Determination of macroconstituents and trace elements in naturally occurring radioactive material in oil exploration waste products

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) contain radionuclides, such as radium, thorium, and uranium. The existence of NORM remains an issue for oil and gas exploration because once the material becomes concentrated through technological activity, it becomes a radioactive contamination hazard or a radioactive waste. Pipes and tanks used to handle large volumes of produced water at some oil-field sites are coated with scale deposits that contain high levels ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ²¹⁰Pb. Experiments were conducted using thermal and epithermal neutron activation analysis and Compton suppression for the determination of macroconstituents and trace elements in the radioactive scale sample.