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. 1990 Mar-Apr;95(2):121-126.
doi: 10.6028/jres.095.012.

Bureau of Mines Method of Calibrating a Primary Radon Measuring Apparatus

R F Holub  1 , W P Stroud  1
Affiliations

Bureau of Mines Method of Calibrating a Primary Radon Measuring Apparatus

R F Holub et al. J Res Natl Inst Stand Technol. 1990 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

One important requirement for accurate monitoring of radon in working environments, dwellings, and outdoors is to ensure that the measurement instrumentation is properly calibrated against a recognized standard. To achieve this goal, the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Mines (BoM) Radiation Laboratory has participated since 1983 in a program to establish international radon measurement standards. Originally sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the program is also sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. While the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radium solution ampules are acceptable to all participating laboratories as a primary standard, a method of transferring radon from the NIST source into each laboratory's primary counting apparatus is a critical problem. The Bureau's method transfers radon from the primary solution by bubbling 3 L of air through it into a steel cylinder. After homogenizing the radon concentrations in the cylinder, eight alpha-scintillation cells are filled consecutively and measured in a standard counting system. The resulting efficiency is 81.7±1.2%.

Keywords: calibration; measurement; radon.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of the BoM method of calibrating a primary radon measuring apparatus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photograph of the BoM system.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pressure correction as a function of pressure inside the cell. The cells have a Ra source embedded in the window.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Plot of the BoM and ANL results. BoM and ANL cells have 102 and 92 cm3 volumes, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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