of a wide range of cyclic aromatic compounds, with the intensity and temporal behaviour of this fluorescence being directly related to chemical composition. In particular, we have found that the Fluorescence Lifetime (FL) measured at a range of different emission wavelengths is correlated with the concentrations of the aromatic and polar fractions of petroleum oils, and the density (API gravity). We have analysed 22 different crude oils from around the world with API gravities of between 10 to 50. The fluorescence steady-state emission spectra and fluorescence lifetimes at a range of emission wavelengths were measured for 380 nm excitation. It was found that the correlations between the chemical and physical characteristics of the crude oils and the measured fluorescence parameters are highly non-linear. Furthermore, there is a wide degree of scatter in the observed data for medium oils, which have similar physical properties but widely varying chemical compositions. We discuss these findings in the context of developing quantitative methods of analysis for crude petroleum oils based on fluorescence lifetime measurements.