MANAGEMENT OF NORM IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY Akpojevwa Tega Naomi, october 2016 | Page 12

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
Radioactive elements occur naturally in the earth’s rock, soil, and water in
varying concentrations. These concentrations in well fluids may become
enhanced due to crude oil extraction processes and subsequently from
radioactive enriched deposits within petroleum production facilities thereby
forming Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). (Smith, 1992)
The first reports of NORM associated with mineral oil and natural gases
provided by (Kolb and Wojcik, 1985) gives an interesting account of the
discovery of its concentration in crude petroleum recorded more than a century
ago. Subsequent to the detection of NORM in the North Sea oil Platform in
1981, the presence of NORM in crude petroleum and petroleum industry waste
has been studied and reported by a number of authors worldwide, including
kolb and Wajcik (1985), Smith (1987), Wilson and Scott (1992). Heaton and
Lambley (1995), Paschoa (1997), White and Rood (2001), Matta et al. (2002),
Godoy and Petinatti da Cruz (2003), Hamlet et al (2003), Smith et al (2003), Al-
Masri and Aba (2005) and Gazineu and Hazin (2007).
During the extraction of crude oil and gas, NORM flows with the oil, gas and
water mixture and accumulates in scale, sludge and scrap materials. It can also
form a thin film on the interior surfaces of gas processing equipment and
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