Application of the ERICA Tool for assessing risk to marine biota from NORM-contaminated products from decommissioned offshore subsea oil and gas pipelines.
MacIntosh, A.; Cresswell, T.; Koppel, D.; Beresford, N. A.; Johansen, M.. 2022 Application of the ERICA Tool for assessing risk to marine biota from NORM-contaminated products from decommissioned offshore subsea oil and gas pipelines. [Lecture] In: 5th international Conference on Radioecology & Environmental Radioactivity, Oslo, Norway, 4-9 September, 2022.
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Abstract/Summary
Successful in situ decommissioning of subsea oil and gas infrastructure requires operators and license holders to demonstrate that minimal harm to marine organisms (and human seafood consumers) will occur from exposure to any associated contaminants. Scale residues may accumulate on the interior surfaces of production pipelines and are likely to be present years beyond cessation of operations leading to potential ecological risk. Scale can consist of a range of metal contaminants (including mercury), as well as naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). The persistent nature of ‘NORM scale’ can result in a radiological dose to the organisms living on or near intact pipelines. Marine organisms inhabiting the exteriors or interiors of impacted pipes may interact with the scale and may be subject to subsequent radiological effects. The use of the ERICA tool can help inform petroleum operators and stakeholders in assessing the potential radiological risks to marine biota. However, few dose assessments for subsea oil and gas infrastructure have been published because of sparse data, as well as the challenging exposure considerations involved (e.g. shielding, cylindrical pipe). This case study used the ERICA Tool (v2.0) to estimate the likely radiological doses and effects from NORM contaminated scale to marine biota from a decommissioned offshore oil and gas pipeline. Radiological exposures from both external sources (accounting for attenuation of photons by a cylindrical carbon steel pipe) and internal sources over various scenarios of in-situ pipeline decommissioning are provided using real-world concentrations of NORMs from subsea pipelines as examples. Dose rates from three exposure scenarios and the impact of different model arameterizations to the overall assessment outcomes of ERICA were investigated. We discuss the results of the ERICA Tool in comparison to the available literature on the known effects of radiological exposure to marine biota and highlight a step-by-step process on how the ERICA Tool can be incorporated as a radiological screening tool for use in offshore oil and gas decommissioning risk assessments.
| Item Type: | Publication - Conference Item (Lecture) |
|---|---|
| UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas: | Pollution (Science Area 2017-) |
| Date made live: | 30 Jan 2023 15:22 +0 (UTC) |
| URI: | https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533142 |
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