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Title: A study of the influence of a gravel subslab layer on radon entry rate using two basement structures

Abstract

In buildings with elevated radon concentrations, the dominant transport mechanism of radon is advective flow of soil gas into the building substructure. However, the building-soil system is often complex, making detailed studies of the radon source term difficult. In order to examine radon entry into buildings, the authors have constructed two room-size, precisely-fabricated basement structures at a site with relatively homogeneous, moderately permeable soil. The basements are identical except that one lies directly on native soil whereas the other lies on a high permeability aggregate layer. The soil pressure field and radon entry rate have been measured for different basement pressures and environmental conditions. The subslab gravel layer greatly enhances the advective entry of radon into the structure; when the structures are depressurized, the radon entry rate into the structure with the subslab gravel layer is more than a factor of 3 times the radon entry rate into the other structure for the same depressurization. The gravel subslab layer also spreads the pressure field around the structure, extending the field of influence of the structure and the region from which it draws radon.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
6183275
Report Number(s):
LBL-33523; CONF-930701-6
ON: DE93016967
DOE Contract Number:  
AC03-76SF00098
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 6. international conference on indoor air quality and climate, Helsinki (Finland), 4-8 Jul 1993
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; BUILDINGS; CONTAMINATION; RADON; RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION; SOILS; PERMEABILITY; BASEMENTS; DEPRESSURIZATION; INDOOR AIR POLLUTION; RADIATION MONITORING; RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; AIR POLLUTION; ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; ELEMENTS; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; FLUIDS; GASES; MASS TRANSFER; MONITORING; NONMETALS; POLLUTION; RARE GASES; 540130* - Environment, Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)

Citation Formats

Robinson, A L, Sextro, R G, Fisk, W J, Garbesi, K, Wooley, J, and Wollenberg, H A. A study of the influence of a gravel subslab layer on radon entry rate using two basement structures. United States: N. p., 1993. Web.
Robinson, A L, Sextro, R G, Fisk, W J, Garbesi, K, Wooley, J, & Wollenberg, H A. A study of the influence of a gravel subslab layer on radon entry rate using two basement structures. United States.
Robinson, A L, Sextro, R G, Fisk, W J, Garbesi, K, Wooley, J, and Wollenberg, H A. 1993. "A study of the influence of a gravel subslab layer on radon entry rate using two basement structures". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6183275.
@article{osti_6183275,
title = {A study of the influence of a gravel subslab layer on radon entry rate using two basement structures},
author = {Robinson, A L and Sextro, R G and Fisk, W J and Garbesi, K and Wooley, J and Wollenberg, H A},
abstractNote = {In buildings with elevated radon concentrations, the dominant transport mechanism of radon is advective flow of soil gas into the building substructure. However, the building-soil system is often complex, making detailed studies of the radon source term difficult. In order to examine radon entry into buildings, the authors have constructed two room-size, precisely-fabricated basement structures at a site with relatively homogeneous, moderately permeable soil. The basements are identical except that one lies directly on native soil whereas the other lies on a high permeability aggregate layer. The soil pressure field and radon entry rate have been measured for different basement pressures and environmental conditions. The subslab gravel layer greatly enhances the advective entry of radon into the structure; when the structures are depressurized, the radon entry rate into the structure with the subslab gravel layer is more than a factor of 3 times the radon entry rate into the other structure for the same depressurization. The gravel subslab layer also spreads the pressure field around the structure, extending the field of influence of the structure and the region from which it draws radon.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6183275}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993}
}

Conference:
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