Using high resolution mass spectrometry to study fuel chemistry

The approaches Romanczyk utilizes enable highly detailed qualitative analysis of complex mixtures in minutes. One recent method facilitated the investigation of chemical changes that occurred in weathered crude oil in terrestrial environments. Several of the methods were recently published in the science journal Fuel.

"Despite the accidental rise of oil spilled onto landmasses, less research has been dedicated to evaluating the compositional changes/fate of oil prior to its introduction into bodies of water" said Romanczyk. "The lack of information affords an opportunity to investigate and qualitatively characterize oil as a function of weathering time in the absence of an aqueous environment. These studies may provide highly useful information for oil spill cleanup and exposure concerns."

Upon direct sun exposure, the lightest aromatic hydrocarbons (i.e., alkylbenzenes, alkyltetralins with total carbons of approximately twelve) in the crude oil evolved in the first 24 hours of weathering. After 24 hours, a thin film formed on the surface trapping the lightest aromatic hydrocarbons where the overall composition remained unchanged.

However, the heaviest aromatic hydrocarbons (i.e., naphthalenes, anthracenes) showed evidence of photooxidation, despite film formation. The results demonstrate that the compositional changes of oil in a terrestrial environment may differ from that of an aquatic environment as wave action will likely stir the oil, preventing film formation.

Additional methods have been used to detect and characterize heteroatom-containing compounds (HCCs) in fuels. HCCs are a concern for fuel stability as they initiate adverse chemical reactions. The novel methods discovered new classes of HCCs not previously documented and aids at linking the composition of fuel to performance and properties.

"The approaches Mark and his colleagues are developing enable highly detailed analysis of fuel composition in minutes," said Kevin J. Johnson, Ph.D., head, Navy Technology Center for Safety and Survivability. "I think this is going to lead to significant advancements in the near future in how we formulate and handle fuels in the Navy and Department of Defense."

Romanczyk was recently awarded by the International Association for Fuel Stability and Handling (IASH) the Chevron Research Award of Excellence in honor of John Bacha at the IASH 2024 International Symposium this September in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bacha was a consulting scientist with Chevron Products Company. He was a strong supporter of IASH and was internationally recognized for his studies on diesel fuel and residual fuel chemistry. He was dedicated to encouraging the younger generation to join and enrich the industry.

Romanczyk is a leading expert in complex mixture analysis, including petroleum-derived fuels, crude oils, and alternative fuels. Currently, he is developing novel links between fuel compositions and stability properties and analytical techniques that detect PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) at the parts per billion level. He also studies the weathering of crude oil. He has sixteen publications in top-tier journals and has hundreds of citations. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, IASH and American Society for Mass Spectrometry.

The Chemical Sensing and Fuel Technology Section conducts research aimed at increasing the Navy's understanding of chemical processes which lead to the development of novel sensing and analytical data analysis methods. Projects include chemical and biological detection, hazardous chemical detection, intelligent data fusion, chemometrics applied to sensor systems and analytical methods.

This program consists of research projects involving novel state-of-the-art methods for the detection of hazardous chemicals, Navy mobility fuel properties, trace chemical analysis and damage control events such as fire and flooding. These R&D projects require expertise in organic chemistry, chemical analysis, instrument design, high resolution mass spectrometry research, analytical method development, computational modeling, chemometrics, and system verification.

The research areas address environmental and workplace detection needs using chemical sensors, personal dosimetry, and area monitoring. Another major area of research is the application of artificial intelligence techniques to data interpretation problems associated with hazardous material detection and improved situational awareness of fuels, and the formulation of novel chemometric algorithms to enable the development of sensing technologies for automated fuel quality diagnostics and prognostics.