Measurement of TE-NORM Concentrations and Resulting Dose ‎Assessment in Produced Water at Some Oil and Gas Sites..

‎ Huge amounts of produced water that are TE-NORM-contaminated during the processes ‎of extracting crude oil from oil&gas production fields with concentrations higher than the ‎radiological reference levels provided by international organizations may expose the ‎workers at these sites to potential radiation hazards. Therefore, assessing the worker doses ‎at these sites have a ‎great importance. This assessment is essential in determining the ‎radiation hazards brought on by radiation exposure.‎
‏ ‏‎The purpose of this study is to determine the activity concentration of TE-NORM ‎contaminated produced water in different Egyptian oil&gas extraction sites, as well as ‎using the estimated annual doses and radiation hazard indices to assess the radiation risks ‎indices for the workers. The obtained ‎data shows that the activity concentration of 238U, ‎‎232Th, and 40K ranged from 4032 to 14567 Bq Kg-1, ‎‎1185 to 6358 Bq Kg-1 and 184 to 423 ‎Bq Kg-1 respectively. The calculated absorbed dose rate ranged from ‎‎2588 – 10587 nGy/h, ‎and the calculated Annual Effective Dose Equivalent differ according to the TE-‎NORM ‎activity concentrations and have the range of 3.17 to 12.99 mSv/y. it was found that ‎the ‎radiation hazard indices significantly more than the international values.‎
‎ Based on the obtained results, it could be concluded that discharging the contaminated ‎produced water ‎into the environment should be prohibited and using the recommended ‎disposal methods to reduce as ‎much as possible the exposure of radiation worker in oil & ‎gas production fields.‎