Radioactivity levels in scales generated from crude oil production in Ghana

Trabajo presentado a la II International Conference on Radioecological Concentration Processes (50 years later), celebrada en Sevilla (España) del 6 al 9 de noviembre de 2016.Knowledge of accurate radio isotopic signatures is very necessary in assessing any potential radiological hazards and risks to members of the public and workers from exposure to NORM contaminated scales. In this work scales from crude oil production activities from Ghana have been assessed using alpha spectrometry after radiochemical separation, and non-destructive gamma spectrometry. Characterization and determination of activity concentrations of 234U, 238U, 210Po, 230Th, 232Th, 226Ra, 210Pb, 228Ra, 228Th, 224Ra and 40K have been established. The average activity concentrations of 43.9 ± 8.1 kBq.kg-1, 30.3 ± 5.1 kBq.kg-1, 11.2 ± 2.8 kBq.kg-1 and 11.2 ± 2.6 kBq.kg-1 obtained for 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th, and 224Ra respectively in scale samples in this study exceeded the IAEA Basic Safety Standards (BSS) exemption levels giving an indication that the scale samples could present significant future radiological risk for workers, the public and environment.Peer reviewe

Radiochemical characterization of produced water from two production offshore oilfields in Ghana

Produced water from two Ghanaian offshore production oilfields has been characterized using alpha spectrometry after radiochemical separation, non-destructive gamma spectrometry and ICP-MS and other complimentary analytical tools. The measured concentrations of main NORM components were in the range of 6.2-22.3 Bq.L, 6.4-35.5 Bq.L, and 0.7-7.0 Bq.L for Ra, Ra and Ra respectively. A good correlation between several physico-chemical parameters and radium isotopes was observed in each production oilfield. The radium concentrations obtained in this study for produced water from the two oilfields of Ghana are of radiological importance and hence there may be the need to put in place measures for future contamination concerns due to their bioavailability in the media and bioaccumulation characteristics. The results will assist in critical decision making for future set up of appropriate national guidelines for the management of NORM waste from the emerging oil and gas industry in Ghana.This work was funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency in the form of an 18 months Sandwich Fellowship and the Radiation Protection Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (fellowship grant Number GHA/14019).Peer Reviewe

Natural radioactivity concentrations in beach sands from some tourist resorts., Research Journal of Environment and Earth Sciences

Abstract: Beaches along the coastlines in Ghana are important holiday destinations for tourists from many countries around the world. The radiological quality of sand from these beaches is very important to assess exposure of the public who use the beaches for recreational purposes and other activities. This study investigates the levels and hazards associated with the U-Th series and 40 K in beach sands from some renowned tourist resorts in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Samples of beach sand from eleven beaches were analyzed using direct gamma-ray spectrometry. The total absorbed dose rate and the annual effective doses were calculated. The radiation hazards and risks associated with the use of the beach sand as construction material were also determined. The results show specific activities in the range 11.0-31.8 Bq/kg for 238 U, 0.5-1. U activity ratios calculated for the beaches is in the range of 0.032-0.053 with an average of 0.045±0.007 and that of the other radionuclides are close to unity, indicating only natural radionuclides were detected in the samples investigated. The results are within the values found in literature and show that the natural radionuclides in samples of the beach sand do not pose any significant risk to tourists and other holiday makers. Sand from the beaches is also safe for use as construction material, indicating the relevance in terms of the radiological quality of the beaches from both human and environmental health view points