I think your right tarbarmonger. Your logic is more logical than the other. But the testing is a university. But I agree, if the oilfield thought it had value to them, they would be testing it their self. Great observation!
Not true. While a established supplier would almost certainly have given samples for free, a company teetering on the edge of insolvency like FSNR is unlikely to give away "freebies".
Also, no major company would actually be concerned with the price of several gallons of Petrozene. They'd pay it if they thought the product MIGHT be worthwhile.
And for many types of testing, a couple of gallons is LOTS.