Curtin University Oil and Gas Innovation Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia; CSIRO Land and Water, Lucas Heights, NSW, Australia.
Curtin University Oil and Gas Innovation Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia; Curtin Corrosion Center, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
J Environ Radioact. 2022 Jan;241:106774. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106774. Epub 2021 Nov 22.
Thousands of offshore oil and gas facilities are coming to the end of their life in jurisdictions worldwide and will require decommissioning. In-situ decommissioning, where the subsea components of that infrastructure are left in the marine environment following the end of its productive life, has been proposed as an option that delivers net benefits, including from: ecological benefits from the establishment of artificial reefs, economic benefits from associated fisheries, reduced costs and improved human safety outcomes for operators. However, potential negative impacts, such as the ecological risk of residual contaminants, are not well understood. Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) are a class of contaminants found in some oil and gas infrastructure (e.g. pipelines) and includes radionuclides of uranium, thorium, radium, radon, lead, and polonium. NORM are ubiquitous in oil and gas reservoirs around the world and may form contamination products including scales and sludges in subsea infrastructure due to their chemistries and the physical processes of oil and gas extraction. The risk that NORM from these sources pose to marine ecosystems is not yet understood meaning that decisions made about decommissioning may not deliver the best outcomes for environments. In this review, we consider the life of NORM-contamination products in oil and gas systems, their expected exposure pathways in the marine environment, and possible ecological impacts following release. These are accompanied by the key research priorities that need to better describe risk associated with decommissioning options.
数以千计的海上石油和天然气设施即将在全球范围内达到使用寿命终点，需要进行退役处理。海底设施的原位退役方案，即在其生产寿命结束后将水下部分留在海洋环境中，被提议为一种具有净收益的选择，包括：建立人工鱼礁带来的生态效益、相关渔业带来的经济效益、降低运营成本和提高人员安全性。然而，一些潜在的负面影响，如残余污染物的生态风险，还没有得到很好的理解。天然放射性物质（NORM）是一类存在于某些石油和天然气基础设施（如管道）中的污染物，包括铀、钍、镭、氡、铅和钋的放射性核素。NORM 在全球的石油和天然气储层中无处不在，由于其化学性质和石油天然气开采的物理过程，可能会在海底设施中形成污染产物，包括水垢和淤泥。这些来源的 NORM 对海洋生态系统构成的风险尚不清楚，这意味着关于退役处理的决策可能无法为环境带来最佳结果。在这篇综述中，我们考虑了 NORM 污染产物在石油和天然气系统中的寿命、它们在海洋环境中的预期暴露途径，以及释放后的可能生态影响。同时还列出了需要更好地描述退役处理方案相关风险的关键研究重点。
