Measurement of Radon Diffusion from Uranium Mill Tailing Piles

Technical Report · Sun Sep 30 20:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5614800· OSTI ID:5614800

Silker, Wyatt B. ^[1]; Wogman, Nedwin A. ^[1]; Thomas, Charles W. ^[1]; Carr, Daniel B. ^[1]; Heasler, Patrick C. ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

The concentrations of ²²⁶Ra and ²²²Rn (²¹⁴Pb) were measured as a function of depth within a uranium mill tailings pile by in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry. Radon diffusion and exhalation rates were determined from the concentration gradients by employing an integral solution of the diffusion equation that accommodates a nonuniform depth distribution of the parent radium. Radon diffusion coefficients of 0.0002 and 0.0017 cm²/sec, and exhalation rates of 60 and 275 atoms/cm²/sec were determined for two locations with differing soil moisture content.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USNRC
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-06-1830
• OSTI ID: 5614800
• Report Number(s): PNL--3187; NUREG/CR-1109
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510300* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMISTRY
CLEARANCE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DATA FORMS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIFFUSION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXCRETION
EXHALATION
GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY
GRAPHS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MILL TAILINGS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ORES
RADIOCHEMISTRY
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
SPECTROSCOPY
TABLES
TAILINGS
URANIUM ORES
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES