An automatic static chamber for continuous 220Rn and 222Rn flux measurements from soil

Lehmann, B.E.; Ihly, B.; Salzmann, S.; Conen, F.; Simon, E. (2004). An automatic static chamber for continuous 220Rn and 222Rn flux measurements from soil. Radiation measurements, 38(1), pp. 43-50. Elsevier 10.1016/j.radmeas.2003.08.001

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A closed-circuit analytical system for the (quasi)-continuous measurement of radon fluxes from soil consisting of a static accumulation chamber and two radon detectors operated in series is described. The first detector measures the (220Rn + 222Rn) activity, the second one the remaining 222Rn activity after the 220Rn atoms (half-life 56 s) have decayed when the air passes a delay volume between the two detectors. A step-motor driven cover closes the chamber at the beginning of a flux measurement interval of e.g. 3 h. In between measurements the chamber remains open to maintain soil and vegetation inside the chamber as closely as possible to the conditions outside. A mathematical description of the temporal evolution of Rn activities in the analytical system is presented from which procedures are derived to calculate Rn fluxes (Bq m−2 s−1) from the measured activities in the two detectors. Examples from field tests illustrate the performance of the experimental set-up and possible complications due to technical and/or environmental difficulties.

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