New method and installation for rapid determination of radon diffusion coefficient in various materials

•The new method and installation for determination of radon diffusion coefficient D are developed.•The measured D-values vary in an extremely wide range, from 5×10-5 to 1×10-12 m2/s.•The materials include water, air, soil, building materials and radon-proof membranes.•The duration of the single test does not exceed 18 hours.•The measurement uncertainty varies from 5% (in permeable materials) to 40% (in radon gas barriers).

The mathematical apparatus and the experimental installation for the rapid determination of radon diffusion coefficient in various materials are developed. The single test lasts not longer than 18 h and allows testing numerous materials, such as gaseous and liquid media, as well as soil, concrete and radon-proof membranes, in which diffusion coefficient of radon may vary in an extremely wide range, from 1·10−12 to 5·10−5 m2/s. The uncertainty of radon diffusion coefficient estimation depends on the permeability of the sample and varies from about 5% (for the most permeable materials) to 40% (for less permeable materials, such as radon-proof membranes).