Novel method for measuring temperature-dependent diffusion coefficient of radon in porous media

Shengyang Feng; Ce Li; Yu Cui; Yongjun Ye; Xiangyang Li; Yong Liu; Hong Wang; Rong Yang

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109506

Novel method for measuring temperature-dependent diffusion coefficient of radon in porous media

Appl Radiat Isot. 2021 Mar:169:109506. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109506. Epub 2020 Dec 13.

Authors

Shengyang Feng¹, Ce Li², Yu Cui³, Yongjun Ye⁴, Xiangyang Li⁵, Yong Liu⁶, Hong Wang⁴, Rong Yang⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan, China. Electronic address: fengshengyang@usc.edu.cn.
² School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan, China; Hunan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Uranium Tailings Treatment, Hengyang, 421001, China.
³ School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan, China; Hunan Province Engineering Research Center of Radioactive Control Technology in Uranium Mining and Metallurgy, Hengyang, 421001, China.
⁴ School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan, China.
⁵ School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan, China; Hunan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Uranium Tailings Treatment, Hengyang, 421001, China; Hunan Province Engineering Research Center of Radioactive Control Technology in Uranium Mining and Metallurgy, Hengyang, 421001, China.
⁶ School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan, China. Electronic address: liuyong81668@163.com.

PMID: 33340786
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109506

Abstract

The temperature-dependent diffusion coefficient of radon is one of the most important parameters for predicting radon migration in porous media. In order to measure this parameter more effectively and accurately, theoretical formulas were derived by the steady-state one-dimensional equation of radon migration in porous media for designing the corresponding experimental device, which was used to measure the diffusion coefficients of radon in uranium mill tailings. The results show that the diffusion coefficient of radon in porous media increases with increasing the temperature, which is in agreement with existing researches, verifying the method effectiveness. The changes of the diffusion coefficient of radon with the absolute temperature follow a power law.

Keywords: Diffusion coefficient; Porous media; Radon; Uranium mill tailing.