Construction and Measurements of an Improved Vacuum-Swing-Adsorption Radon-Mitigation System

Abstract

In order to reduce backgrounds from radon-daughter plate-out onto detector surfaces, an ultra-low-radon cleanroom is being commissioned at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. An improved vacuum-swing-adsorption radon mitigation system and cleanroom build upon a previous design implemented at Syracuse University that achieved radon levels of $\sim$0.2Bqm${}^{-3}$. This improved system will employ a better pump and larger carbon beds feeding a redesigned cleanroom with an internal HVAC unit and aged water for humidification. With the rebuilt (original) radon mitigation system, the new low-radon cleanroom has already achieved a $>$300$\times$ reduction from an input activity of $58.6\pm 0.7$Bqm${}^{-3}$ to a cleanroom activity of $0.13\pm 0.06$Bqm${}^{-3}$.

5 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT) 2015, Seattle, WA, March 18-20, 2015