Abstract
We report here the development of our method for measurement of the elemental and isotopic composition of xenon in petroleum. The method consists of three distinct stages: ( 1 ) the complete oxidation of petroleum; (2) the removal of the copious amounts of unwanted gases from xenon; and (3) the measurement of the sample xenon gas. An ultra-high vacuum system has been designed and built specifically for the first two stages of the method. The third stage has been accomplished through the use of an additional ultra-high vacuum system consisting of an ultra-high sensitivity noble gas mass spectrometer. The method had been tested for two petroleum samples taken from wells located on Shell's offshore Bullwinkle Field off the coast of Louisiana. The elemental composition of xenon in these samples is compared to literature values for related samples. The isotopic composition (close to atmospheric value) is also examined. Prospects that direct dating techniques for petroleum based on either radioactive decay of 129I to 129Xe or of fission of 238 and 235U to yield 131, 132, 134 and 136Xe are discussed.
Nuzzo, James George (1995). Xenon analysis in petroleum. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -1575806.