Radioactive elements in natural gas: a case study on distribution of gaseous <Superscript>222</Superscript>radon and its origin mechanism

As natural gas becomes increasingly important in our daily life, studies have been carried out on trace elements such as mercury and arsenic within it. Other than those, the existence of radioactive gaseous radon from the combustion of natural gas indoors can cause severe diseases and damages to body organs, putting a hazardous impact on human health. At the same time, the radon can also corrode gas production and transportation equipment. A review of the literature on radon concentrations in natural gas produced from gas reservoirs in China and other countries have been studied. Radon is a decay product from <Superscript>238</Superscript>U, which is closely related to the accumulation and migration of organic matter during diagenesis. Gas recovered from reservoirs with higher than average natural <Superscript>238</Superscript>U contains higher than average levels of <Superscript>222</Superscript>Rn. Massive fault systems and fracture zones appear to play a significant role in radon concentrations in natural gas. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012