NORM in the Oil and Gas Industry

The oil and gas industry is a global industry that operates in many Member States of the IAEA. There are several facets to the industry including: The construction sector responsible for manufacturing and fabricating facilities and equipment; The production sector responsible for developing and exploiting commercially viable oil and gas fields; ‘Downstream’ sectors dealing with transport of the raw materials and their processing into saleable products; Marketing sectors responsible for the transport and distribution of the finished products.

Radioactive materials, sealed sources and radiation generators are used extensively by the oil and gas industry, and various solid and liquid wastes containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) are produced. The presence of these radioactive materials and radiation generators results in the need to control occupational and public exposures to ionizing radiation.

Various radioactive wastes are produced in the oil and gas industry, including the following: Discrete sealed sources, e.g. spent and disused sealed sources; Unsealed sources, e.g. tracers; Contaminated items; Wastes arising from decontamination activities, e.g. scales and sludges. These wastes are generated predominantly in solid and liquid forms and may contain radionuclides of artificial or natural origin with a wide range of half-lives.