Simulation of the steady-state transport of radon from soil into houses with basements under constant negative pressure

Technical Report · Fri May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5486695· OSTI ID:5486695

de Oliveira Loureiro, C

A theoretical model was developed to simulate this phenomenon, under some specific assumptions. The model simulates: the generation and decay of radon within the soil; its transport throughout the soil due to diffusion and convection induced by the pressure disturbance applied at a crack in the basement; its entrance into the house through the crack; and the resultant indoor radon concentration. The most important assumptions adopted in the model were: a steady-state condition; a house with a basement; a geometrically well-defined crack at the wall-floor joint in the basement; and a constant negative pressure applied at the crack in relation to the outside atmospheric pressure. Two three-dimensional finite-difference computer programs were written to solve the mathematical equations of the model. The first program, called PRESSU, was used to calculate: the pressure distribution within the soil as a result of the applied disturbance pressure at the crack; and the resultant velocity distribution of the soil gas throughout the soil matrix. The second program, called MASTRA, was used to: solve the radon mass-transport equation, and to calculate the concentration distribution of radon in the soil gas within the whole soil; and to calculate the entry rate of radon through the crack into the basement, and the final indoor radon concentration. A parametric sensitivity analysis performed on the model, revealed several features of the mechanisms involved in the transport of radon into the house. 84 refs., 66 figs., 16 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 5486695
• Report Number(s): LBL-24378; ON: DE88006345; TRN: 88-011264
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.). Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
RADON 222
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
BASEMENTS
CRACKS
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
FLOW RATE
FORECASTING
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
M CODES
P CODES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESPONSE MODIFYING FACTORS
SOILS
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
AIR POLLUTION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BUILDINGS
COMPUTER CODES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEI
POLLUTION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON ISOTOPES
320107* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Building Systems- (1987-)
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)