NORM: The Lessons to be Learned, New Challenges and Innovative Thinking with Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste

Abstract

Abstract The first reports of NORM associated with mineral oil & natural gases appeared in 1904. The occurrence of helium in natural gas and its radiogenic origins was observed and exploited during the 1920's. Later reports describe the occurrence of radium in reservoir water from oil & gas fields since the 1930's. In the 1970's & 1980's several observations prompted renewed interest. "Radioactive Scale Formation" was presented to the RSC in Manchester and the OTC in 1985. Published in JPT June 1987, it has taken 20 years for these papers to be fully recognized as seminal articles by the international oil & gas industry. The lessons learned by the international oil & gas industry, health & safety professionals and health physicists over the last 20 years from these seminal papers must be clearly understood and applied today. The original multi-disciplinary applied research work has facilitated a practical and knowledgeable way forward for the oil & gas industry, the regulators, academia and the public (SRS 34, "Radiation Protection and Management of Radioactive Waste in the Oil & Gas Industry", IAEA, 2003) An October 2008 Louisiana Court highlighted that the JPT June 1987 paper contributed to the body of scientific literature by demonstrating the first correlation between gamma ray well logging units in API and conventional health physics radiological dose units. Prior to this health & safety professionals in the oil & gas industry had not recognized any potential topside health concerns due to radioactive scale in tubulars based upon API units in well logging articles etc. This paper will show that the new challenges arising during decommissioning and with radioactive waste may be addressed through a combination of current best practice and innovative thinking provided we remember the lessons to be learnt and progress over the last century (IAEA 2008).