6 MN1007-C
1 Introduction and Scope
1.1 Introduction
The Tracerco NORM Monitor-IS is an intrinsically safe portable contamination monitor which has been developed
specifically to meet the requirements of the Oil and Gas Industry; particularly the measurement of Naturally
Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM).
Its principal function is to detect and quantify naturally occurring radioactive isotopes under a wide range of
operational conditions.
The monitor kit provides a single instrument platform with dual probe option to deliver optimum measurement
capability under the most demanding circumstances.
Although specifically designed to overcome the technical and practical challenges of measuring NORM in the field,
the monitor is also able to detect a wide range of man-made isotopes.
1.2 Scope
This manual provides detailed operational and technical information for the Tracerco NORM Monitor-IS.
In addition, an introductory guide is presented which explains the origins, radiological nature and the challenges
which arise when attempting to carry out practical measurements and radiological assessments of typical Naturally
Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) deposits.
2 Naturally Occurring Radioactivity – an overview
2.1 Introduction
Radioactivity occurs naturally in the environment due to the presence of decay products from Uranium and
Thorium. These isotopes have extremely long half-lives. For example:
Uranium-235: 700 million years
Uranium-238: 4.5 billion years
Thorium-232: 14 billion years
The parent uranium and thorium isotopes decay to produce a series of other radioactive daughter isotopes of
widely differing half-lives. Eventually, through the course of time, these result in a stable isotope of Lead. A
schematic of the decay chains for each nuclide series is illustrated in Appendix 1 – Decay Series for Uranium and
Thorium
If the radioactive parent is undisturbed for a sufficiently long period of time, a condition of equilibrium is established
in which all radioactivity levels are equal. Removal of all or an amount of a nuclide from the decay scheme will
disturb this equilibrium and reduce the concentration of corresponding decay products. In a situation of true
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General