| NORM waste, or Naturally Occurring Radioactive | | | | regulated area of any health and safety concern, it |
| Material waste management concerns the oil and gas | | | | stands to reason that those providing a service in |
| industry. As a result of oil and gas production, | | | | detecting, containing, removing and transporting, and |
| radioactive materials that are naturally occurring, | | | | disposing of NORM must be highly trained experts. |
| NORM, can be caused to build up in the waste | | | | The first stage in NORM management is the |
| streams of by products in concentrations that are | | | | detection process. This involves radiation protection |
| unacceptably high. | | | | supervisors who survey and monitor onsite. They use |
| NORM management is a specialist procedure. There | | | | properly calibrated equipment for measuring radiation |
| are tight regulations governing the collection, | | | | levels and thereby they can minimise the risk of |
| transport and safe disposal of the materials. The | | | | personnel exposure. |
| process is ever evolving as the industry moves | | | | De-scaling of NORM contaminated equipment to an |
| forward and new technologies open up possibilities | | | | acceptable level can be undertaken using high |
| that did not exist previously. | | | | pressure or ultra high pressure water jetting |
| NORM is also known as Low Specific Activity scale or | | | | equipment. This is usually the first approach |
| LSA. The equipment that comes into contact with | | | | throughout the industry. It is an approach that is |
| NORM needs to be regularly cleaned of the build up | | | | proven to be cost effective and extremely efficient. |
| of accumulated scale, and the scale then needs to be | | | | NORM can be chemically treated, but it is more usual |
| properly and safely disposed of. | | | | to dispose of it safely. There are several ways to do |
| It is in reservoirs beneath the surface where deposits | | | | this. Disposing of the NORM at sea is a common |
| of oil and gas are found that NORM can also be | | | | method. It requires permission from the relevant |
| found. These reservoirs contain water, and this | | | | authorities beforehand. Any oil contamination in the |
| formation water can and often does contain material | | | | NORM must be removed before sea disposal, or |
| such as radium, strontium, and barium, as well as | | | | reduced to an acceptable level. |
| others. The larger the field of oil or gas, the larger | | | | Another disposal method is to seal the NORM in an |
| the problem of NORM waste management is likely to | | | | abandoned or depleted well. The well or reservoir is |
| be. | | | | then securely plugged to prevent the NORM |
| As NORM is a combination of radioactive materials, it | | | | escaping. The NORM can also be deposited in a |
| poses a potential hazard. For this reason there is | | | | long-term storage facility custom built for the |
| robust legislation governing its management. All | | | | purpose. |
| operators and their contractors of oil and gas fields | | | | NORM waste management has become part and |
| have to understand the risks involved, and they need | | | | parcel of the oil and gas industries. The build up of |
| to keep worker exposure to NORM waste to an | | | | naturally occurring radioactive materials cannot be |
| absolute minimum. | | | | avoided and the only real solution is the collect and |
| As NORM management is arguably the most heavily | | | | dispose of it safely. |