Study on radon release behaviors of the tubular flow-through radon source with natural radium-bearing materials

Abstract

To obtain a radon source that is easy to access natural radium-bearing raw material and does not require the approval of relevant departments, the tubular flow-through radon source using radium-bearing ore as the radon-generating material was designed. Based on the theories of radon diffusion-convection migration in porous media, the simplified calculation formula and numerical calculation models of radon activity concentration at the outlet of the tubular flow-through radon source were established, and the radon release rules of the tubular flow-through radon source were studied using a combination of simplified calculation formulas, numerical simulations, and experiments, respectively. The results show that (1) the radon activity concentration at the outlet of the tubular flow-through radon source was dominated by mass (or the volume) of the natural radium-bearing raw material, free radon production rate, and gas flow rate. (2) When the range of radon activity concentration at the outlet is 260–1308 Bq m-3, the relative deviation of the three methods is less than 2.62%. (3) The simplified calculation formula and numerical simulation method proposed in this paper can provide a reference for the design and control of the radon activity concentration of a tubular flow-through radon source.