Karen P. Smith

Radiological dose assessment related to management of naturally occurring radioactive materials generated by the petroleum industry

A preliminary radiological dose assessment related to equipment decontamination, subsurface disposal, landspreading, equipment smelting, and equipment burial was conducted to address concerns regarding the presence of naturally occurring radioactive materials in production waste streams. The assessment evaluated the relative dose of these activities and included a sensitivity analysis of certain input parameters. Future studies and potential policy actions are recommended.

An analytical model for simulating step-function injection in a radial geometry

An analytical model is developed for analyzing underground injection of wastes that undergo advection, dispersion, sorption, and first-order degradation. The model uses a time-dependent, step-function source that simulates intermittent waste injection in a continuous fluid injection well. The governing equations for a cylindrically symmetrical system are cast in nondimensional form and then transformed and solved in Laplace space. The Laplace space solution is inverted with the Crump algorithm, which uses the real and imaginary parts of a Fourier series. The numerical solution is verified by replicating the step-function source at the point of injection, and the behavior of the model is demonstrated in a series of figures. The model is recommended for quick, scoping calculations in which there is little site-specific information and periods of discontinuous radial injection.

A Review of Avian Monitoring and Mitigation Information at Existing Utility-Scale Solar Facilities

Government nor any agency thereof, nor UChicago Argonne, LLC, nor any of their employees or officers, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of document authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof, About Argonne National Laboratory Argonne is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. The Laboratorys main facility is outside Chicago, at 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439. For information about Argonne and its pioneering science and technology programs, see www.anl.gov.

The Application of Adaptive Sampling and Analysis Program (ASAP) Techniques to NORM Sites

The results from the Michigan demonstration establish that this type of approach can be very effective for NORM sites. The advantages include (1) greatly reduced per sample analytical costs; (2) a reduced reliance on soil sampling and ex situ gamma spectroscopy analyses; (3) the ability to combine characterization with remediation activities in one fieldwork cycle; (4) improved documentation; and (5) ultimately better remediation, as measured by greater precision in delineating soils that are not in compliance with requirements from soils that are in compliance. In addition, the demonstration showed that the use of real-time technologies, such as the RadInSoil, can facilitate the implementation of a Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM)-based final status survey program

An Assessment of the Disposal of Petroleum Industry NORM in Nonhazardous Landfills

In this study, the disposal of radium-bearing NORM wastes in nonhazardous landfills in accordance with the MDEQ guidelines was modeled to evaluate potential radiological doses and resultant health risks to workers and the general public. In addition, the study included an evaluation of the potential doses and health risks associated with disposing of a separate NORM waste stream generated by the petroleum industry--wastes containing lead-210 (Pb-210) and its progeny. Both NORM waste streams are characterized in Section 3 of this report. The study also included reviews of (1) the regulatory constraints applicable to the disposal of NORM in nonhazardous landfills in several major oil and gas producing states (Section 2) and (2) the typical costs associated with disposing of NORM, covering disposal options currently permitted by most state regulations as well as the nonhazardous landfill option (Section 4).

Disposal of NORM waste in salt caverns

Some types of oil and gas production and processing wastes contain naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). If NORM is present at concentrations above regulatory levels in oil field waste, the waste requires special disposal practices. The existing disposal options for wastes containing NORM are limited and costly. This paper evaluates the legality, technical feasibility, economics, and human health risk of disposing of NORM-contaminated oil field wastes in salt caverns. Cavern disposal of NORM waste is technically feasible and poses a very low human health risk. From a legal perspective, there are no fatal flaws that would prevent a state regulatory agency from approving cavern disposal of NORM. On the basis of the costs charged by caverns currently used for disposal of nonhazardous oil field waste (NOW), NORM waste disposal caverns could be cost competitive with existing NORM waste disposal methods when regulatory agencies approve the practice.

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Applications to Land and Natural Resource Management

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) have made dramatic technical advances in the past decade. Their use domestically is currently tightly constrained by existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. Within the next few years, the FAA is expected to provide a regulatory framework that allows for a greatly expanded role for UASs in domestic airspace for a wide variety of applications. One of those will be remote sensing for land and natural resource monitoring. While there has recently been a large body of published research on UAS applications to environmental monitoring, in practice, very little has been operationalized by private or public entities to date. In July 2014, Argonne National Laboratory hosted a workshop dedicated to environmental monitoring UAS applications with attendance by representatives from 11 federal agencies as well as academics. The workshop reviewed the UAS state-of-the-art within the federal arena and barriers to broader UAS use. While a number of agencies, the including National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, the United States Geological Survey, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management have conducted proof-of-concept UAS demonstrations, typically using surplus Department of Defense equipment, the promise of UAS systems at the moment remains untapped for a variety of reasons. The consensus was, however, that UAS systems will play an increasingly important role in cost-effectively supporting timely natural-resource and land-management monitoring needs.

Radiological dose assessment of NORM disposal in Class II injection wells

Subsurface disposal of petroleum industry wastes containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) via injection into Class II wells was modeled to estimate potential radiological doses to individuals consuming water from a shallow aquifer. A generic model was developed for the injection of 100,000 barrels of NORM waste containing 2,000 picocuries per liter of radium into a layered geologic system. In separate modeling runs, it was assumed that a casing failure released the entire volume of NORM into each successive geologic layer, including the shallow aquifer. Radionuclide concentrations and related potential doses were calculated for receptors located in the shallow aquifer from 0 to 20 miles down gradient of the injection well. The results indicated that even under conservative assumptions, calculated radionuclide concentrations and potential doses associated with subsurface disposal of NORM in Class II wells were below levels of regulatory concern. The preliminary results from a dose assessment of a specific project entailing injection of NORM into Class II wells support the conclusions of the generic study.