Petroleum Additives Testing

Additives Testing — All Petroleum Product Additives

Additives testing are critical to product performance, stability and compliance — from fuel detergents and corrosion inhibitors to lubricant antioxidants and anti-wear chemistries. AGT Labs provides a comprehensive testing service for additives across fuels, lubricants, greases and specialty products using targeted chromatographic, spectroscopic and wet-chemistry methods.

Our services support formulation verification, batch QA/QC, stability studies, contamination troubleshooting and regulatory compliance. Tests are delivered with traceable calibrations, method references and interpretive notes to help you act on the results.

Who benefits: additive manufacturers, blenders, refiners, OEMs, MROs, formulators, and quality teams.

Service Highlights

Detailed composition checks to identify blending or contamination issues.
Visual quality screening to ensure consistent additive performance.
Corrosivity and deposit-forming assessments for stability assurance.

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Typical Additives Testing Analyses

Analyte / Class	Typical Method(s)	Purpose / Notes	Typical TAT
Corrosion Inhibitor Performance	ASTM D130 / D849 / D1838	Evaluates effectiveness of corrosion-control additives against reactive sulfur components.	24–48 h
Nonvolatile Content (Additive Strength / Carrier Oil Base)	ASTM D2109	Determines residual solids and additive loading in halogenated or formulated admixtures.	48–72 h
Volatile Loss / Evaporation Residue	ASTM D1353	Measures nonvolatile residue to confirm additive concentration stability.	48–72 h
Odor & Additive Quality Check	ASTM D1296	Odor profile evaluation for degradation, contamination or off-spec additive batches.	24–48 h
Deposit-Forming Tendencies (Detergent/Dispersant Effectiveness)	ASTM D381	Gum formation indicates additive performance in preventing oxidation deposits.	24–48 h
Additive Compatibility / Water-Interaction Check	ASTM D4176	Detects haze, particulates, and phase issues caused by additive–fuel incompatibility.	24–48 h
Additive-Influenced Carbon Residue	ASTM D524	Determines whether additive packages increase coke-forming tendencies.	48–72 h
Refractive Index (Additive Verification)	ASTM D1218	Used to verify additive identity and detect blend inconsistencies.	24–48 h
Conductivity Improver Performance	ASTM D2624 / ASTM D1125	Checks static dissipator effectiveness and conductivity tuning.	24–48 h
Sulfur-Reactive Additive Screening	ASTM D5623	Speciated sulfur analysis to confirm additive interactions with reactive sulfur compounds.	48–72 h
Additive Stability in Light Fractions	ASTM D8150	DHA profiling detects volatility shifts and additive–fuel miscibility issues.	48–72 h
Ionic Interaction / H₂S Modification Additives	ASTM D5705	Evaluates additive performance in reducing or neutralizing H₂S vapor presence.	24–48 h

Method selection depends on matrix, additive chemistry and required reporting limits. We can develop bespoke methods for novel chemistries — contact our technical team with sample details.

Applications & Business Benefits

Formulation & QA/QC

Verify blend accuracy at production, ensure additivation meets shelf and in-service targets, and maintain supplier QA for consistent product performance.

Contamination & Failure Investigation

Detect cross-contamination, identify additive degradation products, and support root-cause analysis for off-spec performance or equipment wear.

Regulatory & Warranty Support

Provide documented evidence of additive concentrations and impurity levels for product certification, OEM warranty cases or regulatory reporting.

Stability & Shelf-Life Studies

Accelerated and real-time stability protocols to quantify additive decay pathways, formation of undesirable degradation products, and performance loss over time.

Sampling, Sample Requirements & Chain of Custody

Clear sampling instructions ensure accurate additive quantitation. Where possible, provide neat additive, finished blend and any intermediate stream samples. Include manufacturing batch, target additive specification and storage history.

Sample Types & Volumes

Neat additive (1–50 mL depending on method).
Finished fuels/lubricants/greases (50–500 mL depending on tests).
Emulsions or water-containing products — indicate presence of water for preparation steps.

Packaging & Transport

Use clean, sealed glass amber bottles for organics; avoid reactive plastics for active additives.
Label clearly with ID, batch, date/time, matrix and contact details; include COA or spec if available.
Temperature control recommended for labile chemistries; ship per dangerous goods regulations when relevant.

Analytical Methods & Reporting

We apply validated petroleum test procedures with documented controls. Each report includes method identifiers, measured values, units, appearance notes, purity indicators and any relevant observations. Additional data outputs—such as chromatographic traces or instrumental readings—can be supplied when required

Purity Assessment: Color measurements, copper strip corrosion ratings, and nonvolatile matter evaluation to verify additive cleanliness and stability.
Hydrocarbon & Sulfur Characterization Hydrocarbon distribution by GC-FID, sulfur compound analysis and mapping to identify formulation patterns and detect irregularities.
Physical & Identity Indicators: Refractive index, odor assessment and testing to confirm product identity and assess blending compatibility.

Turnaround Times & Service Packages

Package	Typical Tests	Typical TAT
Profile & Quant	Full chromatographic profile and quantitative analysis of additive components	24–72 h
Stability Panel	Oxidative and thermal stability checks, degradation screening, water content and acidity monitoring	3–14 days (depending on study)
Contamination & Purity Check	Trace impurity screening, elemental profiling, and identification of cross-contamination in additive packages	24–96 h
Compatibility Evaluation	Blend compatibility, phase behavior, and performance impact on treated fuel or lubricant matrices	48–96 h

FAQs — Additives Testing

Can you quantify proprietary additive packages?

Yes — we quantify identifiable marker compounds and elements and can develop bespoke methods to quantify proprietary chemistries where standards are available or by using relative quantitation approaches with client reference samples.

Do you provide stability studies?

Yes — accelerated or real-time stability studies are offered, including identification of degradation products and impact on performance properties.

What do you need for a quote?

Provide matrix (neat/additive/finished blend), suspected analytes or target specification, estimated sample volume and any required reporting limits (LOQ). We will propose methods and turnaround.

Deliverables & Technical Support

We use validated methods with traceable standards. Reports include method references, calibration details, results, units, LOQ/LOD, measurement uncertainty (where applicable) and interpretive comments. Raw chromatograms and instrument data can be provided upon request.

COA with methods, results, LOQs/LODs, and measurement uncertainty (where applicable).
Technical interpretation and recommendations for formulation or remediation actions.

Summary

AGT Labs’ Additives Testing covers the full lifecycle: formulation verification, stability evaluation, contamination investigation and regulatory/warranty support — delivered with accredited methods and clear technical advice.