Overview

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Overview Management of NORM in Saudi Aramco

• Khalid Mously, Michael Cowie
• Saudi Aramco
• Environmental Protection Department

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Outlines

• Brief history of NORM
• Origins Where NORM accumulates
• NORM exposure scenarios
• NORM levels
• Workers Protection
• NORM Management Program

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NORM Definition

• Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM)
  any nuclide that is radioactive in its natural
  state ( i.e. not man-made), but not including
  source, by-product, or special nuclear material.

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Brief History

• Early accounts of NORM
• Canadian oil field (1904)
• Radium in Russian fields (1930)
• Uranium in gas formations (1953)
• NORM in north sea (1985)
• Guidelines (API, IAEA, etc.)
• Regulations

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Origins of NORM

• NORM in earth crust
• NORM in reservoir rock formations

• NORM in Formation water
• NORM in Natural gas
• NORM in Sea water

Uranium ppm Thorium ppm
Limestone 0.03 - 27 0 - 11
Sandstone 0.1 - 62 0.7 - 227
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Which NORM !

• NORM nuclides of interest to oil industry
• Radium-226 Radium-228
• Uranium
• Radon-222
• Lead-210
• Polonium-210

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Uranium-238 4.5 By
Principal decay Scheme of Uranium
Th-234 Pa-234 U-234 Th-230.
Radium-226 1620 Y
Radon Daughters
Radon-222 3.8 d
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Relative Penetrating Power
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Radiation Emitted by NORM

• Gamma rays
• Ra-226 and Pb-210
• Beta particles
• Ra-228, Pb-210, Bi-210
• Alpha particles
• Ra-226,U-238,Po-210 and Pb-210

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Where NORM accumulates

• NORM may accumulate in the following media

• Scale
• Scrapings
• Sludge
• Thin films (radon progeny)

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NORM in Scale

• Types of scales
• Sulfate SrSO4 and BaSO4 (RaSO4)
• Carbonate CaCO3 (RaCO3)
• Effect of water mixing
• Change in pressure/temperature
• Scale accumulates in production tubing, well
  head, valves, and pumps
• Scale inhibitors

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NORM in Scale
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NORM in Pipelines Scrapings

• Crude pipelines
• (Radium Pb-210)
• Seawater pipelines
• (Uranium)

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NORM in Gas Processing Facilities

• Radon path

Boiling Point (?K, 1 Atm)
Ethane 185
Radon 211
Propane 231

• Radon progeny
• Pb-210 (22 years)
• Po-210 (138 days)
• Bi-210 (5 days)
• Form thin films on compressors, reflux pumps,
  control valves, product lines/vessels.

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NORM Exposure Scenarios

• Contamination
• Inhalation
• Ingestion
• Absorption

• Irradiation
• External Exposure

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NORM Health Impact

• No short-term acute effects

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NORM Regulations

• Specifies contamination limits
• Equipment, waste and soil
• Nuclide dependent
• Country dependent

Country Limit of 226Ra (pCi/g)
Canada 8
UK 10
USA 5 to 30

• EURATOM 96/29 May 2000

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NORM Levels
World wide reported levels of NORM
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NORM in Natural Gas

• Radon gas (Rn-222)
• EPA limit for Radon in air is 4 pCi/ liter

Medium Specific activity pCi/liter
Natural gas 0.14 5400
NGL 0.27 40500
Propane 0.27 113400
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Workers Radiation Dose

• A workers dose depends on

• Type of work
• Cleaning vessels/tanks
• Maintenance
• NORM activity
• Time
• Protective measures

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Workers Protection

• Awareness/training
• Protective clothes
• Respirators use
• Practice good hygiene
• Limited work scenarios

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Summary

• NORM is a global issue for the oil gas industry
• NORM health hazards are controllable
• Implementing NORM procedure will not obstruct
  operations
• NORM limit varies

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Management of NORM in Saudi Aramco

• Michael Cowie

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Management of NORM in Saudi Aramco

• International Radiation Protection Standards
• International Commission on Radiological
  Protection (ICRP)
• National Radiation Protection Regulations
• King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology
  (KACST)
• Saudi Aramco Standard
• Management of Technologically Enhanced Naturally
  Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM)
• Saudi Aramco Guidance
• NORM Guidance Manual
• NORM Workers protection and contamination control
  guidance

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Development of NORM management guidelines

• Saudi Aramco Standard, Management of
• Technologically Enhanced Radioactive Material
  (NORM)

• Transport of NORM Contaminated Materials
• NORM Contaminated Equipment
• Decontamination
• Disposal of NORM Waste

• Responsibilities
• NORM Surveys
• Workers Protection
• Contamination Control
• Confined Space Entry
• NORM contamination limits

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Management of NORM in Saudi Aramco

• NORM Strategy
• NORM monitoring
• Safe management of NORM contaminated equipment
• Control of NORM waste
• Workers protection and training
• Development of NORM management guidelines

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NORM Management Process Cycle
NORM Monitoring
NORM Detected?
Identify NORM Contaminated equipment/waste
Assess Radiological Risks
Yes
No
Normal Operation
NORM Contaminated Equipment
Workers Protection Contam. Control
NORM Waste
NORM Free Equipment
Decontaminate NORM equipment
Interim Storage of NORM equipment
NORM waste Interim Storage
NORM Waste
Release for general use
NORM Waste Permanent Disposal
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Management of NORM in Saudi Aramco

• Emphasis on partnering
• Understanding of the operational process is
  important
• Work with proponents to adapt control measures to
  operations
• Cooperation rather than imposition
• Awareness and training

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Recommendations

• Identify the problem
• Develop a strategy
• Plan actions
• Establish controls
• Awareness and training
• Cooperation and inclusion
• Continued re-evaluation

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NORM Screening Zone - Al Midra Reclamation
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