NORM

1
NORM
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• Training and Awareness

2
What is it?
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• NORM is naturally occurring radioactive material
  which is deposited in Gas and Oil production
  systems.
• It can be in the form of scales, silts/sludges or
  very thin deposits on surfaces.
• It is impossible to predict where it is going to
  occur.

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3
Why is it a hazard.
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• The naturally radioactive material is
  concentrated into these deposits.
• They become sufficiently active to require
  precautions to be taken when working with them.
  They emit alpha, beta and gamma radiation.
• They also require to be disposed of in a
  controlled manner under Omani and International
  regulations.

4
Uranium -238 and Thorium-232 Decay Series
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?????????-232

• Two decay series found in NORM deposits from
  U-238 and Th-232.
• Uranium-238 emits alphas, betas and gammas
  decaying through protoactinium, thorium, radium,
  radon, polonium and bismuth to stable lead-206.
• Thorium-232 emits alphas, betas and gammas
  decaying through radium, actinium, radon,
  bismuth, polonium and thallium to stable lead-208.

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  ?????? ? ?? ?????????? -238 ?????????-232.
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  ?????? ??????-206
• ????? ?? ????????-232 ???? ???? ? ???? ????? ????
  ?????? ?? ???? ???????? ??????????? ????????
  ????????? ??????????? ????????? ??? ??????
  ??????-208

5
Hazards of Each Type of Radiation
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• Alphas large (in nuclear terms) and highly
  charged. Easily stopped and absorbed. Sheet of
  tissue, outer skin or centimetres of air will
  stop them.
• Betas - smaller and less charged, so more
  penetrating. Can be stopped by 1cm of sand or a
  few metres of air.
• Gammas - pure electromagnetic energy. Very
  penetrating. Require lead sheet, steel plate or
  many metres of air to stop them.

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6
External and Internal Hazard
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• These properties determine effect on health.
• Gammas can penetrate body from outside and damage
  deep internal cells. This penetration makes them
  an External Hazard.
• Alphas/betas cannot penetrate far into body from
  outside. However if alpha/beta emitting
  materials enter the body, particularly the lungs,
  the size and charge of the alpha and beta
  particles makes them very damaging to the cells
  they hit. This makes alpha and beta particles an
  Internal Hazard. Radium is selectively absorbed
  by bones

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7
Radionuclides Found
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• In dry gas systems restricted to lead-210 and
  polonium-210 from the Uranium-238 decay series.
• In systems where produced water is present the
  radionuclides beyond radium in both Uranium-238
  and Thorium-232 decay series can be found.

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  ???????????-210 ?? ??????? ?????????
  ??????????-238.
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  ??????? ???????? ??????????-238 ?????????-232

8
Why NORM Occurs
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• Reservoir rock contains small amounts of natural
  uranium and thorium and their radioactive
  daughters. One daughter, radium, is water
  soluble - dissolves in the reservoir water.
• Radium can precipitate with the barium and
  calcium ions to make any scales slightly
  radioactive. (NORM)
• Clay and fine particles can absorb the radium
  from the formation water.

9
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10
Hazards of NORM Scale
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• Because NORM scale generally contains so little
  activity, the external radiation field is
  generally low. However some old tubulars,
  separators or pumps may give measurable radiation
  fields.
• Because of the high alpha content, NORM scale is
  a significant internal hazard.
• Therefore priority is to stop NORM scale
  particles being inhaled or ingested.
• This alpha toxicity also makes safe disposal
  important.

11
Hazards of NORM in Gas System Deposits
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• The doserates around items with these deposits
  are very low even when much activity is present.
  No external hazard generally exists.
• The activity can be very high and an internal
  hazard is potentially present should any of the
  material be ingested.

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12
Where it Appears
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• NORM scale appears within the well fluid handling
  system -
• Tubing string (especially tailpipe)
• Liner, below the packer
• Subsurface Safety Valves
• Wellheads
• Manifolds
• Separators
• Oil coolers
• Produced water pipework
• It can also appear in the service water system,
  in pig wax, in storage cells etc.

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13
How it Gets There
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• Incompatible waters mix as they pass through
  perforations - this starts scale depositing in
  the tailpipe and tubing, then throughout the
  plant.
• Deposition is heaviest in areas of turbulence
  beyond bends, valves, restrictions.
• Also where temperature or pressure changes occur
  tubulars, chokes, separators, coolers.
• Separator deposits - clays may absorb
  radionuclides directly from water.

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14
What Scales Look Like
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• Pure barium sulphate is hard dense white solid.
  Pure NORM scale can be like that (especially in
  tubulars).
• More usually thin, eggshell-like, light or dark
  brown.
• Can be stratified, like rings in a tree trunk.
• Sometimes deep in the surface matrix, so not
  visible.
• Separator sludges are granular suspensions.
• Pig waxes are black tarry materials, often with
  chunks of rust and scale mixed in.

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15
(No Transcript)
16
NORM in Gas Wells
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• NORM can also be found in Gas Wells where no
  fluids are present.
• Here it is due to radioactive lead-210 plating
  out on surfaces from the gas.
• The gas is radioactive because of the radioactive
  radon gas in the formation accumulating in it.
• This radon then decays to the lead-210
• This layer is thin and cannot always be seen

17
Philosophy of NORM Management
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• Stop inhalation or ingestion of scale particles-
• Stop dust being created
• Stop dust becoming airborne
• Stop dust from entering the body
• Contain scale in one area and minimise contact
• To achieve this we -
• Adhere to Local Rules
• Keep scale wet to stop dust rising
• Wear personal protective equipment
• Set up NORM Supervised Area and restrict contact
  

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18
NORM Workflow
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• General workflow is as follows -
• Identification of work with NORM potential
• Preparation for work with NORM potential
• Detection and identification of NORM
  contamination
• Working on NORM contaminated equipment
• NORM contaminated equipment moved to Zauliyah

19
Identification of Work with NORM Potential
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• Assume all water fluid bearing systems are NORM
  contaminated until proven clean.
• Assume gas systems are NORM contaminated.
• Use Local Maps to identify areas of known NORM
  contamination.
• External monitoring may identify very active NORM
  but not reliable.
• Test all systems at first breach, and regularly
  as new surfaces are encountered.
• Record zero readings.

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20
Detection and Measurement of NORM Scale
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• Shell standard NORM meter for oil systems- Mini
  900 with 44B probe.
• Scintillation counter - detects high energy
  betas and gammas
• Readout in counts per second (cps)
• Fairly robust probe
• Not intrinsically safe

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21
Detection and Measurement of NORM in Gas Systems
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?????

• Shell standard NORM meter for oil systems- Mini
  900 with EP15 probe.
• Geiger Counter-detects alpha and beta particles.
• Readout in counts per second (cps)
• Not very robust probe
• Not intrinsically safe

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22
Meter Reading to Declare NORM
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• 5 cps above background is the lowest
  statistically reliable reading with the meter
• We identify contamination, we do not measure
  scale or deposits activity.
• Using the Mini 900 a reading of 5 cps above
  background is NORM.
• Note - it is not possible to convert from cps
  above background to Bq/g as the thickness of the
  scale and thus the mass of scale that the counts
  come from is not known.

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23
Work Precautions - Personal Protective Equipment
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• One piece slicker suit or Tyvek disposable suit.
• Impermeable gloves.
• Impermeable boots.
• Facepiece respirator to EN146FFP3 - 3M 8835 or
  Moldex 3405.
• Eye protection - safety goggles.
• All PPE to be cleaned after job and monitored as
  free from contamination. Must be reused or
  returned as normal waste.
• Contaminated PPE should not be put into drums.

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24
Work Precautions - Personal Hygiene
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• No eating, drinking, chewing gum, sweets,
  tobacco.
• No application of barrier cream.
• All cuts and abrasions effectively dressed.
• Wash hands and face before eating, drinking or
  smoking.

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25
On Completion of Work
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• Complete NORM form.
• Send sample to laboratory for analysis.
• Decontaminate every one who leaves site.
• Take down barriers etc.
• Check site for contamination

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