Radium in Oil and Gas Piping and Production Facilities

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Radium in Oil and Gas Piping and Production
Facilities

• Loren W. Setlow
• U.S. EPA
• Office of Radiation and Indoor Air

EPA Region 5/ORD Emerging Pollutants
Workshop August 12, 2003
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Radiation Concerns

• Radiation at oil and gas facilities not normally
  evaluated during site environmental
  investigations and cleanup
• Such sources of radiation
• may pose potential health
• and safety hazards to
• inspection personnel
• and the public

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TENORM

• Material containing radionuclides that are
  present naturally in rocks, soils, water, and
  minerals and whose radioactivity has become
  concentrated and/or exposed to the accessible
  environment as a result of human activities.

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Regional EPA Guidance -- 2003

• Potential for Radiation Contamination Associated
  With Mineral and
• Resource Extraction Industries
• April 15, 2003 Issued to EPA
• Regional radiation personnel
• Regional Superfund staff
• National Hard Rock Mining staff
• On-Scene Coordinators

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Regional EPA Guidance -- 2003

• Informs EPA staff of radiation associated with
  specific minerals, resource extraction,
  processing, or manufacturing industries
• Purpose EPA field staff to contact key EPA
  regional radiation staff personnel to implement
  radiation safety measures, and conduct radiation
  surveys as appropriate
• www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/about.htm

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Some Industries With TENORM Contamination

• Aluminum (bauxite)
• Copper
• Fluorospar
• Gypsum
• Molybdenum
• Phosphate
• Phosphorous
• Potassium (Potash)
• Precious Metals (gold, silver)

• Rare Earths including monazite
• Tin
• Titanium leucoxene, ilmenite, rutile
• Tungsten
• Vanadium
• Zircon
• Coal (and coal ash)
• Oil and gas
• Geothermal Energy

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Oil and Gas Facility TENORM

• Radium levels Non-detectable to over 100,000
  pCi/g.
• API (1996) estimated that the equivalent of
  30,000 m3 of TENORM generated 1993.
• Same study, using radiation survey data,
  estimated equivalent of 3.4 million m3 total
  legacy inventory

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Oil and Gas Facility TENORMEPA Region 5

• Oil field equipment -- 5,000 microR/hr at one
  Michigan pipe yard
• Radiation contamination -- 92 of facilities in
  Illinois (API study)

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Origin of Oil and Gas Facility TENORM

• Radium selectively soluble in underground
  formations, mobilized in production waters in
  preference to uranium and thorium
• Radium precipitates out at surface pipes,
  separators, storage tanks, gas lines, etc.
• API (1989) and other studies suggest 1/3 of all
  producing U.S. oil and gas wells have elevated
  radiation

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Oil and Gas Fields
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EPA Region 5 -- Illinois Basin
Oil and gas fields Coal fields -- Coal Bed
Methane (?)
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EPA Region 5 --Michigan Basin

• Oil and
• Gas fields

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TENORM Contaminated Pipe Scale
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TENORM Contaminated Storage Tanks
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TENORM Contaminated Soils
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Oil and Gas TENORM Waste Disposal

• Oil and gas TENORM waste disposal methods
• Injecting wastes into original producing
  formation
• Deep injection well disposal
• Disposal at licensed facilities
• Land and road spreading
• Re-use and recycling of equipment

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TENORM Contaminated Legacy Sites

• Modern environmental protection methods did not
  commence until 1970s.
• Pre-1970s legacy wastes may remain at sites that
  could be converted to home and building sites.
• Potential hazards from TENORM contaminated
  recycled metal scrap, mineral scale and pipes
• 1 Billion judgment in New Orleans, 2001, for
  pipe yard TENORM scale pollution.

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TENORM Contaminated Current Production Sites

• RCRA may not apply, but other U.S. EPA
  authorities are available (CERCLA, CWA, SDWA,
  TSCA(?))
• Petroleum industry associations, individual
  companies, and some states have developed
  guidances
• EPA ORIA investigating ways to partner with
  industry, other stakeholders

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Research Issues for EPA

• More research is needed on the occurrence of
  legacy oil and gas radium wastes, and current
  operational and disposal practices
• Needed to reduce potential for public,
  professional, and worker radiation exposures.