Aerosol microphysics of indoor radon

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5528032· OSTI ID:5528032

The objective of Aerosol Microphysics of Indoor Radon is to develop the basis for modeling indoor radon decay products' activity-size distribution for use in dose calculations. During the first 2 1/2 years of this project, the theory of electrical diffusion charging has been extended to aerosol particles under 10 nm diameter for the first time and shown to explain experimental data. Collision rates of pairs of icosahedral and dodecahedral molecular clusters corresponding to the smallest high-mobility aerosol particles carrying radon daughters have been calculated based upon exact long-range interaction energy calculations and approximate collision methods. A generalization of the collision rate formula for spherical particles interacting via long-range potentials has been derived and will be useful for practical calculations involving size distributions of particles carrying radon daughters. Separate reviews of ultrafine aerosol collision rates and radon daughter aerosol charge have been conducted and have indicated directions for work in those areas. Collaborative measurements are being made of the electrical mobility distribution of cluster ions containing {sup 218}Po formed in the presence of common atmospheric trace gases. Calculations comparing background aerosol charging with radon daughter aerosol size distribution and of the attachment of high diffusity particles to cylinders in a flow stream are also in progress.

• Research Organization: Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/ER
• DOE Contract Number: FG05-87ER60550
• OSTI ID: 5528032
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60550-T2; ON: DE90000066
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320107* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Building Systems-- (1987-)
500300 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
AIR
COLLOIDS
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELECTRIC CHARGES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
ISOTOPES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NONMETALS
PARTICLES
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADON
RARE GASES
SEDIMENTATION
SOLS