The method for recalibration of thoron concentration reading of RAD7 and obtaining the thoron exhalation rate from soil surface

Abstract

Thoron exhalation rate can be obtained through the combination of the “accumulation chamber” technique and RAD7. Thoron’s rapid decay causes the intake path and the air flow rate to become important factors in calibration. In field conditions, since the flow rate of the internal pump in RAD7 will change as the voltage of the battery decreases, the big drying tube is more suitable for a long measurement than the small drying tube. We developed the method for recalibration of the thoron concentration reading of RAD7 based on the calibration factor for 222Rn, and obtained the thoron exhalation rate from soil surface near by the Radon Laboratory of the University of South China. This method can be applied to develop and improve instruments for measuring the radon exhalation rate.

Keywords

• thoron exhalation rate
• soil
• RAD7