Abstract
The real-time indoor and outdoor radon-222 profiles on the fourth floor of a university library were measured through five consecutive days, with the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system operating on part load. The premises were served by a main air-handling unit (AHU-1) and a subordinate unit (AHU-2) of the HVAC system, but AHU-2 was shut down for maintenance. It required full operation of AHU-1 for 1.7h to reduce the radon concentration from the overnight peak down to the recommended action level (200Bq·m-3). Clear characteristics of indoor radon profiles were observed, with the diurnal variations of indoor radon concentrations strongly coupled to the operation schedule of AHU-1. The specific radon production (value-Φ) of the site could be quantified from the characteristic profiles. This can be used to investigate the radon emission rate of a site, as well as to simulate the indoor radon concentrations at different ventilation rates. The value-Φ was 21.0Bqh-1·m-3, with a standard deviation of 0.6Bqh-1·m-3. Furthermore, it was found that a morning purge, by the fresh air intake fan operating for 2h before library opening hours, could not effectively remove the overnight accumulation of the pollutant.
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