Performance of radon control systems

Turk, B.H.; Harrison, Jed; Sextro, R.G.

doi:10.1016/0378-7788(91)90008-q

Cited by 11 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Wind speed and soil-gas radon concentration for two time periods at house LBL09 (Morristown, NJ) (Turk et al, 1991). Wind-driven soil-gas flow is flushing radon from the area adjacent to the house.…”

Section: Acknowledgments-thismentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of steady winds on radon-222 entry from soil into houses

Riley

Gadgil

Bonnefous

et al. 1996

Atmospheric Environment

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Section: Acknowledgments-thismentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of steady winds on radon-222 entry from soil into houses

Riley

Gadgil

Bonnefous

et al. 1996

Atmospheric Environment

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“…A more limited body of research has indicated the effectiveness of ASP systems (e.g., Turk et a!. 1987Turk et a!. , 1991.…”

Section: Conventional Subslab Depressurization and Pressurizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Methods of Energy Efficient Radon Mitigation

Fisk

Prill²,

Wooley³

et al. 1995

Health Physics

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Two new radon mitigation techniques are introduced and their evaluation in a field study complemented by numerical model predictions is described. Based on numerical predictions, installation of a sub gravel membrane at the study site resulted in a factor of two reduction in indoor radon concentrations. Experimental data indicated that installation of "short-circuit" pipes extending between the subslab gravel and outdoors, caused an additional factor of two decrease in the radon concentration. Consequently, the combination of these two passive radon mitigation features, called the membrane and short-circuit (MASC) technique, was associated with a factor of four reduction in indoor radon concentration. The energy-efficient active radon mitigation method, called efficient active subslab pressurization (EASP), required only 20% of the fan energy of conventional active subslab depressurization and reduced the indoor radon concentration by approximately a factor of 15, including the numerically-predicted impact of the sub-gravel membrane.

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“…We use data collected during four studies of installed SSD systems to estimate this increase in air flow through the house. Two of the studies (Turk et al, 1987;Turk et al, 1991) used tracer-gas decay with and without SSD operation to measure the increase in house ventilation caused by the SSD system. Turk et al (1987) measured an average increase of 5x10" m3 s-l in seven Pacific Northwest homes.…”

Section: Ssd-induced House Ventilationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind-induced contaminant transport in near-surface soils with application to radon entry into buildings

Riley

1996

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Indoor air exposures to gaseous contaminants originating in soil can cause large human health risks. To predict and control these exposures, the mechanisms that affect vapor transport in near-surface soils need to be understood. In particular, radon exposure is a concern since average indoor radon concentrations lead to much higher risks than are generally accepted for exposure to other environmental contaminants. This dissertation examines an important component of the indoor radon problem: the impacts of wind on soil-gas and radon transport and entry into buildings. The research includes experimental and modeling studies of wind's interactions with a building's superstructure and the resulting soil-gas and radon flows 1 in the surrounding soil. In addition to exploring the effects of steady winds, we develop a novel modeling technique to examine the impacts of fluctuating winds on soil-gas and radon transport.The original impetus for this investigation arose from the design and development of a passive radon mitigation system at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That effort was initiated in response to the relatively high costs of subslab depressurization (SSD), a common active mitigation system. Chapter 2 quantifies the regional and national energy requirements, operating expenses, and C02 emissions associated with SSD system use. We estimate that operating SSD systems in U.S. houses where it is both appropriate and possible (about 2.6 million houses) would annually consume 1 .7x104 TJ of end-use energy, cost $230 million (at current energy prices), and generate 2 . 0~1 0~ kg of C02. These figures are central estimates;Chapter 2 presents the associated uncertainties.The relatively high costs of SSD system operation prompted our research group to install and monitor a full-scale passive radon mitigation system in a house in Spokane, Washington. This study revealed that wind could strongly affect the mitigation system's performance. We therefore began to systematically investigate the impacts of wind on soil-gas radon transport and entry into buildings. Chapter 3 describes the results of a wind-tunnel experiment designed to measure the groundsurface pressure field established around a house in the presence of wind. We report wind-induced ground-surface pressure fields for several wind-incidence angles, two 2 atmospheric boundary layer structures, and two house geometries. Relatively small changes in the ground-surface pressure field resulted from perturbations in the atmospheric boundary layer structure (i .e., the surface roughness and displacement height) and the house geometry. The experimental results were compared to numerical predictions using a k-E turbulence model. In most cases, this turbulence model is inappropriate for geometries with separated flow, as in the case of air flow over a building. However, we found the numerical model predictions of the groundsurface pressure field sufficiently accurate to predict wind-induced soil-gas contaminant transport.The wind-induced ground-surface pressu...

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Performance of radon control systems

Cited by 11 publications

References 9 publications

The effect of steady winds on radon-222 entry from soil into houses

The effect of steady winds on radon-222 entry from soil into houses

New Methods of Energy Efficient Radon Mitigation

Wind-induced contaminant transport in near-surface soils with application to radon entry into buildings

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