Feasibility of Characterizing Concealed Openings in the House-Soil Interface forModeling Radon Gas Entry

摘要

The report examines the feasibility of characterizing the total effective size ofopenings in the house-soil interface that permit indoor radon entry. Sensitivity analyses conducted with a lumped-parameter model (based on the detailed RAETRAD model for radon entry) demonstrate a characteristic pattern of increasing indoor radon concentrations with increasingly negative indoor air pressures. With sensitivity analyses, the lumped-parameter model indicates that the dominant parameters affecting indoor radon levels are the size of the foundation openings, the pressure-driven radon entry velocity, and the ventilation parameters for the house superstructure. By rearranging the lumped-parameter model, measured indoor radon levels can be grouped with measured sub-slab radon levels and house ventilation parameters to express radon entry rates as a linear function of indoor air pressure.