Natural Radioactivity in Produced Water from the Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry in 2003
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Strålevern Rapport 2005:2 Natural Radioactivity in Produced Water from the Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry in 2003 Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority Postboks 55 N-1332 Østerås Norway Reference: NRPA (2004). Natural Radioactivity in Produced Water from the Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry in 2003. StrålevernRapport 2005:2. Østerås: Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, 2004. Authors: Gäfvert T, Færevik I Key words: Radioactivity, Produced Water, Radium, 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb, Oil and gas industry, The North Sea Abstract: This report presents results of a survey of natural radioactivity (226Ra, 228Ra and 210Pb) in produced water from all 41 Norwegian platforms in the North Sea discharging produced water. The sampling campaign took place from September 2003 to January 2004. Based on the data presented the average activity concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra in produced water from the Norwegian oil and gas industry have been estimated to 3.3 Bq l-1 and 2.8 Bq l-1, respectively. With one exception, all results obtained for 210Pb were below the detection limit of about 1 Bq l-1.The estimated total activities of 226Ra and 228Ra discharged in 2003 are 440 GBq (range 310-590 GBq) and 380 GBq (range 270-490 GBq), respectively. Referanse: Statens strålevern (2004). Naturlig radioaktivitet i produsertvann fra den norske olje- og gassindustrien i 2003. StrålevernRapport 2005:2. Østerås: Statens strålevern, 2004. Språk: engelsk. Forfattere: Gäfvert T, Færevik I Emneord: Radioaktivitet, Produsertvann, Radium, 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb, Nordsjøen Resymé: Rapporten viser resultater fra en undersøkelse av naturlig radioaktivitet (226Ra, 228Ra and 210Pb) i produsert vann fra samtlige 41 norske plattformer i Nordsjøen med slike utslipp. Prøvene ble samlet inn fra september 2003 til januar 2004. Dataene anslår gjennomsnittelig aktivitetskonsentrasjon av 226Ra og 228Ra i produsert vann fra norsk olje- og gassvirksomhet til henholdsvis 3,3 Bq l-1 og 2,8 Bq l-1. For 210Pb var alle resultatene, med ett unntak under deteksjonsgrensen på rundt 1 Bq-1. De totale utslippene av 226Ra og 228Ra i 2003 er estimert til henholdsvis 440 GBq (fra 310 GBq til 590 GBq) and 380 GBq (fra 270 GBq til 490 GBq). Head of project: Anne Liv Rudjord Approved: Per Strand, Director, Department for Emergency Preparedness and Environmental Radioactivity 51 pages. Published 2005-01-07. Printed number 400 (05-01). Cover design: Lobo media, Oslo. Printed by Lobo media. Orders to: Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, P.O. Box 55, N-1332 Østerås, Norway. Telephone +47 67 16 25 00, fax + 47 67 14 74 07. www.nrpa.no ISSN 0804-4910 StrålevernRapport 2005:2 Natural Radioactivity in Produced Water from the Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry in 2003 Statens strålevern Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority Østerås, 2004 Contents Summary 5 Sammendrag 6 1 Introduction 7 2 Natural radioactivi ty 8 2.1 Introduction 8 2.1.1 Natural decay series and geochemistry 8 2.1.2 Uranium isotopes 11 2.1.3 Thorium isotopes 11 2.1.4 Radium isotopes 11 2.1.5 Lead isotopes 12 2.2 Natural radioactivity in the marine environment 13 3 Radioactivity in produced water 15 3.1 Produced water 15 3.2 Radioactivity in produced water – A review 16 3.2.1 Radium in Norwegian produced water 18 3.3 Volume of produced water discharged into the North Sea 20 3.3.1 The Norwegian petroleum industry 20 3.3.2 Discharges from Norwegian oil and gas fields 20 3.3.3 Discharges from other countries 21 4 Dilution and fa te of radium after discharge 22 4.1 Dispersion modelling by the NRPA for 2003 22 4.2 Monitoring of 226Ra in seawater in 2002 23 5 Monitoring of radioact ivity in prod uced wat err– – Resultssfor for 2003/2004 25 5.1 Sampling 25 5.2 Analytical methods 25 5.2.1 Analysis of 226,228Ra and 210Pb 25 5.2.2 Analysis of 210Po 26 5.3 Results 26 5.3.1 Monthly variation 31 6 Discussion 34 7 Conclusions 38 References 39 Appendix A 43 Appendix B 50 Glossary 51 4 water samples ranged from below the detection limit (about 1 Bq l-1) up to 16 Bq l-1, while the activity concentration of 228Ra ranged from Summary below the detection limit (about 1 Bq l-1) up to 21 Bq l-1. For 210Pb, almost all results were below the detection limit. The total discharged The oil and gas industry represents by far the 226 228 largest industry in Norway in terms of activities of Ra and Ra in 2003 were economical importance. Altogether, more than estimated to be 440 GBq (range 310 to 590 40 offshore platforms operate in the North Sea GBq) and 380 GBq (range 270 to 490 GBq), and the Norwegian Sea. The largest waste respectively. Dividing the total discharged stream by volume, from this industry is water activity by the total volume of produced water co-produced with the oil and gas (referred to as discharged gives average activity concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra of 3.3 and 2.8 Bq l-1, produced water, formation water or oilfield 226 brines). In 2003 about 135 million m3 of respectively. The discharged activity of Ra in produced water was discharged to the marine 2003 for most platforms was below a few tens environment from the Norwegian oil and gas of GBq, while a higher discharge was observed for the Troll B and C platforms. Together these industry. One problem with produced water is 226 that it may contain elevated levels of naturally platforms discharged about 193 GBq of Ra in occurring radium isotopes, of which 226Ra and 2003, corresponding to about 40 % of the total 228Ra are the most long-lived. Previously activity discharged from the Norwegian continental shelf installations. A similar pattern reported results show that the activity 228 226 228 was also observed for Ra. This estimate is in concentrations of Ra and Ra are about 226 three orders of magnitude higher than what is good agreement with an estimate for Ra normally encountered in seawater. Produced made for the Norwegian oil and gas industry in water from the oil and gas industry was also 2002, also based on platform-specific data identified by the MARINA II study, published (Varskog, 2003). The results from this study also show that the total activity of 226Ra and by the European Commission in 2003, as a 228 significant contributor of alpha emitting Ra discharged to the North Sea by the radionuclides in northern European waters. In Norwegian oil and gas industry, as postulated order to obtain an up to date estimate of the and presented in the MARINA II study, was discharge of natural radioactivity from the overestimated with about a factor of 10. Norwegian oil and gas industry for 2003, the industry was asked to report the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 228Ra and 210Pb in The report also includes results from dispersion produced water. The sampling campaign took modelling of the discharges of radium, where place from September 2003 to January 2004 data from this study have been used. In most areas the contribution of 226Ra from produced and included all 41 Norwegian platforms -1 discharging produced water. The aim was to water was well below 1 mBq l . Natural collect one sample per month for 5 consecutive background levels of radium in the North Sea are uncertain, but probably range from about months for each Norwegian production -1 226 platform discharging produced water in the 1.5 to 5 mBq l for Ra. For a continuous North Sea or the Norwegian Sea. The reason discharge over one year the model showed that levels up to 1 mBq l-1 in the seawater may for sampling monthly during a five-month 226 228 period was to measure the variation that may occasionally be found for Ra and Ra, each, occur during this period in order to determine a in limited areas in the northern North Sea, suitable sampling frequency for future surveys. assuming all radium is in soluble form (higher activity concentrations may be found close to the discharge points). Discharge of radium from Results obtained in this study show that the the British sector of the North Sea was not activity concentration of 226Ra in the produced included in these calculations 5 utslippsvolum, blir gjennomsnittlig aktivitets- konsentrasjon av 226Ra 3,3 Bq l-1. Tilsvarende 228 -1 Sammendrag tall for Ra er 2,8 Bq l . Fra de fleste plattformene ble det sluppet ut i underkant av noen titalls GBq av 226Ra. Imidlertid var Olje- og gassvirksomheten er Norges største utslippene fra Troll B- og Troll C-plattformene næring målt i verdiskapning. Mer enn 40 felt er av denne isotopen høyere, omtrent 193 GBq. i produksjon i Nordsjøen og Norskehavet. Det Det utgjør omtrent 40 % av total aktivitet største utslippet til sjø fra denne industrien er sluppet ut på norsk sektor. Et lignende mønster vann, som sammen med olje og gass strømmer ble funnet for 228Ra. Estimatene ovenfor for opp fra brønnen (kalt produsert vann eller 226Ra stemmer overens med plattform- formasjonsvann). I 2003 ble det sluppet ut 135 spesifikke resultater for norsk olje- og 3 millioner m produsert vann til havmiljøet fra gassvirksomhet i 2002 (Varskog, 2003). Denne norsk petroleumsvirksomhet. Produsert vann studien viser dessuten at MARINA II- inneholder blant annet forhøyede nivåer av undersøkelsen overestimerte total aktivitet av naturlig forekommende radiumisotoper. Av 226Ra and 228Ra sluppet ut til Nordsjøen fra 226 228 disse har Ra og Ra lengst levetid. Tidligere norsk petroleumsvirksomhet med en faktor på målinger har anslått at aktivitets- 10. konsentrasjonene av 226Ra og 228Ra i produsert vann er tusen ganger innholdet av de samme isotopene i sjøvann.