Oklahoma City · Oilfield Analytical & Materials Lab

Turning complex samples into clear solutions.

Scissortail Analytical Solutions provides analytical testing and technical support for oil & gas operators and service companies, with additional work across industrial and materials clients facing similar problems. Our core strengths are XRD and clay mineral analysis, complete water chemistry and scale prediction, FTIR, and product performance testing. We help clients understand what a sample is, what problem it points to, and how it may be treated or prevented.

Email a sample question See our capabilities

Address 8200 N. Classen Blvd, Suite 110, Oklahoma City, OK 73114 Phone 405‑590‑4880 Email testing@scissortail-lab.com

Three specialties, one practical focus

Rather than a flat menu of test names, our work centers on three specialties that cover most of what shows up in the field.

Water Chemistry

Water Chemistry & Scale Prediction

Complete oilfield water chemistry with ICP‑based elemental analysis, modeled in French Creek scaling software to turn results into operational scale‑risk predictions — not just reported concentrations.

Complete Water Analysis (ICP)
Gravimetric Solids (TSS)
Millipore Analysis
ATP testing

How scale prediction works

Flagship Specialty

XRD, Clay & Materials Characterization

X‑ray diffraction identifies the crystalline phases behind scale, deposits, corrosion products, and formation solids. Clay speciation — including glycolation to separate expandable clays — is where we go deepest, paired with FTIR when a sample needs both mineral and molecular answers.

Bulk mineralogy
Scale & deposit identification
Clay mineral speciation
Glycolation
Paired FTIR analysis

How clay speciation works

Product & Surface Testing

Product Performance & Surface Chemistry

Comparative testing for oilfield treatment chemicals, including static bottle testing for scale and corrosion inhibitors, cold flask and roller ball testing for paraffin products, microbial kill studies for biocide evaluation, and optical tensiometry for surfactant and wettability testing.

Scale & corrosion inhibitor testing
Paraffin solvency & dispersancy
Microbial kill studies / biocide testing
Surface tension, IFT, and contact angle

More than a laboratory report

Oilfield problems rarely arrive as clean textbook samples. A customer may send in a jar of solids from a flowline, an unusual water sample, or a treatment that suddenly stopped performing and simply ask, “what happened?”

Scissortail combines analytical data with practical oilfield chemistry experience to work backward from the sample, identify the likely cause, and help determine practical next steps. The issue may involve scale, clay, corrosion products, incompatible chemicals, organics, surfactant behavior, or several mechanisms occurring at once.

The objective is not just to identify the material. It is to help solve the problem.

17 methods, 3 categories

The full test menu, grouped the way we run it — from benchtop water chemistry through instrumental materials analysis to product performance and surface chemistry.

WBC

Water & Benchtop Chemistry

Complete Water Analysis (CWA) Scale prediction reference →

Full ICP water chemistry profile, modeled in French Creek scaling software for scale‑risk prediction — not just reported concentrations.

Gravimetric Solids (TSS)

Total suspended solids by gravimetric method.

Millipore Analysis (MPA)

Membrane filtration solids characterization.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate bioburden screening.

IMA

Instrumental & Materials Analysis

X‑Ray Diffraction (XRD) Clay speciation reference →

Bulk mineralogy, scale and deposit identification, corrosion products, and formation solids — plus clay mineral speciation using oriented mounts and glycolation.

Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)

Identifies organic material, polymers, chemical residues, and treatment chemicals that XRD alone may not resolve — a complementary tool for unknown solid and deposit investigations.

PSC

Product Performance & Surface Chemistry

Instrumentation

Optical Tensiometry — Biolin Theta Lite

Measures surface tension, interfacial tension, and contact angle directly, letting us compare surfactant chemistries, evaluate wettability changes, and see how treatment concentration affects surface behavior side by side.

Scale Inhibitor Screening

Static bottle testing for comparative scale inhibitor performance.

Corrosion Inhibitor Screening

Static bottle testing for comparative corrosion inhibitor performance.

Emulsion Break Testing

Evaluates emulsion‑breaking performance and separation behavior.

Paraffin Solvency Testing

Cold flask or roller ball evaluation.

Paraffin Dispersancy Testing

Cold flask or roller ball evaluation.

General Solvency Testing

Comparative solvent evaluation.

Microbial Kill Studies / Biocide Testing

Evaluates biocide performance by measuring microbial reduction under defined treatment conditions and contact times.

Surface Tension

Quantifies surfactant performance and concentration response.

Interfacial Tension

Evaluates fluid‑fluid interaction relevant to surfactants and treatment fluids.

Contact Angle / Wettability

Evaluates how fluids and treatments interact with solid surfaces.

Surfactant Screening

Comparative evaluation using surface tension, interfacial tension, and wettability data.

Technical Expertise

Testing is only part of the value — interpretation and field context are what make the results useful.

Shawn Hughes

Technical Lead

Scissortail Analytical Solutions is built around hands‑on analytical work and practical oilfield problem solving. Shawn Hughes brings a background in chemistry, engineering, materials characterization, and oilfield production chemistry, with particular strength in interpreting complex samples and connecting laboratory data to practical field decisions.

Rather than simply reporting results, the focus is on understanding what the data means, identifying likely mechanisms, and helping clients determine the next step.

Chemistry · Engineering · XRD · Water Chemistry · Materials Characterization · Oilfield Troubleshooting

Submitting a sample

General chain‑of‑custody guidance for getting a sample to us in good condition. Call or email first — we’ll confirm containers, preservation, and turnaround for your specific sample.

Label every container with a sample ID, collection date, and location.
Record the date, time, and location on the chain‑of‑custody.
Keep temperature‑sensitive samples chilled in transit.
Include a completed chain‑of‑custody with every shipment.

Not sure what container or preservation your sample needs?

Email or call before you ship so we can confirm container, preservation, and turnaround requirements.

Email us Chain of Custody form