processing equipment such as scrubbers, compressors, reflux pumps, control valves and product lines. NORM contaminated sludge and scale accumulate inside oil production and processing equipment. NORM contamination tends to be greatest in equipment where produced water is handled or stored, such as water lines, flow lines, injection wellheads, vapour recovery units, water storage tanks, heater / treaties, and separators. When contaminated equipment is taken offline, the NORM presents inside can cause disposal problems. Some types of equipment can be cleaned to remove the contaminated sludge and scale. Cleaned equipment may be reused if it is in good condition, however, the cleaning process generates radioactive wastes that require disposal.( Smith, 1992) 2.1.4 Seawater Injection Systems It has been mentioned that sulphate-reducing bacteria have the ability to enhance the Uranium that is located in the bio-fouling deposits. The Uranium exists in parts per billion in the seawater and does not represent a significant hazard unless the seawater systems use large amounts of seawater during its life. High concentrations of Uranium( up to 2 %) have been found in seawater systems, presenting a hazardous risk for the workers at site and the workers in the process of waste disposal( OGP 2008). Uranium exists in seawater in part per billion concentrations. The use of seawater for recovery of oil from a reservoir can potentially introduce an
additional enhanced NORM scenario. In an anaerobic environment( such as in a 19