Health Physics · 1979 · 124 citations · 0 references
Chemical EngineeringEngineeringNuclear PhysicsPhysicsElectric ChargeNeutral Thb AtomsNatural SciencesDiffusion CoefficientDiffusion ResistanceAtomic PhysicsPhysical ChemistryChemistryThoron Decay ProductsRadon Decay ProductsChemical KineticsNuclear DecayNuclear AstrophysicsRelative Humidity
The diffusivity of freshly formed thoron decay products was studied under a variety of conditions with respect to relative humidity and electric charge and over a range of thoron concentrations from 340 nCi/l to 3.4 × I05 nCi/l. 85–88% of ThB(212Pb) atoms carried a positive charge when formed. In moist air (30% < relative humidity < 90%) the diffusivity of the positively charged ThB atoms was 0.068 0.004 cm2/sec; it was the same for neutral ThB atoms, regardless of humidity. In very dry air, the diffusivity of the charged atoms could not be established unequivocally, but it was about 0.024 cm2/sec.