NUKEM NORM Decontamination Services

NORM Decontamination Services

Rocks, soils and minerals contain naturally radioactive materials. Industrial activity can sometimes concentrate these materials to levels which are potentially harmful to the public and the environment. Descaling trials at our NORM Decontamination Facility at Winfrith

This Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) forms as a scale on production equipment, pumps and manifolds during oil extraction. Whilst involving radiation levels significantly lower than those found in nuclear research or power station operations the components must be cleaned of the scale prior to maintenance being carried out or the materials being scrapped.

NORM also occurs in coal mining & power generation, fertiliser production and natural spring water plant.

Much of what can be labelled NORM has only trace amounts of contamination and is part of our everyday landscape. However, some NORM has high concentrations of radionuclides that can cause elevated exposures to radiation. This may result in:

Unacceptable radioactive contamination of the environment.
The need to comply with regulatory disposal requirements.

NUKEM can help to determine if NORM contamination is a problem and provide appropriate strategies for dealing with it.

We are able to provide a complete service which includes:

Contamination Assessment
Determination of the extent and significance of NORM contamination by assessment and characterisation. This includes use of the Groundhog™ portable high-precision monitoring system for characterising radiologically contaminated land. Groundhog™ utilises sensitive detectors linked with GPS and GIS to provide a detailed picture of radiation levels and locations.

If NORM is present, NUKEM can assess the hazards and develop appropriate strategies to control them. These may include decontamination of equipment, land remediation, training of operators and safe disposal of waste.

Radiation Services
If your company handles radioactive materials, you are required to obtain expert advice on protecting staff and meeting regulations. At NUKEM we specialise in providing this service including: initial consultancy, operational advice, workplace monitoring and radiation training. Our aim is to help you meet regulatory obligations without adding to your costs.

Decontamination, Decommissioning and Land Remediation
NUKEM’s NORM Decontamination Service has over 16 years' experience of operating descaling plants in the UK and overseas and dealing with contaminated plant and equipment. The Company as a new purpose built decontamination facility at Winfrith in Dorset. The cleaning operations are carried out using an ultra high pressure water jetting (UHPWJ) system set within a bunded and ventilated ModuCon™ enclosure. The NORM scale is then sent for disposal as low level waste to the Drigg repository.

NUKEM also undertakes platform decommissioning studies and remediation of contaminated land and waste disposal operations.

Descaling Facility Design and Construction
We can help advance clients by providing cost effective engineering support to manage and implement NORM projects. Our aim is to bring a cost conscious, innovative approach to all our projects. Our services extend from initial concepts, through specification to design, construction, manufacture, build and commissioning of descaling facilities.