MANAGEMENT OF NORM IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY Akpojevwa Tega Naomi, october 2016 | Page 43

called ‘Solar Dew’, this system purifies water using solar-driven, non-porous
membrane distillation process.
Decontamination of equipment which is NORM-contaminated should be
undertaken in a controlled manner to ensure worker protection, prevent the
spread of NORM contamination, and to minimize the waste arising from the
decontamination process. Sand blasting technology (SBT) and high pressure
water jetting (HPWJ) in conjunction with other mechanical/abrasive methods
have been proven to be the most cost effective and successful. Huge amounts of
NORM waste exceeding the exemption level of 10 Bq/g of
226
Ra and
228
Ra are
generated as a result of both onsite and offsite decontamination of tubular and
different types of topside equipment. Onsite decontamination is the preferred
option when components cannot reasonably be removed and replaced or need
no other treatment before reinstallation or continued use. One example of onsite
decontamination is the removal of accumulated sludges from separators and
systems handling produced water. Offsite decontamination is carried out when
onsite decontamination cannot be performed effectively and radiological safe,
when components will have to be refurbished by specialized companies prior to
their reuse, and when components not to be reused for their original function
has to be cleaned.
There are two types of technology for the NORM decontamination process.
These are: Sand Blasting Technology and High Pressure Water Technology.
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