Investigation of radon-222 emissions from underground uranium mines. Progress report No. 2

Technical Report · Fri Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5697224· OSTI ID:5697224

Jackson, P O; Glissmeyer, J A; Enderlin, W I; Schwendiman, L C; Wogman, N A; Perkins, R W

A reliable estimate of radon emissions to the environment from underground uranium mines was obtained through measurements of radon in ventilation exhaust air at 24 uranium mines and estimates of radon release from ore piles and waste piles at mines and in water pumped from mines. Three additional mines sampled in 1978 but not in 1979 were included in the overall results. Total production of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ from the mines thus far sampled represent about 63% of total 1978 US production from underground mines. Wide variation in radon emission per unit of production was shown from mine to mine; hence, it became necessary to sum all radon from all mines measured and divide by the sum of all U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ production in 1978 from these mines to arrive at a valid estimate of Ci per ton of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/. This value was found to be 26.7 per ton or 5400 Ci/RRY (182 metric tons). The radon emitted in mine ventilation air was by far the dominant source, with other than ventilation exhaust sources accounting for less than three percent of radon in ventilation exhaust. Other observations of interest in this study were the diurnal fluctuations of radon with barometric pressure and the statistically significant relationship between radon released per year from a mine and the cumulative ore production at the time of radon measurement. The linear relationship between Ci/yr of radon and cumulative ore accounted for about half the variability.Several sources of random errors and possible biases were evaluated using some simple descriptive statistics insofar as the current data permitted. Errors in air flow rate in the vents sampled, fluctuations in radon emission with time of day, counting instrument calibration and production rate were estimated and combined to give an uncertainty of about +- 24 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-06-1830
• OSTI ID: 5697224
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-1273; PNL-3262
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
500300 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
AIR
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
CHALCOGENIDES
DAILY VARIATIONS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DATA FORMS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLOW RATE
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LIQUID WASTES
MASS TRANSFER
MINES
MINING
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRODUCTION
RADIATION MONITORING
RADON
RARE GASES
SOLID WASTES
TABLES
TAILINGS
UNDERGROUND MINING
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM MINES
URANIUM ORES
URANIUM OXIDES
VARIATIONS
VENTILATION
VENTILATION SYSTEMS
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER