Characteristics of radon concentration distributions measurement with two-filter method in the storage rooms of Ra-Be neutron source and the adjacent laboratories

The basic principle of radon measurement with two-filter method is introduced in this paper. The levels of radon concentration in the storage rooms and the adjacent laboratories are measured and compared with the type of FT-648 radon measurement instrument. The measurement results showed that the levels of radon concentration in Ra-Be neutron source storage rooms are not higher than those in the adjacent laboratories, then it can be deduced that no radon gas was leaked out form the shielded and sealed Ra-Be neutron sources. The radon concentrations measured in the laboratories were near to the average level compared to the statistical results of the indoor dwellings' radon concentrations in Xi'an. The values didn't exceed the national standard limits(200 Bq·m^-3). Furthermore, it is found that the radon concentration value measured at rainy or cloudy day is lesser than that at sunny day, and good ventilation conditions can effectively decrease the indoor radon concentration level. Meanwhile, the mechanisms of the radon concentration distributions in the laboratories influenced by the factors including various weather conditions (rainy, sunny and cloudy), ventilation and different measurement time periods in a day, etc. are primarily analyzed. The measurement results in this work provide some relative reference data for prediction the situations of Ra-Be neutron sources safety storage and experimenters' radiation protection in the laboratories. (authors)