INSTRUMENT PERFORMANCE OF A RADON MEASURING SYSTEM WITH THE ALPHA-TRACK DETECTION TECHNIQUE

摘要

An instrument performance test has been carried out for a radon measuring system made in Hungary. The system measures radon using the alpha-track detection technique. It consists of three parts: the passive detector, the etching unit and the evaluation unit. A CR-39 detector is used as the radiation detector. Alpha-track reading and data analysis are carried out after chemical etching. The following subjects were examined in the present study: (1) radon sensitivity, (2) performance of etching and evaluation processes and (3) thoron sensitivity. The radon sensitivity of 6.9 x 10~(-4) mm~(-2) (Bq m~(-3) d)~(-1) was acceptable for practical application. The thoron sensitivity was estimated to be as low as 3.3 x 10~(-5) mm~(-2) (Bq m~(-3) d)~(-1) from the experimental study.