Control of respirable particles and radon progeny with portable air cleaners
Eleven portable air cleaning devices have been evaluated for control of indoor concentrations of respirable particles and radon progeny. Following injection of cigarette smoke and radon in a room-size chamber, decay rates for particles and radon progeny concentrations were measured with and without air cleaner operation. Particle concentrations were obtained for total number concentration and for number concentration by particle size. In tests with no air cleaner the natural decay rate for cigarette smoke was observed to be 0.2 hr/sup -1/. Air cleaning rates for particles were found to be negligible for several small panel-filters, a residential ion-generator, and a pair of mixing fans. The electrostatic precipitators and extended surface filters tested had significant particle removal rates, and a HEPA-type filter was the most efficient air cleaner. The evaluation of radon progeny control produced similar results; the air cleaners which were effective in removing particles were also effective in removing radon progeny. At low particle concentrations plateout of the unattached radon progeny is an important removal mechanism. Based on data from these tests, the plateout rate for unattached progeny was found to be 15 hr/sup -1/. The unattached fraction and the overall removal rate due to deposition of attached and unattached nuclides have been estimated for each radon decay product as a function of particle concentration. While air cleaning can be effective in reducing total radon progeny, concentrations of unattached radon progeny can increase with increasing air cleaning. 39 references, 26 figures, 9 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 6785011
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-16659; ON: DE84013878
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
424000 -- Engineering-- Pollution Control Equipment-- (1980-1989)
500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR CLEANING SYSTEMS
AIR POLLUTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DATA
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS
ELEMENTS
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FILTRATION
FLUIDS
GASES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
RADON
RARE GASES
SEPARATION PROCESSES