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Experimental study on coupling characteristics of radon exhalation from surrounding rock of deep uranium mines

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Abstract

Considering the significant issue of radon contamination in deep uranium mining settings, an investigation was conducted on the mechanical-environmental coupling effects of various joint roughness coefficients (JRC), temperature (T), pressure differential (ΔP), water saturation degree (Kw), and ventilation intensity (λv) on the surface radon exhalation of quasi-uranium ore samples. This was accomplished through the utilization of a self-constructed rock radon coupling exhalation experimental device and quasi-uranium ore sample. The findings indicate that the radon concentration in the sample increases in a linear fashion with the duration of radon collection, irrespective of the sample’s temperature. Furthermore, the radon exhalation capacity of the sample exhibits an initial rise followed by a decline as the degree of water saturation increases. As the sample pressure differential increases, the radon exhalation capacity of the sample exhibits a monotonically decreasing pattern. The concentration of accumulated radon is inversely associated with the intensity of ventilation. The relationship between the radon exhalation ability of the sample and the JRC is generally manifested in the form of “first decreasing and then increasing”, and the maximum and minimum values of the radon exhalation ability occur in the cases of JRC = 16–18 and JRC = 6–8, respectively. The results of this study can provide scientific basis for the design of ventilation and radon control in future deep uranium mines.

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The data from this study is available upon request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 2023JJ30495), Scientific Research Project of Education Department of Hunan Province (Grant No. 22B0463) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20224BAB203050).

Funding

This study was funded by the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 2023JJ30495), Scientific Research Project of Education Department of Hunan Province (Grant No. 22B0463) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20224BAB203050). Thank you for your consideration of our paper and we are looking forward to hearing from you!

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China

    Changshou Hong, Jia Wei, Hong Wang & Xiangyang Li

  2. School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, China

    Guoyan Zhao

  3. School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, China

    Qian Kang

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  1. Changshou Hong
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  2. Jia Wei
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  3. Guoyan Zhao
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  4. Hong Wang
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  5. Qian Kang
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  6. Xiangyang Li
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Contributions

CH and JW conducted the theoretical analysis. CH and HW performed the experiments, GZ, QK and XYL performed data analysis. All authors contributed to the writing and editing of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Changshou Hong.

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Hong, C., Wei, J., Zhao, G. et al. Experimental study on coupling characteristics of radon exhalation from surrounding rock of deep uranium mines. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 333, 979–993 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09338-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09338-w

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