Response Oil Assay Working Group 2: Interlaboratory evaluation of methods for measuring properties of petroleum products

This group will be focused on assessing how existing methods for measuring basic oil properties vary between labs, and how this variation makes a difference for emergency response decision-making and response modeling.

Proposed Activities:

Compare methods that different labs use to measure each physico-chemical property they wish to examine, and see how qualitatively similar they are. If the methods are fairly similar then the group could compare how each method performs in terms of various QA/QC measures.
If labs have already conducted analyses of similar materials (such as Alaska North Slope crude or MC252), then an interlaboratory comparison could be done by evaluating the existing data. If extra funding or materials are obtained in the future, then a new interlaboratory comparison could be done by sending the same material to each interested lab to perform a round-robin test.
We would like to examine methods to measure properties that are important for first responders and modelers to know within the first day after an oil is spilled (e.g. those included in the Responder’s Data Sheet), as well as methods for artificially weathering oil and for measuring the behavior of oil in the environment.

Expected Outcomes:

A report or series of reports presenting the results of the property-by-property methods comparison, written in a way that will be useful to oil spill responders and those supporting their work such as hazard assessment teams and response modelers.
An ideal outcome would be to identify a “best” method for each property that the response community wishes to include in the Responder’s Data Sheet (Working Group 3) and possibly other properties, and to promote this set of methods as the Response Oil Assay.