Models of radon entry: A review
Conference
·
OSTI ID:10159281
This paper reviews existing models of radon entry into houses. The primary mechanism of radon entry in houses with high indoor concentrations is, in most cases, convective entry of radon bearing soil-gas from the surrounding soil. The driving force for this convective entry is the small indoor-outdoor pressure difference arising from the stack effect and other causes. Entry points for the soil-gas generally are the cracks or gaps in the building substructure, or though other parts of the building shell in direct contact with the soil, although entry may also occur by flow though permeable concrete or cinder block walls of the substructure. Models using analytical solutions to idealized geometrical configurations with simplified boundary conditions obtain analytical tractability of equations to be solved at the cost of severe approximations; their strength is in the insights they offer with their solutions. Models based on lumped parameters attempt to characterize the significant physical behavioral characteristics of the soil-gas and radon flow. When realistic approximations are desired for the boundary conditions and terms in the governing equations, numerical models must be used; these are usually based on finite difference or finite element solutions to the governing equations. Limited data are now available for experimental verification of model predictions. The models are briefly reviewed and their strengths and limitations are discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 10159281
- Report Number(s):
- LBL--31252; CONF-910905--2; ON: DE92016927
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
HOUSES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
RADON
540130
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
HOUSES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
RADON