Data Reconciliation for Assessing Compliance of Physicochemical Properties of Petroleum Products in Commercial Transactions

The physicochemical properties of petroleum products in commercial transactions are crucial for quality control in the oil and gas industry. However, different laboratories often produce slightly different measurement results. These variations can be significant when approving or rejecting properties based on regulatory agency and environmental body specifications. A simple arithmetic average is typically used to determine the most probable value in disputes. This study proposed using a Data Reconciliation approach to address the disparity between the projected model and empirical data. An objective function was employed to optimize and evaluate parameters using maximum likelihood estimation, considering the experimental uncertainty values. This study found that the flash point of jet fuel, as determined by the Tag Closed Cup Tester, was within the specified range (maximum of 40 °C). The application of this tool resolved a dispute between a supplier and a customer, as the reconciled value with minimized uncertainty was determined to be 37.5 ± 2.0 °C. Additionally, the study utilized experimental results from 12 accredited laboratories to determine a single reconciled value for the final boiling point of gasoline. Despite the varying experimental uncertainties ranging from 6.0 °C to 13 °C, the reconciled uncertainty was minimized to 2.6 °C. The last case study identified that ASTM D4294 was incompatible with other test methods for evaluating the mass fraction in diesel oil. In this manner, Data Reconciliation enhanced the accuracy and effectively reduced measurement uncertainties, rendering it a potent tool for resolving legal disputes when evaluating the compliance of the physicochemical properties of petroleum products in commercial transactions.