Simple model for describing radon migration and entry into houses. Rept. for Jul-Dec 90

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:5674040

Mosley, R B

The paper discusses a simplified model for soil-gas transport through soil surrounding the substructure of a house. The model provides the ability to answer, in semi-quantitative terms, such fundamental questions as: (1) What role does diffusion play in transporting radon to the house/soil interface, where pressure-driven flow tends to dominate the process of entry into the house. (2) Do active subslab depressurization mitigation systems significantly increase the rate of emission of radon into the ambient air. (3) At what flow rate through the subslab depressurization system does dilution of the radon in the soil gas contribute significantly to the performance of the mitigation system. Simplifying assumptions about the distribution of entry routes and driving forces are used to relate indoor air radon levels to soil characteristics and to dynamics within the house. Preliminary validation of the model predictions consists of demonstrating reasonable values for indoor radon concentrations. While it is quite possible to formulate a fairly rigorous mathematical model to describe radon transport through soil, such a model would require rather complex numerical solutions that would be time consuming and expensive to evaluate. Numerical solutions are also cumbersome for evaluating both the relative importance of the individual mechanisms and the appropriateness of alternative boundaries.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Air and Energy Engineering Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 5674040
• Report Number(s): PB-91-176743/XAB; EPA--600/D-91/021
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
BUILDINGS
CONTAMINATION
CONTROL
DEPRESSURIZATION
DIFFUSION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLOW RATE
FLUIDS
GASES
HOUSES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
MITIGATION
MONITORING
NONMETALS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADON
RARE GASES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SOIL MECHANICS
SOILS