The Mechanical Properties Tester is a highly specialized instrument which enables determination of cement ductility and flexibility. Having this in-house capability allows for the efficient and effective optimization of existing blends to meet the specific customer needs, and is a key component within our cement technology research and development program.

The Fluid Migration Analyzer allows for the determination of a cement slurry’s susceptibility to gas or fluid migration under carefully simulated well conditions. Sanjel’s in-house capability to perform this testing is vital, in that it allows for customization of blends based on specific well characteristics. This customization is critical in preventing gas migration.

The Static Gel Strength Analyzer determines a slurry's static gel strength development as a function of time under downhole temperature and pressure conditions. This information is critical in the design of cement slurries intended for high pressure gas formations, and is utilized in the design of Fluid Migration Analyzer experiments specific to those slurries.

The Permeameter enables measurement of a cement's permeability, and hence ability to prevent zonal communication. The ability to efficiently perform permeability testing in-house is a significant benefit to Sanjel's cement research and development program, in that new technology can be quickly evaluated for permeability and optimized as required.

The Foam Rheometer is an instrument custom designed and built for Sanjel that enables rheology measurement of foam based fracturing fluids. These foams can contain any quality of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or a combination of both. Further, the instrument can operate under a wide range of temperatures, pressures and shear rates allowing field conditions to be carefully simulated. The data generated by this instrument is key to operational optimization, in addition to the advancement of Sanjel's fracturing technology and engineering design.

Electrochemical corrosion testing is used to study in-situ corrosion activity and predict the sustainability of a corrosion inhibitor over an extended period of time in a particular medium under simulated well conditions. This technique provides a means to study, screen and differentiate between various inhibitors in a corrosive environment, as well as to evaluate the corresponding corrosion mechanisms. This information is critical in optimizing an acid treatment for specific well conditions, as it enables effective yet efficient risk mitigation. Further, electrochemical corrosion data is vital to the research and development of new acidizing technology.

The Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy provides a quantitative and simultaneous analysis of multiple elements in a given solution, such as sodium, calcium and iron. The instrument is primarily used in combination with the Auto-titrator for enhanced water analysis purposes but may also be used for highly specialized analysis such as determination of volatile phosphorous in flowback samples. In-house access to this type of expertise and data is critical in order to make efficient and effective decisions regarding a water's suitability for cementing purposes, the efficient optimization of fracturing fluids, or a water's scaling tendencies.

X-Ray Diffraction enables identification of unknown solid crystalline samples. The ability to perform this analysis in-house is valuable to Sanjel and its customers in that we are able to provide timely and accurate results which aid in treatment optimization decisions potentially involving scale removal packages or clay control requirements. The XRD is also a valuable tool within our research and development and chemical quality control programs.

The Auto-titrator provides a quantitative determination of the anions in a given solution, for example chloride, sulphate and carbonate. It is primarily used in combination with the ICP for enhanced water analysis purposes, but it is also an important tool within our chemical quality control program. The Auto-titrator offers highly accurate and efficient results which can be used to make immediate treatment decisions.

The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy allows for the identification of chemical functionality through determination of that sample's IR absorbance spectrum. This instrument is a valuable component of our chemical quality control program, but is also an important contributor to many of our research and development projects.

The Laser Diffraction Particle Sizer enables the particle size distribution of a wet or dry sample to be determined. This is an extremely valuable in-house tool for both research and development and chemical quality control reasons. Specifically, particle size is a major consideration in cementing technology, as the physical particle packing of a cement blend can have a considerable influence on the slurry and set cement properties. Consistent access to this information ensures efficient and effective decisions regarding existing blend optimization and new technology development.

The Surface Area Analyzer enables determination of the N₂ surface area and pore size of particles within a sample. This is an extremely important in-house capability in that cement chemistry and reaction rates are very dependent on particle surface area. Sanjel's expertise can efficiently determine the surface area of such particles and make effective recommendations regarding their use. This is a clear benefit to our research and development and chemical quality control programs.

High-Performance (or high pressure) Liquid Chromatography is a chromatographic technique used to identify, quantify and purify individual components of a mixture. At Sanjel, this technique is critical in determining a chemical sample's partition coefficient between octanol and water, or more specifically, assessing that chemical's potential to bio-accumulate. In-house instrumentation and expertise enable us to efficiently and effectively collaborate with global chemical companies in the development of new, environmentally acceptable technology.

The MicroTox is one method by which sample toxicity may be assessed and compared. Specifically, the instrument monitors the light output of bioluminescent marine bacterium (Vibrio fischeri) in response to exposure to a range of test samples' concentrations.  The reduction in intensity of light emitted from the bacteria indicates stress.  The change in light output and concentration of the toxicant produce an exposure-response relationship, enabling an IC₅₀ (concentration of chemical producing a 50% reduction in light) value to be calculated. The capability to perform this analysis in-house results in significant efficiencies within the new technology development process.

BOD reflects the amount of dissolved oxygen that would be required for bacteria to oxidize or breakdown organic material in a given sample at a certain temperature over a specific time period. Whereas, COD reflects the amount of dissolved oxygen required for the complete oxidation of a sample using acid digestion. The ratio of BOD to COD is indicative of the potential biodegradability of a sample. The in-house capability to perform these analyses is critical in our efficient and effective collaboration with global chemical companies as we work to continually expand our selection of new, environmentally acceptable technology.