Characteristics of Natural Background Radiation in the GIG Experimental Mine ‘Barbara’, Poland

Agata Walencik-Łata; Katarzyna Szkliniarz; Jan Kisiel; Kinga Polaczek-Grelik; Karol Jędrzejczak; Marcin Kasztelan; Jacek Szabelski; Jerzy Orzechowski; Przemysław Tokarski; Włodzimierz Marszał; Marika Przybylak; Robert Hildebrandt; Krzysztof Fuławka

LAPSE

Living Archive for Process Systems Engineering

LAPSE:2023.31477

Published Article

LAPSE:2023.31477

Characteristics of Natural Background Radiation in the GIG Experimental Mine ‘Barbara’, Poland

Agata Walencik-Łata, Katarzyna Szkliniarz, Jan Kisiel, Kinga Polaczek-Grelik, Karol Jędrzejczak, Marcin Kasztelan, Jacek Szabelski, Jerzy Orzechowski, Przemysław Tokarski, Włodzimierz Marszał, Marika Przybylak, Robert Hildebrandt, Krzysztof Fuławka

April 19, 2023

Underground locations can be used in various ways for scientific and economic purposes. One of the main factors influencing the safety level in the underground mine workings is natural radioactivity. The article presents research carried out on the natural radioactivity in shallow mine workings at the GIG Experimental Mine ‘Barbara’. The description of the natural radiation includes radon determination in the air, in situ gamma spectrometry, neutron flux measurements, and laboratory measurements of 226,228Ra, 40K, and 234,238U isotopes using gamma and alpha spectrometry techniques. In the measurement chamber at the depth 46 m (122 m w.e.) in the sandstone layer, the photon flux registered at the 7−3150 keV energy range is equal to 17.6 ± 1.9 cm−2s−1, the gamma-ray dose rate is 0.200 ± 0.029 µSv/h, and the thermal neutron flux is equal to (8.6 ± 1.1) × 10−6 cm−2s−1. After closing the measurement chamber and turning off ventilation, a significant ingrowth of 222Rn content was observed, reaching the value of 4040 ± 150 Bq/m3. An increased gamma-ray flux and thermal neutron flux were observed in the investigated location.

Record ID

LAPSE:2023.31477

Keywords

natural radiation, radioisotopes concentration, underground locations

Subject

Other

Suggested Citation

Walencik-Łata A, Szkliniarz K, Kisiel J, Polaczek-Grelik K, Jędrzejczak K, Kasztelan M, Szabelski J, Orzechowski J, Tokarski P, Marszał W, Przybylak M, Hildebrandt R, Fuławka K. Characteristics of Natural Background Radiation in the GIG Experimental Mine ‘Barbara’, Poland. (2023). LAPSE:2023.31477

Author Affiliations

Walencik-Łata A: August Chełkowski Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzów, Poland [ORCID]
Szkliniarz K: August Chełkowski Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzów, Poland [ORCID]
Kisiel J: August Chełkowski Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzów, Poland [ORCID]
Polaczek-Grelik K: NU-Med Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Centre Katowice, Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland
Jędrzejczak K: National Centre for Nuclear Research, 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 69, 90-558 Łódź, Poland [ORCID]
Kasztelan M: National Centre for Nuclear Research, 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 69, 90-558 Łódź, Poland [ORCID]
Szabelski J: National Centre for Nuclear Research, 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 69, 90-558 Łódź, Poland
Orzechowski J: National Centre for Nuclear Research, 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 69, 90-558 Łódź, Poland
Tokarski P: National Centre for Nuclear Research, 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 69, 90-558 Łódź, Poland
Marszał W: National Centre for Nuclear Research, 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 69, 90-558 Łódź, Poland
Przybylak M: National Centre for Nuclear Research, 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 69, 90-558 Łódź, Poland
Hildebrandt R: Department of Underground Research and Surface Maintenance, Central Mining Institute, Podleska 72, 43-190 Mikołów, Poland [ORCID]
Fuławka K: KGHM CUPRUM Research & Development Centre, Sikorskiego 2-8, 53-659 Wrocław, Poland [ORCID]

Journal Name

Energies

Volume

15

Issue

3

First Page

685

Year

2022

Publication Date

2022-01-18