EXPORT TERMINALS

The aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the crude oil Quality Assurance (QA) system at the NNPC E&P Ltd Oil & Gas Processing Facility/Utapete Crude Oil Export Terminal by analyzing its process stability. Maintaining the quality assurance of crude oil at export terminals is critical for preserving product value, ensuring customer satisfaction, and complying with contractual and environmental standards. This evaluation was necessary to determine if the production process was in a state of statistical control, which is essential for ensuring predictable and reliable export quality. The methodology employed Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques to analyze the data. Specifically, laboratory data for two key quality parameters—API Gravity and Basic Sediments & Water (BS&W)—were collected for a two-month period encompassing July and August 2025. The data was subsequently analyzed using (mean) and (range) control charts to statistically assess the central tendency and the consistency of the production process, respectively. The analysis revealed that the process averages (X bar-charts) for both API Gravity and BS&W were highly unstable and out of statistical control, with numerous data points exceeding the upper and lower control limits. This instability signifies that the process is unpredictable and influenced by significant special (assignable) cause variation. Conversely, the process variability (R-charts),which reflects the consistency of measurement and sampling,was found to be largely stable and in-control. This study concludes that the terminal's production process is not in statistical control, leading to a high risk of producing non-conforming crude oil, and demonstrates an urgent need to investigate the root causes of instability in the production and blending operations, rather than the laboratory procedures.