Abstract
The uranium concentration and radioactivity of radon gas were measured in Al-Kasik refinery and Ain Zala field using the CR-39 detector. Soil and water samples associated with the production stages of oil, Sludge and crude oil were collected. The levels of uranium concentration in soil ranged from 0.703 to 1.480 ppm, in water samples from 0.681 to 0.716 ppm, in Sludge samples from 0.849 to 1.014 ppm, and in crude oil from 0.785 to 0.933 ppm. As for the radioactivity of radon gas, when comparing the radon rate in the samples we obtained with the global values, it was found that it falls within the internationally permissible limit, where the radon rate in the soil was 12.81 Bq/kg and when compared with the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) which has a value of 32 Bq/kg, and in the produced water it was 8.66 Bq/kg compared to (UNSCEAR)which has a value of 50 Bq/kg. In Sludge samples 11.81 Bq/kg and when compared with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) whose value is(8-5×〖10〗^5) Bq/kg, and in crude oil samples 10.56 Bq/kg and when compared with the International Federation of Oil and Gas Producer (IOGP) whose value is (800-4×〖10〗^5) Bq/kg. As for the alpha ray hazard index, the results showed that it is within the permissible limits internationally, where the results were less than 1 and therefore does not pose a threat to the health of workers and environment.
Highlights
Human beings are exposed to natural radiation that comes from two main source is cosmic rays that come from outer space and are produced by the glow of the sun and from external galaxies, as well as the natural terrestrial radiation, and the second source is the natural radioactive elements where these elements are widely spread in the earth’s crust [1]
The results show that the highest radioactivity of radon gas and the concentration of uranium in soil, where the radon value soil samples in Alksak refinery were 18.06 Bq/kg, the uranium concentration was 0.941 ppm, while the lowest values of radioactivity were for radon gas and the concentration of uranium in Alksak refinery; the radon value was of 8.7 Bq/kg and the value of uranium concentration was 0.703 ppm. when comparing the results that were obtained with the permissible limits UNSEARS (32) Bq/kg [6] .As the results were within the permissible global limit, they pose no risk to humans
The lowest radioactivity value of radon gas and the lowest concentration of uranium was in AlKasik refinery and the lowest concentration of uranium was in AlKasik refinery 9.73 Bq/kg for radon and 0.933 ppm for uranium concentration, compared to the permissible limit
Summary
Human beings are exposed to natural radiation that comes from two main source is cosmic rays that come from outer space and are produced by the glow of the sun and from external galaxies, as well as the natural terrestrial radiation, and the second source is the natural radioactive elements where these elements are widely spread in the earth’s crust [1]. Our current study aims to measure the concentration of uranium and the radioactivity of radon gas, determine the danger of alpha that affects workers in the oil and gas industry, and compare the obtained results with the internationally permissible limit, including the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP). All samples were placed inside plastic cups which were sealed to prevent the occurrence of interaction between the air inside the samples and their external surroundings, where the samples were left for 30 days to achieve the ideal balance between radium and radon, reaching 98% of the ideal equilibrium state This time is calculated through the equilibrium relationship of radioactivity [9] [10]: ARn = ARa(1 − e−λRn t).
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