Geologic, geochemical, and geographic controls on NORM in produced water from Texas oil, gas, and geothermal reservoirs. Final report
Water from Texas oil, gas, and geothermal wells contains natural radioactivity that ranges from several hundred to several thousand Picocuries per liter (pCi/L). This natural radioactivity in produced fluids and the scale that forms in producing and processing equipment can lead to increased concerns for worker safety and additional costs for handling and disposing of water and scale. Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in oil and gas operations are mainly caused by concentrations of radium-226 ({sup 226}Ra) and radium-228 ({sup 228}Ra), daughter products of uranium-238 ({sup 238}U) and thorium-232 ({sup 232}Th), respectively, in barite scale. We examined (1) the geographic distribution of high NORM levels in oil-producing and gas-processing equipment, (2) geologic controls on uranium (U), thorium (Th), and radium (Ra) in sedimentary basins and reservoirs, (3) mineralogy of NORM scale, (4) chemical variability and potential to form barite scale in Texas formation waters, (5) Ra activity in Texas formation waters, and (6) geochemical controls on Ra isotopes in formation water and barite scale to explore natural controls on radioactivity. Our approach combined extensive compilations of published data, collection and analyses of new water samples and scale material, and geochemical modeling of scale Precipitation and Ra incorporation in barite.
- Research Organization:
- Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-92MT92011
- OSTI ID:
- 83017
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/MT/92011--12; ON: DE95000178
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Geologic, geochemical, and geographic controls on NORM in produced water from Texas oil, gas, and geothermal reservoir
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Related Subjects
02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
BARITE
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
Geothermal Legacy
HEALTH HAZARDS
MINERALOGY
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL WELLS
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIUM 226
RADIUM 228
TEXAS
THORIUM 232
URANIUM 238
US GULF COAST
WASTE WATER
03 NATURAL GAS
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
BARITE
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
Geothermal Legacy
HEALTH HAZARDS
MINERALOGY
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL WELLS
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIUM 226
RADIUM 228
TEXAS
THORIUM 232
URANIUM 238
US GULF COAST
WASTE WATER