NORM

(Naturally-Occurring Radioactive
Materials)
Oil & gas service by radiation professionals

radiationprofessionals.com

radiationprofessionals.com

radiationprofessionals.com

Before We Get Started, Some Background Information

The geologic formations that contain oil and gas deposits also contain
naturally-occurring radionuclides, which are referred to as "NORM"
(Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Materials):
uranium (and its decay products)
thorium (and its decay products)
radium (and its decay products)
lead-210.
Geologists have recognised their presence since the early 1930s and use
it as a method for finding deposits.Much of the petroleum in the earth's
crust was created at the site of ancient seas by the decay of sea life. As a
result, petroleum deposits often occur in aquifers containing brine (salt
water). Radionuclides, along with other minerals that are dissolved in the
brine, precipitate (separate and settle) out forming various wastes at the
surface:
mineral scales inside pipes
Sludges
contaminated equipment or components
produced waters.

radiationprofessionals.com

RISK VS. MANAGEMENT

We won't get into the risks of radiation too much since you are an insider
and completely aware of them already. They are well documented:
exposure risks to workers
exposure risks to surrounding community
risk of moving contaminated waste material
financial risk of contaminated metal and equipment
social and PR risk
legal and regulatory risk
decline in productivity plus many more.
Insiders know that if these are managed well then the risks are minimal.
In fact, most incidents we hear about came about because of poor
management or operation.

radiationprofessionals.com

DATA CAN HURT YOU OR HELP YOU

To manage an operation well, you need to make good decisions. To make
good decisions you need the best available information. To get the best
information it starts with accurate, reliable data.>We have outlined 5
things you can do today to get better, more reliable, accurate data in
regards to NORM.

radiationprofessionals.com

LOOK IN THE RIGHT PLACES

Ensure you are looking in the right places. Some of NORMs favorite hiding
sports are:
separator vessels
pipes
filters
dead junctions
ponds and sludge
Make sure you are looking at these spots regularly.

radiationprofessionals.com

USE THE RIGHT TOOL

In any job you want to select the right tool. One of the common mistakes
that we see is people thinking that a radiation detector is a detector. Not
all radiation detectors are created equal. There are at least 4 categories
of radiation detectors. So if you are doing environmental, contamination,
gauges or XRF, get the tool designed to measure that.

radiationprofessionals.com

COLLECT ENOUGH DATA

You need to know how long to measure for your instrument, to enable you
to achieve a meaningful result.As monitoring precision in radiation is
tightly linked to counting statistics, monitor too little and the uncertainties
on your measurement may exceed the actual measurement! This renders
your data meaningless. Along with incorrect instrument choice, this is one
of the leading causes of invalid data.

radiationprofessionals.com

DO A BACKGROUND SURVEY
If you said you were better today than you were a year ago. How do you
prove that?The answer is simple you need to first show what you were like
a year ago, and what you're like now. It works the same in NORM
management. To show that you have not contaminated a site you need to
know what the NORM levels were when you started.

radiationprofessionals.com

STAY COMPLIANT
Keep up to date with your regulatory requirements. There is a good
chance that you have an RMP for your site. You need to stay on top of it.
As with most risks it is better to manage it and stay on plan than it is to
pull it together later.Try and find a partner that can help you manage the
RMP and who will ensure that you are protected.

radiationprofessionals.com

GET HELP
When choosing a company to work with; look for: someone who has the
complete offering for the management of the project; a professional that
is linked to the regulatory body; a company that is committed to ensuring
you get the best information.
For more information contact us
Head Office (WA)
Level 1, 46 Hill Street, East Perth WA 6004
PO Box 3231 East Perth WA 6892 Phone +61 (8) 9325 9948
Regional Offices69 Ann Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000
Phone: +61 (7) 3112 5116
Lvl,1 48-50 Smith Street, Darwin, NT 0800
Phone: +61 (8) 8911 0411