Rad Elec Inc.

Taggents, Inc.

The United States of America as Represented by the United States Energy

Aqua-Rid, Inc.

John C Dempsey

Lorin R Stieff

Payasada Kotrappa

Russell N Dietz

Edgar A Cote

William Vogel

A new type of radon progeny monitor called an electret radon progeny integrating sampling unit (E-RPISU) using an electret ion chamber to measure radon progeny concentration. A conventional 1 LPM particulate air sampling system is used to collect the radon progeny on a roughly 3.5 cmfilter that is mounted on a side of an electret ion chamber such that the collected progeny are exposed to the inside of the chamber. Alpha radiation emitted by the progeny collected on the filter ionizes the air in the approximately 220 ml chamber. Ions of opposite polarity collect on the surface of the electret of suitable thickness and reduce its surface voltage. A specially built surface voltmeter is used to measure the electret voltage before and after sampling. The electret voltage drop that occurs during the sampling period is proportional to the time integrated progeny concentration. A similar unit with a screen in the place of filter is used to measure unattached progeny concentration. Another similar unit without filter is used to provide background response to compute net progeny concentration and also to compute radon concentration.

Radon progeny monitor

A small enclosed ion chamber with an electrostatically charged electret attached to the inner chamber wall. Filtered holes in the chamber permits radon in the ambient air in the chamber to enter or exit by diffusion. Positive or negative ions (depending on the polarity of the electret charge) formed in the chamber air by the passing of gamma radiation or X-rays move to and collect on the electret surface by virtue of its electrostatic attraction to ions of opposite polarity. These ions neutralize the ions of opposite polarity on the electret and cause a measurable reduction in its surface voltage which reduction is proportional to the dose of gamma and/or X-ray incidence on the chamber. The reduction of the electret surface voltage is used to calculate the dose of gamma or X-ray radiation incident upon the chamber during a known exposure period. In one embodiment, a sealed radioactive-gas-tight flexible-wall container, such as a bag, surrounds the chamber to prevent any ambient radon from entering the ion chamber. In addition, an absorbent such as activated charcoal can be included in the bag to remove any radon captured within the sealed chamber. Removal of this radon removes its undesirable contribution to the gamma/X-ray dose signal and thereby enhances the accuracy of the monitor.

Electret gamma/X-ray low level dosimeter

Substantially the last traces of radon are removed from typical well water at subterranean temperatures prior to significant pressurization of the water by displacement of the radon by a stream of compressed air, such radon mixing with the air vented from the system. Other objectionable gases in well water are removed concurrently with radon.

Removing radon by downhole sparging of air

A small enclosed ion chamber with an electrostatically charged electret attached to the inner chamber wall. Positive or negative ions (depending on the polarity of the electret charge) formed in the chamber air by the passing of gamma radiation or X-rays move to and collect on the electret surface by virtue of its electrostatic attraction to ions of opposite polarity. These ions neutralize the ions of opposite polarity on the electret and cause a measurable reduction in its surface voltage which reduction is proportional to the dose of gamma and/or X-ray incidence on the chamber. The reduction of the electret surface voltage is used to calculate the dose of gamma or X-ray radiation incident upon the chamber during a known exposure period. In the preferred embodiment, filtered holes in the chamber permit radon to diffuse out of the ion chamber. A sealed outer container containing an absorbent such as activated charcoal surrounds the inner ion chamber to remove any radon captured within the container and to prevent any ambient radon from entering the ion chamber. Removal of this radon removes its undesirable contribution to the gamma/X-ray dose signal and thereby enhances the accuracy of the monitor.

A sensitive radon monitor has a container with a flat bottom and an upwardly and outwardly extending truncated conical side wall terminating upwardly in a relatively large upper edge. A cover overlies the upper edge. The cover has a disk-shaped plate with holes in a circular arrangement. A filter is placed atop the disk and a retainer ring overlies a peripheral portion of the filter and the disk. A negatively charged electret is held against an underside of a central position on the disk, and a detector is held upward against the electret. A second positively charged electret lines the inside of the cup-shaped base. Ambient gases flow into and out of the container through the filter and through the holes in the cover disk. The filter removes liquid and solid particles flowing through the opening establish an equilibrium. Radon decays within the chamber and positively charged products of the decay are attracted and repelled toward the first electret and toward the detector. The positively charged particles are held on the detector while they decay. Later, the detector is removed and is studied for evidence of decay of charged particles repelled toward, attracted to and held on the detector by the electret combination. The container is portable and can be used as a badge for miners or as a radon detecting device in buildings.

Radon monitor

A small enclosed chamber with an electrostatically charged electret attached to the inner chamber wall. A filtered hole in the chamber permits radon or other radioactive gas to enter by diffusion. Positive or negative ions (depending on the polarity of the electret charge) formed in the chamber air by the decay of the radioactive gas move to and collect on the electret surface by virtue of its electrostatic attraction to ions of opposite polarity. These ions accumulate and cause a measurable reduction in the surface voltage of the electret which reduction is proportional to the time integrated concentration of the radioactive gas in the chamber. The electret surface voltage of the reduction value is used to calculate the average concentration of the radioactive gas during the exposure period. The electret thickness and chamber volume can both be increased to increase the sensitivity of the invention to radioactive gases such as radon, tritium or carbon-14 dioxide or such other radioactive gases.

Ionization chamber for monitoring radioactive gas

Radioactive gas, particularly radon, is measured in the subsoil environment by electrostatically charging one or two electrets and placing the electret(s) within a chamber having openings protected by a filter which permits gas to flow through the openings while preventing particles from flowing through the openings. The chamber with the electrostatically charged electret(s) and the detector is placed in a receiver formed within the hollow wall of an elongated probe. Foam cushions surround the chamber and assist in the filtering. An open material, such as steel wool, holds the foam in place and the next lower section of the probe holds the steel wool in place. When sampling is done at only one level, the next lower section is the soil moving nose of the probe. Holes in the side wall near the nose admit subsoil gas into the receiver. When it is desired to sample radioactive gas at several levels, additional sections of the probe have receivers for holding additional chambers and openings near the bottom of each section admit gas into the receivers. After leaving the probe in the soil for a predetermined period, the probe is removed and disassembled. The chamber is removed from the receiver and the surface charge on the detector is measured. Changes in the surface charge are compared with known relations between changes in surface in radioactive decay in the chamber to give amount of radioactive gas that has decayed in the chamber.

Subsoil radioactive gas measuring system

Tracer emission sources which emit tracer gas at a predetermined constant known rate are distributed throughout a building. The preferred source is a small vessel containing a vaporous perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) substance having a very small bore hole in the top through which the PFT vapor can escape. Time is permitted for the tracer gas to mix uniformly throughout the building and for its concentration to equilibrate with infiltrating air. The concentration of the tracer is then measured and compared to the known volume of air in the building to determine the infiltration rate. In the preferred mode, the concentration is integrated and measured by continuously sampling the tracer gas at a constant rate on activated charcoal adsorbent over a period of several weeks. The amount of tracer substance accumulated on the adsorbent at the end of the test is directly related to the average tracer gas concentration which existed in the building during the sampling period and it can therefore be used to calculate an average infiltration rate during that period.

Method and apparatus for measuring the rate at which air infiltrates

Sources which emit tracer gas at a known constant rate are positioned throughout a building. Samples of air are collected in selected rooms with constant rate adsorbent samplers. Samplers are analyzed in a laboratory to determine the tracer gas concentration during the period sampled, which concentration is compared to the known volume of the building to determine air infiltration rates. The tracer gas emission rate is rendered independent of room temperature by allowing the gas to escape through specially designed orifices which automatically open and close in response to changes in temperature. In one design, an orifice is formed in a material which expands and contracts with variations in temperature surrounded by a second, less elastic material. In another design, the area of an orifice is changed by a needle valve imbedded in a material which expands and contracts with temperature variations to move the needle in and out of the orifice. In another design, a bimetallic coil is positioned in the bottom of a container for adjusting the length of tracer impregnated material projecting out of an opening in the container. In another design, a bimetallic coil slides a valve which opens and closes an orifice in response to temperature changes. In another design, the bimetallic coil in a circular thermometer is connected to a tracer impregnated wire extending through a rim of an enclosure to adjust the length of wire projecting out of the enclosure. An alternative temperature-independent device uses thermostatically controlled enclosures to maintain constant source temperature.

Method and apparatus for measuring air infiltration rate into buildings

Method and apparatus for tagging explosives with a source of SF.sub.6 permitting the detection of their presence utilizing sensitive sniffing apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Frederick, MD, United States of America

John C Dempsey