METHOD OF CHECKING CONCENTRATION OF RADON DAUGHTERS IN AIR Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC G01N30/00 

FIELD: physics, nuclear.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to nuclear physics and can be used to monitor radioactivity of air in industrial and residential facilities, for assessing effect of natural content of radon daughters in air when checking possible contamination of air with radioactive material from their own alpha emissions, as well as when checking contamination of surfaces of fuel elements with nuclear fuel during their manufacture. Proposed method of checking concentration of radon daughters in air involves sorption of air aerosols using an electrostatic field on a removable target and then putting it under an alpha-radiometre. In order to increase sensitivity, rapidness of checking and simply the method, the decay daughters are sorbed from the open space of the facilities on the metal surface of a sample made in form of a piece of pipe. Sorption is carried out in a given period of time, after which the sample is put into a detection module. Alpha-particles emitted in measurement geometry 4 π are detected, and the time for detecting the alpha-particles and sorption time are set based on the required rapidness and accuracy. Further, concentration of radon daughters is then calculated based on the obtained count rate taking into account the calibration factor.

EFFECT: increased sensitivity, rapidness of detecting radon daughters in air and simplification of the method.

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