@article{22108,
  author = {William J Riley and Ashok J Gadgil and Yves C Bonnefous and William W Nazaroff},
  title = {The Effect of Steady Winds on Radon Entry into Houses},
  abstract = {<p>Wind affects the radon entry rate from soil into buildings and the resulting indoor concentration. To investigate this phenomenon. we employ a previously tested three-dimensional numerical model of soil-gas flow around houses. a commercial computational fluid dynamics code. an established model for determining ventilation rates in the presence of wind. and new wind tunnel results for the ground-surface pressure field caused by wind. These tools and data, applied under steady-state conditions to a prototypical residential building, allow us to</p><ol><li>determine the complex soil-gas flow patterns that result from the presence of wind-generated ground-surface pressures,</li><li>evaluate the effect of these flows on the radon concentration in the soil. and</li><li>calculate the effect of wind on the radon entry rate and indoor concentration.</li></ol><p>For a broad range of soil permeabilities. two wind speeds, and two wind directions, we quantify the "flushing" effect of wind on the radon in the soil surrounding a house, and the consequent sharp decrease in radon entry rates. Experimental measurements of the time-dependent radon concentration in soil gas beneath houses confirm the existence of wind-induced flushing. Comparisons are made to modeling predictions obtained while ignoring the effect of the wind-generated ground-surface pressures. These investigations lead to the conclusion that wind-generated ground-surface pressures play a significant role in determining radon entry rates into residential buildings.</p>},
  year = {1996},
  journal = {Atmospheric Environment},
  volume = {30},
  number = {7},
  pages = {1167-1176},
  language = {eng},
}