title: Radon measurement of natural gas using alpha scintillation cells.
abstract: Due to their sensitivity and ease of use, alpha-scintillation cells are being increasingly utilized for measurements of radon ((222)Rn) in natural gas. Laboratory studies showed an average increase of 7.3% in the measurement efficiency of alpha-scintillation cells when filled with less-dense natural gas rather than regular air. A theoretical calculation comparing the atomic weight and density of air to that of natural gas suggests a 6-7% increase in the detection efficiency when measuring radon in the cells. A correction is also applicable when the sampling location and measurement laboratory are at different elevations. These corrections to the measurement efficiency need to be considered in order to derive accurate concentrations of radon in natural gas.
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201, USA; School of Public Health, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA. Electronic address: michael.kitto@health.ny.gov.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kitto
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201, USA.
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Haines
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201, USA; School of Public Health, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Semkow
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis; D059206:Natural Gas / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*; D012588:Scintillation Counting / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D059206:Natural Gas; D011886:Radon
keywords: Air sampling; Alpha; Counting efficiency; Radon; Spectrometry