Radon observation is an important measurement item of seismic precursor network observation.The radon detector calibration is a key technical link for ensuring radon observation accuracy.At present,the radon detector ...Radon observation is an important measurement item of seismic precursor network observation.The radon detector calibration is a key technical link for ensuring radon observation accuracy.At present,the radon detector calibration in seismic systems in China is faced with a series of bottleneck problems,such as aging and scrap,acquisition difficulties,high supervision costs,and transportation limitations of radon sources.As a result,a large number of radon detectors cannot be accurately calibrated regularly,seriously affecting the accuracy and reliability of radon observation data in China.To solve this problem,a new calibration method for radon detectors was established.The advantage of this method is that the dangerous radioactive substance,i.e.,the radon source,can be avoided,but only“standard instruments”and water samples with certain dissolved radon concentrations can be used to realize radon detector calibration.This method avoids the risk of radioactive leakage and solves the current widespread difficulties and bottleneck of radon detector calibration in seismic systems in China.The comparison experiment with the traditional calibration method shows that the error of the calibration coefficient obtained by the new method is less than 5%compared with that by the traditional method,which meets the requirements of seismic observation systems,confirming the reliability of the new method.This new method can completely replace the traditional calibration method of using a radon source in seismic systems.展开更多
Accurate measurements of the radon exhalation rate help identify and evaluate radon risk regions in the environment.Among these measurement methods,the closed-loop method is frequently used.However,traditional experim...Accurate measurements of the radon exhalation rate help identify and evaluate radon risk regions in the environment.Among these measurement methods,the closed-loop method is frequently used.However,traditional experiments are insufficient or cannot analyze the radon migration and exhalation patterns at the gas–solid interface in the accumulation chamber.The CFD-based technique was applied to predict the radon concentration distribution in a limited space,allowing radon accumulation and exhalation inside the chamber intuitively and visually.In this study,three radon exhalation rates were defined,and two structural ventilation tubes were designed for the chamber.The consistency of the simulated results with the variation in the radon exhalation rate in a previous experiment or analytical solution was verified.The effects of the vent tube structure and flow rate on the radon uniformity in the chamber;permeability,insertion depth,and flow rate on the radon exhalation rate and the effective diffusion coefficient on back-diffusion were investigated.Based on the results,increasing the inser-tion depth from 1 to 5 cm decreased the effective decay constant by 19.55%,whereas the curve-fitted radon exhalation rate decreased(lower than the initial value)as the deviation from the initial value increased by approximately 7%.Increasing the effective diffusion coefficient from 2.77×10^(-7) to 7.77×10^(-6) m^(2) s^(-1) made the deviation expand from 2.14 to 15.96%.The conclusion is that an increased insertion depth helps reduce leakage in the chamber,subject to notable back-diffusion,and that the closed-loop method is reasonably used for porous media with a low effective diffusion coefficient in view of the back-diffusion effect.The CFD-based simulation is expected to provide guidance for the optimization of the radon exhalation rate measurement method and,thus,the accurate measurement of the radon exhalation rate.展开更多
Small-scale measurements of the radon exhalation rate using the flow-through and closed-loop methods were conducted on the surface of a uranium tailing pond to better understand the differences between the two methods...Small-scale measurements of the radon exhalation rate using the flow-through and closed-loop methods were conducted on the surface of a uranium tailing pond to better understand the differences between the two methods.An abnormal radon exhalation behavior was observed,leading to computational fluid dynamics(CFD)-based simulations in which dynamic radon migration in a porous medium and accumulation chamber was considered.Based on the in-situ experimental and numerical simulation results,variations in the radon exhalation rate subject to permeability,flow rate,and insertion depth were quantified and analyzed.The in-situ radon exhalation rates measured using the flow-through method were higher than those measured using the closed-loop method,which could be explained by the negative pressure difference between the inside and outside of the chamber during the measurements.The consistency of the variations in the radon exhalation rate between the experiments and simulations suggests the reliability of CFD-based techniques in obtaining the dynamic evolution of transient radon exhalation rates for diffusion and convection at the porous medium-air interface.The synergistic effects of the three factors(insertion depth,flow rate,and permeability)on the negative pressure difference and measured exhalation rate were quantified,and multivariate regression models were established,with positive correlations in most cases;the exhalation rate decreased with increasing insertion depth at a permeability of 1×10^(−11) m^(2).CFD-based simulations can provide theoretical guidance for improving the flow-through method and thus achieve accurate measurements.展开更多
Objective This study aimed to efficiently reduce the release of radon from water bodies to protect the environment.Methods Based on the sizes of the experimental setup and modular float,computational fluid dynamics(CF...Objective This study aimed to efficiently reduce the release of radon from water bodies to protect the environment.Methods Based on the sizes of the experimental setup and modular float,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)was used to assess the impact of the area coverage rate,immersion depth,diffusion coefficient,and radon transfer velocity at the gas–liquid interface on radon migration and exhalation of radon-containing water.Based on the numerical simulation results,an estimation model for the radon retardation rate was constructed.The effectiveness of the CFD simulation was evaluated by comparing the experimental and simulated variation values of the radon retardation rate with the coverage area rates.Results The effect of radon transfer velocity on radon retardation in water bodies was minor and insignificant according to the appropriate value;therefore,an estimation model of the radon retardation rate of the coverage of a radon-containing water body was constructed using the synergistic impacts of three factors:area coverage rate,immersion depth,and diffusion coefficient.The deviation between the experimental and simulated results was<4.3%.Conclusion Based on the numerical simulation conditions,an estimation model of the radon retardation rate of covering floats in water bodies under the synergistic effect of multiple factors was obtained,which provides a reference for designing covering floats for radon retardation in radoncontaining water.展开更多
The objective of our study is to evaluate the concentration of radon (<sup>86</sup>Rn) inside houses in the town of Koudougou in order to estimate its impact on the health of the population. Indeed, when u...The objective of our study is to evaluate the concentration of radon (<sup>86</sup>Rn) inside houses in the town of Koudougou in order to estimate its impact on the health of the population. Indeed, when uranium-rich minerals are found near the surface of the ground, radon concentrations can reach tens of becquerels per cubic meter in enclosed spaces. Given the nature of the geological base of Burkina Faso, this situation is quite probable and certain places that are sometimes poorly ventilated (house, school, office, etc.) can have radon levels high enough to constitute a health problem for occupants. Thus, twenty-four (24) sample houses were identified. In each house, the Corentium digital detector was between 0.8 m and 2 m for at least one week in a place where the occupants estimate that they spend more time of time and measure the concentration of radon in the long term and short term. The recorded data allowed us to determine the Absorbed Dose and the Annual Effective Dose of radon gas for each house in order to estimate the Risk of Cancer and the probable Number of Cases of Lung Cancer per million inhabitants. Thus, the results indicate that the long-term radon concentration varies between 6 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> and 285 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> respectively in houses 11 and 4 compared to 1 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> to 208 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> in the short term in the same houses. Also, in the long term, in control houses 1, 3 and 4, the radon level is above the recommended threshold interval. For the short term, these are houses 1, 3, 4 and 17 respectively with 110 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, 142 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, 208 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> and 105 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>. As for the long-term and short-term effective doses, only houses 1, 3, 4, 17 and 24 have values between 3 - 10 Sv/year. The estimation of the relative risk of lung cancer gives values relatively close to unity and between 1.006 and 1.142 with an average of 1.035 and that of the Number of Lung Cancer Cases per million inhabitants gives values between 8 and 166 with an average of 42. Thus, we can conclude that with the exception of houses 1, 3, 4 and 17, the radon concentrations are relatively low in the twenty-four control houses in the city of Koudougou. The lifestyle of the populations can well explain this situation when we know that people are in the habit of always leaving doors and windows open, especially when they are not sleeping. We can therefore say that the risk of population exposure to radon gas is relatively low in the town of Koudougou.展开更多
Inhalation of 222Rn progeny in the domestic environment contributes the greatest fraction of the natural radiation exposure to the public. The ultrafine activity of these progeny amounts up to about l 0 percent of the...Inhalation of 222Rn progeny in the domestic environment contributes the greatest fraction of the natural radiation exposure to the public. The ultrafine activity of these progeny amounts up to about l 0 percent of the total activity (attached and ultrafine), but is considered to yield about 50 percent of the total radiation dose. Therefore, measurements of ultrafine fraction are essential for the estimation of radiation dose. The current study presents measured data on the total equilibrium equivalent concentration (EEC) and ultrafine equilibrium equivalent concentration (EECUn), ultrafine fraction (fb), attached and unattached activity size distributions of radon progeny in the low ventilated rooms at Minia University, Minia city, Egypt. A screen diffusion battery was used for collection the ultrafine fraction and measuring the total activity concentration of radon progeny. The attached activity size distribution of 214pb is determined by using a low pressure cascade impactor. The EEC of radon progeny varied between 1.3 and 18.9 Bq/m3 with a mean value of 5.2 ± 0.48 Bq/m2. The mean activity thermodynamic diameter (AMTD) ofultrafine of radon progeny was determined to be 1.26 nm with relative mean geometric standard deviations (GSD) of 1.3. The ultrafine fraction of radon progeny, fb, has a range 0.01 to 0.21 with an average of 0.08 ± 0.03. A relative mean GSD of 2.7 was determined for attached 2Lapb at a mean active median aerodynamic diameter (AMD) of 350 nm. Based on the above experimental results, the deposition fractions have been evaluated in each air way generation through the human lung by applying a lung deposition model. The bronchial deposition efficiencies of particles in the size range of attached radon progeny were found to be lower than those of ultrafine progeny. The effect of radon progeny deposition by adult male has been also studied for various levels of physical exertion. The dose conversion factor has been discussed as a function of fb.展开更多
The dosage of environmental radon progeny is typically estimated according to the environmental radon exposure and the recommended radon-progeny equilibrium factor, F. To investigate the relationship between PM2.5 and...The dosage of environmental radon progeny is typically estimated according to the environmental radon exposure and the recommended radon-progeny equilibrium factor, F. To investigate the relationship between PM2.5 and the radon-progeny equilibrium factor, cigarettes are used to simulate the haze–fog in a multi-functional radon chamber to achieve a stable radon concentration environment. A radon detector and a portable laser aerosol spectrometer are used to obtain the values for C_(mean) PM2.5,C_(Rn), and C_p. The results show that the mean values of F conform with the typical value recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and are within the reasonable range of0.1–0.9. In this study, a positive correlation is observed between the F values and PM2.5 concentrations.展开更多
Atmospheric concentrations of radon(^(222)Rn) gas and its short-lived progenies^(218)Po,^(214)Pb, and^(214)Po were continuously monitored every four hours at the ground level in Jeddah city, Kingdom of Saudi...Atmospheric concentrations of radon(^(222)Rn) gas and its short-lived progenies^(218)Po,^(214)Pb, and^(214)Po were continuously monitored every four hours at the ground level in Jeddah city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The measurements were performed three times every week, starting from November 2014 to October 2015. A method of electrostatic precipitation of positively charged^(218)Po and ^(214)Po by a positive voltage was applied for determining^(222)Rn gas concentration. The short-lived^(222)Rn progeny concentration was determined by using a filter holder connected with the alpha-spectrometric technique. The meteorological parameters(relative air humidity, air temperature, and wind speed) were determined during the measurements of^(222)Rn and its progeny concentrations.^(222)Rn gas as well as its short-lived progeny concentration display a daily and seasonal variation with high values in the night and early morning hours as compared to low values at noon and in the afternoon. The observed monthly atmospheric concentrations showed a seasonal trend with the highest values in the autumn/winter season and the lowest values in the spring/summer season. Moreover, and in parallel with alphaspectrometric measurements, a single filter-holder was used to collect air samples. The deposited activities of^(214)Pb and the long-lived^(222)Rn daughter ^(210)Pb on the filter were measured with the gamma spectrometric technique. The measured activity concentrations of^(214)Pb by both techniques were found to be relatively equal largely. The highest mean seasonally activity concentrations of ^(210)Pb were observed in the autumn/winter season while the lowest mean were observed in the spring/summer season. The mean residence time(MRT) of aerosol particles in the atmospheric air could be estimated from the activity ratios of ^(210)Pb/^(214)Pb.展开更多
基金funded by the Basic Research and Strategic Reserve Technology Research Fund Project of CNPC (2019D-500803)the national oil and gas project (2016zx05007-006)。
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Study on the Key Technology of Non-radium Source Radon Chamber(No.42274235).
文摘Radon observation is an important measurement item of seismic precursor network observation.The radon detector calibration is a key technical link for ensuring radon observation accuracy.At present,the radon detector calibration in seismic systems in China is faced with a series of bottleneck problems,such as aging and scrap,acquisition difficulties,high supervision costs,and transportation limitations of radon sources.As a result,a large number of radon detectors cannot be accurately calibrated regularly,seriously affecting the accuracy and reliability of radon observation data in China.To solve this problem,a new calibration method for radon detectors was established.The advantage of this method is that the dangerous radioactive substance,i.e.,the radon source,can be avoided,but only“standard instruments”and water samples with certain dissolved radon concentrations can be used to realize radon detector calibration.This method avoids the risk of radioactive leakage and solves the current widespread difficulties and bottleneck of radon detector calibration in seismic systems in China.The comparison experiment with the traditional calibration method shows that the error of the calibration coefficient obtained by the new method is less than 5%compared with that by the traditional method,which meets the requirements of seismic observation systems,confirming the reliability of the new method.This new method can completely replace the traditional calibration method of using a radon source in seismic systems.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.11575080)the National Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province,China(No.2022JJ30482)the Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation for Postgraduates(No.QL20220206).
文摘Accurate measurements of the radon exhalation rate help identify and evaluate radon risk regions in the environment.Among these measurement methods,the closed-loop method is frequently used.However,traditional experiments are insufficient or cannot analyze the radon migration and exhalation patterns at the gas–solid interface in the accumulation chamber.The CFD-based technique was applied to predict the radon concentration distribution in a limited space,allowing radon accumulation and exhalation inside the chamber intuitively and visually.In this study,three radon exhalation rates were defined,and two structural ventilation tubes were designed for the chamber.The consistency of the simulated results with the variation in the radon exhalation rate in a previous experiment or analytical solution was verified.The effects of the vent tube structure and flow rate on the radon uniformity in the chamber;permeability,insertion depth,and flow rate on the radon exhalation rate and the effective diffusion coefficient on back-diffusion were investigated.Based on the results,increasing the inser-tion depth from 1 to 5 cm decreased the effective decay constant by 19.55%,whereas the curve-fitted radon exhalation rate decreased(lower than the initial value)as the deviation from the initial value increased by approximately 7%.Increasing the effective diffusion coefficient from 2.77×10^(-7) to 7.77×10^(-6) m^(2) s^(-1) made the deviation expand from 2.14 to 15.96%.The conclusion is that an increased insertion depth helps reduce leakage in the chamber,subject to notable back-diffusion,and that the closed-loop method is reasonably used for porous media with a low effective diffusion coefficient in view of the back-diffusion effect.The CFD-based simulation is expected to provide guidance for the optimization of the radon exhalation rate measurement method and,thus,the accurate measurement of the radon exhalation rate.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.11575080)Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(No.2022JJ30482)Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation for Postgraduate(No.QL20220206).
文摘Small-scale measurements of the radon exhalation rate using the flow-through and closed-loop methods were conducted on the surface of a uranium tailing pond to better understand the differences between the two methods.An abnormal radon exhalation behavior was observed,leading to computational fluid dynamics(CFD)-based simulations in which dynamic radon migration in a porous medium and accumulation chamber was considered.Based on the in-situ experimental and numerical simulation results,variations in the radon exhalation rate subject to permeability,flow rate,and insertion depth were quantified and analyzed.The in-situ radon exhalation rates measured using the flow-through method were higher than those measured using the closed-loop method,which could be explained by the negative pressure difference between the inside and outside of the chamber during the measurements.The consistency of the variations in the radon exhalation rate between the experiments and simulations suggests the reliability of CFD-based techniques in obtaining the dynamic evolution of transient radon exhalation rates for diffusion and convection at the porous medium-air interface.The synergistic effects of the three factors(insertion depth,flow rate,and permeability)on the negative pressure difference and measured exhalation rate were quantified,and multivariate regression models were established,with positive correlations in most cases;the exhalation rate decreased with increasing insertion depth at a permeability of 1×10^(−11) m^(2).CFD-based simulations can provide theoretical guidance for improving the flow-through method and thus achieve accurate measurements.
基金supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant nos.31770907,31640022)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11575080)the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province,China(Grant No.2022JJ30482).
文摘Objective This study aimed to efficiently reduce the release of radon from water bodies to protect the environment.Methods Based on the sizes of the experimental setup and modular float,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)was used to assess the impact of the area coverage rate,immersion depth,diffusion coefficient,and radon transfer velocity at the gas–liquid interface on radon migration and exhalation of radon-containing water.Based on the numerical simulation results,an estimation model for the radon retardation rate was constructed.The effectiveness of the CFD simulation was evaluated by comparing the experimental and simulated variation values of the radon retardation rate with the coverage area rates.Results The effect of radon transfer velocity on radon retardation in water bodies was minor and insignificant according to the appropriate value;therefore,an estimation model of the radon retardation rate of the coverage of a radon-containing water body was constructed using the synergistic impacts of three factors:area coverage rate,immersion depth,and diffusion coefficient.The deviation between the experimental and simulated results was<4.3%.Conclusion Based on the numerical simulation conditions,an estimation model of the radon retardation rate of covering floats in water bodies under the synergistic effect of multiple factors was obtained,which provides a reference for designing covering floats for radon retardation in radoncontaining water.
文摘The objective of our study is to evaluate the concentration of radon (<sup>86</sup>Rn) inside houses in the town of Koudougou in order to estimate its impact on the health of the population. Indeed, when uranium-rich minerals are found near the surface of the ground, radon concentrations can reach tens of becquerels per cubic meter in enclosed spaces. Given the nature of the geological base of Burkina Faso, this situation is quite probable and certain places that are sometimes poorly ventilated (house, school, office, etc.) can have radon levels high enough to constitute a health problem for occupants. Thus, twenty-four (24) sample houses were identified. In each house, the Corentium digital detector was between 0.8 m and 2 m for at least one week in a place where the occupants estimate that they spend more time of time and measure the concentration of radon in the long term and short term. The recorded data allowed us to determine the Absorbed Dose and the Annual Effective Dose of radon gas for each house in order to estimate the Risk of Cancer and the probable Number of Cases of Lung Cancer per million inhabitants. Thus, the results indicate that the long-term radon concentration varies between 6 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> and 285 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> respectively in houses 11 and 4 compared to 1 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> to 208 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> in the short term in the same houses. Also, in the long term, in control houses 1, 3 and 4, the radon level is above the recommended threshold interval. For the short term, these are houses 1, 3, 4 and 17 respectively with 110 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, 142 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, 208 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> and 105 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>. As for the long-term and short-term effective doses, only houses 1, 3, 4, 17 and 24 have values between 3 - 10 Sv/year. The estimation of the relative risk of lung cancer gives values relatively close to unity and between 1.006 and 1.142 with an average of 1.035 and that of the Number of Lung Cancer Cases per million inhabitants gives values between 8 and 166 with an average of 42. Thus, we can conclude that with the exception of houses 1, 3, 4 and 17, the radon concentrations are relatively low in the twenty-four control houses in the city of Koudougou. The lifestyle of the populations can well explain this situation when we know that people are in the habit of always leaving doors and windows open, especially when they are not sleeping. We can therefore say that the risk of population exposure to radon gas is relatively low in the town of Koudougou.
文摘Inhalation of 222Rn progeny in the domestic environment contributes the greatest fraction of the natural radiation exposure to the public. The ultrafine activity of these progeny amounts up to about l 0 percent of the total activity (attached and ultrafine), but is considered to yield about 50 percent of the total radiation dose. Therefore, measurements of ultrafine fraction are essential for the estimation of radiation dose. The current study presents measured data on the total equilibrium equivalent concentration (EEC) and ultrafine equilibrium equivalent concentration (EECUn), ultrafine fraction (fb), attached and unattached activity size distributions of radon progeny in the low ventilated rooms at Minia University, Minia city, Egypt. A screen diffusion battery was used for collection the ultrafine fraction and measuring the total activity concentration of radon progeny. The attached activity size distribution of 214pb is determined by using a low pressure cascade impactor. The EEC of radon progeny varied between 1.3 and 18.9 Bq/m3 with a mean value of 5.2 ± 0.48 Bq/m2. The mean activity thermodynamic diameter (AMTD) ofultrafine of radon progeny was determined to be 1.26 nm with relative mean geometric standard deviations (GSD) of 1.3. The ultrafine fraction of radon progeny, fb, has a range 0.01 to 0.21 with an average of 0.08 ± 0.03. A relative mean GSD of 2.7 was determined for attached 2Lapb at a mean active median aerodynamic diameter (AMD) of 350 nm. Based on the above experimental results, the deposition fractions have been evaluated in each air way generation through the human lung by applying a lung deposition model. The bronchial deposition efficiencies of particles in the size range of attached radon progeny were found to be lower than those of ultrafine progeny. The effect of radon progeny deposition by adult male has been also studied for various levels of physical exertion. The dose conversion factor has been discussed as a function of fb.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.11565002)the Jiang Xi Young Science Foundation Project(No.GJJ150558)Open Funds of Engineering Research Center of Nuclear Technology Application of Ministry of Education(No.HJSJYB2017-2)
文摘The dosage of environmental radon progeny is typically estimated according to the environmental radon exposure and the recommended radon-progeny equilibrium factor, F. To investigate the relationship between PM2.5 and the radon-progeny equilibrium factor, cigarettes are used to simulate the haze–fog in a multi-functional radon chamber to achieve a stable radon concentration environment. A radon detector and a portable laser aerosol spectrometer are used to obtain the values for C_(mean) PM2.5,C_(Rn), and C_p. The results show that the mean values of F conform with the typical value recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and are within the reasonable range of0.1–0.9. In this study, a positive correlation is observed between the F values and PM2.5 concentrations.
基金Project supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research(DSR),King Abdulaziz UniversityJeddah(Grant No.291/965/1434)
文摘Atmospheric concentrations of radon(^(222)Rn) gas and its short-lived progenies^(218)Po,^(214)Pb, and^(214)Po were continuously monitored every four hours at the ground level in Jeddah city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The measurements were performed three times every week, starting from November 2014 to October 2015. A method of electrostatic precipitation of positively charged^(218)Po and ^(214)Po by a positive voltage was applied for determining^(222)Rn gas concentration. The short-lived^(222)Rn progeny concentration was determined by using a filter holder connected with the alpha-spectrometric technique. The meteorological parameters(relative air humidity, air temperature, and wind speed) were determined during the measurements of^(222)Rn and its progeny concentrations.^(222)Rn gas as well as its short-lived progeny concentration display a daily and seasonal variation with high values in the night and early morning hours as compared to low values at noon and in the afternoon. The observed monthly atmospheric concentrations showed a seasonal trend with the highest values in the autumn/winter season and the lowest values in the spring/summer season. Moreover, and in parallel with alphaspectrometric measurements, a single filter-holder was used to collect air samples. The deposited activities of^(214)Pb and the long-lived^(222)Rn daughter ^(210)Pb on the filter were measured with the gamma spectrometric technique. The measured activity concentrations of^(214)Pb by both techniques were found to be relatively equal largely. The highest mean seasonally activity concentrations of ^(210)Pb were observed in the autumn/winter season while the lowest mean were observed in the spring/summer season. The mean residence time(MRT) of aerosol particles in the atmospheric air could be estimated from the activity ratios of ^(210)Pb/^(214)Pb.