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2024 Trends in Laboratory Information Systems: Insights from LabWare’s Ed Krasovec
As labs adapt to a dynamic and increasingly data-driven environment, the role of Laboratory Information Systems (LIS)...
LabWare supports laboratory automation and paperless operations with native tools that simplify the task of interfacing with a variety of laboratory analyzers and robotics platforms as well as a configurable rules engine that can be used to enable, expedite, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the laboratory operation.
LabWare's integrated electronic laboratory notebook provides additional capability to manage large data sets in plate based testing and flexibility to document research experiments.
LabWare eliminates silos of information with an open architecture and powerful interoperability tools that enable exchange of information with other enterprise information systems via web services, file transfer, and direct database communications.
LabWare MOBILE (available on Android and iOS devices) allows users to easily connect to their LabWare systems, see their data, and perform customer-defined tasks. Learn More >
Our upstream customers search for potential underground or underwater oil and gas fields. Exploratory wells are followed by operating wells that recover and bring the crude oil and raw natural gas to the surface.
Upstream exploration covers a wide range of different technologies and measurement systems. Exploration is complex, and a variety of analytical techniques and data analysis are used. Online monitoring data is often combined with lab data, and LIMS data is integrated with or sent to other corporate databases. The LabWare ELP architecture provides several tools that allow integration and data visualization via powerful visual dashboards.
LIMS supports exploration drilling with GPS coordinates automatically added to sample registration and visual workflows displaying Google Maps positions. Geophysical analysis of rocks and sediments uses sub-samples and the typical LIMS testing facilities — including water analysis. Storage Location Manager provides management and tracking of cores.
LabWare ELN provides a highly flexible method of integrating LIMS data with existing Excel spreadsheet calculations and delivers flexibility in the R&D laboratories and in the preparation of drilling fluids. LabWare Formulation Manager is used in the formulation of well water-based or oil-based drilling fluids and cements. WBDF may contain several additives, including alkalis, salts, surfactants, organic polymers in colloidal solution, and various insoluble weighting materials such as barite, and clay. The LIMS is used in the analysis of the drilling fluids and cement according to major international standards such as ISO 13500:2008.
The midstream sector is primarily concerned with the transportation of oil and natural gas from the extraction site to transport terminals or directly to the refineries, includingGas Oil Separation Plants (GOSP) and Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) processing facilities.
Here, the associated gas from the oil wells is separated from the main crude oil. GOSP processing generally includes sweetening (removal of salt and H2S), drying (removal of water) and stabilization (removal of associated gas). NGL plants then fractionate and purify the gas section into products for distribution as fuel or petrochemical feedstock (e.g. ethane, propane, butane, iso-butane, etc).
The stabilized crude oil is pumped along pipelines and stored in settling tanks at terminals for export by ship, road, or train. In-process product quality is monitored at pumping stations, and equipment such as pumps are monitored for failure prediction using LabWare Interpretation Manager. LabWare Investigation Manager can be used to determine the root cause of the failure.
At the terminals, oil is sampled in layers (for example upper, middle and lower in accordance with ASTM D4057 and ISO 3170) to allow for density distribution. This provides advanced feedback to the commercial department before crude arrives at the import terminal – with the sampling and analysis often performed by Contract Testing organizations.
LabWare LIMS is used extensively by many of the world’s leading contract testing laboratories – we are involved in both sides of the operations, both in customer and third-party independent testing.
The downstream oil sector includes oil refineries and the selling and distribution of natural gas and products derived from crude oil. Such products include liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline or petrol, jet fuel, diesel oil, heating oil, lubricants, asphalt, and petroleum coke.
LabWare provides analysis for the distribution network for diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel in many locations worldwide. Products are delivered to distribution points across regions, where samples are then analyzed to check that there has been no contamination during transportation.
The storage facilities at the distribution centers are checked for the settling of the products and then the road tankers that are used to ship the products to the filling stations are checked as they are loaded - with tankers being reviewed randomly as they leave the distribution facility. Testing is fully automated and includes distillation, flash point, RON, MON and density.
The LabWare Petrochemical R&D platform (LIMS and ELN) offers many tools for the R&D scientist, such as flexible project management capabilities to coordinate and manage all related work in an entire project, comprehensive sample, test, and result management capabilities, including the ability to tailor workflows relative to each type of sample and research discipline.
You can easily attach observations and conclusions, instrument reports, files, and images to virtually any experimental data. Reporting integration is possible with leading reporting tools such as Crystal Reports and Microsoft Office - including submission-ready reports rendered in a secure PDF format.
LabWare’s platform embraces industry standards and provides the freedom to data-mine the relational database, summarize and export data easily to other third-party software and statistical applications. Data trending, charting, and visualization capabilities are provided natively within the LabWare platform for most common comparisons and summarizations.
LabWare’s adherence to industry standards and open architecture includes web services, meaning you will never be locked out from creating point-to-point interface solutions or connecting the LabWare platform to an Enterprise Service Bus product. Future-proof your R&D organization from constant change and technological advancement.
The LabWare Process Industry Template provides a pre-configured, best-industry practice solution for refineries. LabWare’s modular approach offers fast-track implementation but still allows access to the full power of LabWare LIMS configuration capability to meet your particular needs. We never customize applications, and consequently, you are entirely future-proofed with easy upgrades as computer technologies develop over time.
LabWare LIMS provides a full-featured sample management system, including sample creation and reception, test and work assignment, results entry, specification/limit checking, review and approval, and certificate/report generation.
Other rich functionalities include instrument integration, laboratory inventory (e.g., lab chemical stock), standards and reagents, QC batch management, SQC charting, and much more. We supply all these as part of LabWare LIMS as a base delivery for a refinery installation.
A comprehensive Process Scheduler allows process unit based scheduling according to specified times for various sampling points. The scheduling, including holiday periods and plant shutdowns can be monitored and controlled from a single ergonomic spreadsheet-style interface.
Some of the benefits achieved through the introduction of LabWare LIMS include:
Natural gas, mostly methane, is typically gathered from underground or undersea wells using a complex piping network. Following treatment to remove other analyzed components to set levels, the natural gas is cooled to -162°C when it turns it into a colorless, non-toxic liquid and shrinks its volume by 600 times, making it easier to ship overseas to energy-hungry consumers in specially designed cryogenic carriers.
LabWare LIMS has been successfully implemented in LNG plants, monitoring treatment process stages and vessel loading. LabWare LIMS powerful and flexible calculation capability automatically performs complex LNG costing calculations based on sample analyses and product transportation and storage.
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Gas to Liquids (GTL) processes take natural gas and converts it to low-sulphur environmentally friendly diesel, naphtha, LPG, kerosene, and waxes. GTL technology has been around for decades; however, only with advances in catalyst research has it become economically attractive.
As for gas plants and refineries, the LabWare LIMS Process Template Solution has proven to be an excellent fit to requirements, including automatic sample scheduling, specification checking, calculations, reporting; integration with lab instruments and process control; and support for ISO 17025 and ASTM D6299 SQC statistics and charting.
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The Process Template Solution has been implemented with great success in single-site and multi-site gas plants in many different parts of the world. LabWare LIMS is used in all stages of the gas-oil separation process, and in testing the varied products from the processes to ensure specifications are met for sale or onward processing. These plants are closely linked to the wells and have very high throughputs running 24/7 with extremely high availability.
The LabWare LIMS Process Scheduler handles the highly automated sample scheduling. Automated links to lab instruments and process control systems ensure close quality monitoring of the processes and quick response to potential plant problems. Environmental samples are also scheduled and tested, with reports produced for direct submission to the appropriate regulatory authorities.
LabWare LIMS also provides ISO 17025 support for laboratory operations and SQC statistics and charting in line with ASTM D6299.
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Organizations of all sizes trust LabWare to streamline their lab documentation processes.
→ 4 indicators that your lab is ready for a new LIMS
→ Breakdown of LIMS deployment options (SaaS v. PaaS v. Self-hosted)
→ 8 factors that determine the total cost of ownership of your LIMS
→ 5+ technical innovations built in LabWare 8
→ Visualizations of your instruments and systems interacting with LabWare 8
→ Overview of LabWare Mobile that brings portability to lab automation
