NORM Waste Management in Vietnam’s Oil and Gas Industry: Lessons from Malaysia
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 28, Issue 1
Abstract
Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is omnipresent in all oil and gas formations and generated from petroleum production and decommissioning activities. NORM waste discharged from the petroleum industry can make radiological impacts on human health and the environment, hence efficient management of such waste is important, particularly in Vietnam, given the nation’s petroleum production and decommissioning operations in the coming years. Relatively similar to Vietnam, Malaysia is one of the strongest oil and gas producers in Southeast Asia, but the country has much experience in oil and gas decommissioning. Therefore, in this paper, the authors compare the legal frameworks for managing NORM waste from the petroleum industry between Vietnam and Malaysia to find out useful aspects in Malaysia’s regulatory documents for application in Vietnam, in consultation with the related regulations and guidelines from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP). The key findings include: (1) Malaysia establishes stricter exemption levels for some radionuclides from U-238 and Th-232 series; (2) Malaysia prohibits importing or exporting radioactive waste; (3) Malaysia’s regulation provides comprehensive requirements on NORM waste transportation, some of which are even more detailed than IAEA’s regulations; (4) Malaysia’s guidance describes the decision-making process for licensing or registering for radiation safety as well as for managing NORM waste in oilfields, storage approaches and disposal options for such waste, which can be helpful for oil and gas exploration and production companies in Vietnam to develop NORM waste management procedures; and (5) Malaysia’s guidance provides instructions on design of NORM waste disposal facilities as well as radiological monitoring locations and parameters for an oil and gas production system, which can be learnt for facilitating management of NORM waste from Vietnam’s oil and gas industry.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
The authors confirm that all data that supports the findings of this study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by PetroVietnam University under grant code GV2213. The authors are grateful to the representatives of Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM) and some oil and gas companies in Vietnam for providing useful information and comments during the research process. Many thanks are also given to Dr. Bui Thanh Binh, MSc. Luong Hai Linh, and MSc. Pham Huu Tai at the Petroleum Engineering Department, Petroleum Faculty, PetroVietnam University, Ba Ria City, Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province, Vietnam for valuable explanations and support.
References
AELB (Atomic Energy Licensing Board). 2016a. Code of practice on radiation protection relating to technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material (TENORM) in oil and gas facilities. LEM/TEK/58, 2016. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: AELB.
AELB (Atomic Energy Licensing Board). 2016b. Guidelines on radiological monitoring for oil and gas facilities operations associated with technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM). LEM/TEK/30, 2016. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: AELB.
AELB (Atomic Energy Licensing Board). 2020. Criteria for siting of disposal facility for waste containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). LEM/TEK/76, 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: AELB.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. 2020. “The coming decommissioning wave in Southeast Asia: What to expect and the relevance of experiences in the North Sea and U.S. Gulf of Mexico.” Accessed March 14, 2023. https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-coming-decommissioning-wave-in-44775/.
Ali, M. M. M., H. Zhao, Z. Li, and N. N. M. Maglas. 2019. “Concentrations of TENORMs in the petroleum industry and their environmental and health effects.” RSC Adv. 9: 39201–39229. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ra06086c.
Ali, M. M. M., H. Zhao, Z. Li, and A. A. T. Ayoub. 2020. “A review about radioactivity in TENORMs of produced water waste from petroleum industry and its environmental and health effects.” IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 467: 012120. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/467/1/012120.
Al-Nabhani, K., F. Khan, and M. Yang. 2016. “Technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials in oil and gas production: A silent killer.” Process Saf. Environ. Prot. 99: 237–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2015.09.014.
Austrade (Australian Trade and Investment Commission). n.d. “Oil and gas to Vietnam.” Accessed May 13, 2022. https://www.austrade.gov.au/australian/export/export-markets/countries/vietnam/industries/oil-and-gas.
BP. 2021. “Statistical review of world energy.” Accessed May 7, 2022. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2021-full-report.pdf.
BP. 2022. “Statistical review of world energy.” Accessed September 4, 2022. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2022-full-report.pdf.
Bui, D. T. 2019. “NORM waste management and recommendations for Vietnam.” [In Vietnamese.] Tập san Thông tin Pháp quy Hạt Nhân 17: 23–29.
Dang, L. T. 2020. “Naturally occurring radioactive material waste management: Challenges for mineral extraction and manufacturing industry.” [In Vietnamese.] Tạp chí Khoa học & Công Nghê Việt Nam 9: 29–31.
Desouky, O. S., T. Morsi, and S. M. El-Marakby. 2021. “Evaluating the radiological hazards of contaminated soil with naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) resulting from produced water during oil & gas production.” Arab J. Nucl. Sci. Appl. 54 (1): 162–172. https://doi.org/10.21608/ajnsa.2020.53169.1422.
EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration). 2017. “Vietnam.” Accessed May 13, 2022. https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/VNM.
Energy-pedia News. 2021. “Vietnam: JVPC and PVEP sign MOU for operation of Block 15-2 offshore Vietnam.” Accessed August 20, 2022. https://www.energy-pedia.com/news/vietnam/jvpc-and-pvep-sign-mou-for-operation-of-block-15-2-offshore-vietnam-185033.
EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). n.d. “Radioactive decay.” Accessed March 23, 2023. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radioactive-decay.
FNCA (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia). 2008. “Current status on decommissioning/clearance in Malaysia.” Current Status of Decommissioning and Clearance in FNCA Countries. Accessed March 15, 2023. https://www.fnca.mext.go.jp/english/rwm/task_img/DC_08_mal.pdf.
FNCA (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia). 2019. “Session summary of FNCA 2019 workshop on radiation safety and radioactive waste management project.” Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.fnca.mext.go.jp/english/rwm/ws_2019_a3.pdf.
FNCA (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia). 2023. “Session summary of FNCA 2022 workshop on radiation safety and radioactive waste management project.” Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.fnca.mext.go.jp/english/rwm/ws_2022_a3.pdf.
Gandhi, S. M., and B. C. Sarkar. 2016. “Chapter 8 – drilling.” In Essentials of mineral exploration and evaluation, 199–234. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Government of Vietnam. 2020. Decree No. 142/2020/ND-CP on implementation of radiation activities and support services for using atomic energy. [In Vietnamese.] Hanoi, Vietnam: Government of Vietnam.
Health Physics Society. 2001. “Potassium-40.” Accessed December 26, 2022. http://hpschapters.org/northcarolina/NSDS/potassium.pdf.
Hoang, T. A., D. N. Tran, L. L. Hoang, H. T. Nguyen, H. Q. Le, M. Q. Ta, T. K. Nguyen, and T. B. Nguyen. 2017. “Research, analysis and evaluation of radioactive pollution levels in oil and gas exploitation activities in Bach Ho field.” [In Vietnamese.] PetroVietnam J. 4: 60–65.
Hussein, O., C. Utton, M. Ojovan, and H. Kinoshita. 2013. “The effects of BaSO4 loading on OPC cementing system for encapsulation of BaSO4 scale from oil and gas industry.” J. Hazard. Mater. 261: 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.06.048.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 1998. Interim storage of radioactive waste packages. Technical Rep. Series No. 390. Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 2006. Joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management. IAEA International Law Series No. 1. Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 2009. Policies and strategies for radioactive waste management. IAEA Nuclear Energy Series. No. NW-G-1.1. Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 2010. Radiation protection and the management of radioactive waste in the oil and gas industry. Training Course Series No. 40. Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 2013. Management of NORM residues. IAEA-TECDOC-1712. Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 2014. Radiation Protection and safety of radiation sources: International basic safety standards. General Safety Requirements No. GSR Part 3. IAEA Safety Standards for protecting people and the environment. Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 2017. Selection of technical solutions for the management of radioactive waste. IAEA-TECDOC-1817. Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). 2018. Regulations for the safe transport of radioactive material. IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-6 (Rev. 1). Vienna, Austria: IAEA.
IOGP (International Association of Oil & Gas Producers). 2016. Managing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) in the oil and gas industry. IOGP Rep. No. 412. London: IOGP.
Koppel, D. J., F. Kho, A. Hastings, D. Crough, A. MacIntosh, T. Cresswell, and S. Higgins. 2022. “Current understanding and research needs for ecological risk assessments of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in subsea oil and gas pipelines.” J. Environ. Radioact. 241: 106774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106774.
Le, H. T., et al. 2024. “Naturally occurring radioactive material waste management in the ASEAN oil and gas industry: A review.” J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste 28 (1): 03123004. https://doi.org/10.1061/JHTRBP.HZENG-1247.
Le, H. T., et al. 2023. “A review of mercury waste management in the ASEAN oil and gas industry.” J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste 27 (1): 04022044. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000737.
Le, H. X., T. B. Nguyen, T. V. Ngo, T. T. Vu, T. K. Pham, and H. T. Doan. 2009. Research the method for separating some radioactive contaminants from oil sludge. The Annual Report for 2008. Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission.
MIT (Ministry of Industry and Trade). 2020. Management of operation of tailing ponds in mineral exploitation and manufacturing. [In Vietnamese.] Circular No. 41/2020/TT-BCT. Hanoi, Vietnam: MIT.
Mohamad, N. B. P. 2015. “Waste management framework for decommissioning of offshore installations in Malaysia.” B.Eng. thesis, Univ. Teknologi PETRONAS.
Mohankumar, M. N. 2005. “Concerns on the health effects of low-dose Ionizing radiations from naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM).” JAERI Conference 2005-001. Accessed December 26, 2022. https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/36/113/36113747.pdf?r=1&r=1.
Mordor Intelligence. n.d. “Vietnam oil and gas upstream market - growth, trends, covid-19 impact, and forecasts (2022-2027).” Accessed August 20, 2022. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/vietnam-oil-and-gas-upstream-market.
MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology). 2001a. National technical regulation on radiation safety – safe transportation of radioactive materials – Part 1: General requirements. [In Vietnamese.] TCVN 6867-1:2001. Hanoi, Vietnam: MOST.
MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology). 2001b. National technical regulation on radiation safety- exemption from requirements of notification, registration and licencing. [In Vietnamese.] TCVN 6870:2001. Hanoi, Vietnam: MOST.
MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology). 2012a. Control and assurance of radiation safety in professional and public radioactivity. [In Vietnamese.] Circular No. 19/2012/TT-BKHCN. Hanoi, Vietnam: MOST.
MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology). 2012b. Safe transportation of radioactive materials. [In Vietnamese.] Circular No. 23/2012/TT-BKHCN. Hanoi, Vietnam: MOST.
MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology). 2014. Management of radioactive waste and used radioactive sources. [In Vietnamese.] Circular No. 22/2014/TT-BKHCN. Hanoi, Vietnam: MOST.
MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology). 2023. National technical regulation on naturally occurring radioactive material waste. [In Vietnamese.] QCVN 23:2023/BKHCN. Hanoi, Vietnam: MOST.
MOSTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation). 1986. Radiation protection licensing regulations, 1986. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: MOSTI.
MOSTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation). 1989. Radiation protection (transport) regulation 1989. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: MOSTI.
Muhamad, I., and A. S. Afidah. 2018. Regulatory framework, national policy and strategy for safety in Malaysia outline. Regional Workshop on Challenges of Central Governments in the Fields of National Policy and Strategy for Safety, Including National Policy of Knowledge Transfer for Safety. November 12–16, 2018. Malaysia: Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).
NAV (National Assembly of Vietnam). 2008. Law on atomic energy no. 18/2008/QH12. [In Vietnamese.] Hanoi, Vietnam: NAV.
Nguyen, B. T. 2005. “Report on recent status of TENORM in Vietnam.” Jpn. J. Health Phys. 40 (1): 92–94. https://doi.org/10.5453/jhps.40.92.
Nguyen, T. B. 2019. “Problems in NORM/TENORM waste management in the facilities that extract and manufacture minerals containing radioactive elements.” [In Vietnamese.] International Atomic Energy Agency. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/51/066/51066737.pdf.
O’Brien, A., and A. van Rooyen. 2017. “Slaying the dragon—The story of one FPSO, 20 Vietnamese operators and 3 concrete mixers.” Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 173 (1–3): 268–273. https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncw331.
Osmanlioglu, A. E. 2013. “Characterization of radiological hazardous effects of metal scraps in Turkey.” J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste. 17 (2): 153–155. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)hz.2153-5515.0000140.
Parliament of Malaysia. 1984. Atomic energy licensing Act 1984. Act 304 Rev. 2006. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Parliament of Malaysia.
Ruzali, N. S. I., S. M. Fadzil1, and R. Baan. 2020. “Evaluation of glass waste formed containing NORM.” IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 785: 012016. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/785/1/012016.
Summerlin, J., and H. M. Prichard. 1985. “Radiological health implications of lead-210 and polonium-210 accumulations in LPG refineries.” Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J. 46 (4): 202–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298668591394662.
Teng, I. L. n.d. “Practical challenges in implementing the BSS requirements (Regulatory Control of NORM): Malaysia.” Accessed July 15, 2022. http://www.jhps.or.jp/AOARP/Calendar_files/Ali.pdf.
Yeop, R. A. R. 2022. “Upstream decommissioning framework in Malaysia: From the regulator’s lens.” In Proc., 3rd Int. Seminar on “Challenges and Opportunities in Offshore Decommissioning in South East Asia and Beyond.” Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS).
Yubonmhat, K., T. Akharawutchayanon, P. Nuanjan, S. Issarapanacheewin, W. Katekaew, and N. Prasertchiewchan. 2022. “Progress and challenges of radioactive waste management in Thailand.” J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste 26 (2): 04022009. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000693.
Zawawi, N. A. W. 2022. “Improvement in methods and guidelines for safe decommissioning in ASEAN region. How do we start?.” In Proc., 3rd Int. Seminar on “Challenges and Opportunities in Offshore Decommissioning in South East Asia and Beyond.” Perak, Malaysia: Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.
Zulkeplee, S. A., N. E. Ahmad, M. S. M. Sanusi, S. Hashim, and S. K. Ghoshal. 2023. “Improved toxic and radioactive elements immobilization in tin slag-blended lithium aluminate borate glass.” Radiat. Phys. Chem. 207: 110853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2023.110853.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 28 • Issue 1 • January 2024
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 2, 2023
Accepted: Aug 19, 2023
Published online: Oct 31, 2023
Published in print: Jan 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Mar 31, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.