Design and Development of a Canadian Radon Calibration Chamber

The Radiation Safety Institute of Canada has operated a radon chamber for more than 30 years at its National Laboratories, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The chamber has and continues to be used for quality control, performance testing, and research and development for the Institute’s personal alpha dosimeters under its federally licensed Personal Alpha Dosimetry Service for radon progeny and long-lived radioactive dust. In 2017 the Institute, in collaboration with Health Canada, enhanced the radon calibration chamber to also service radon measurement professionals in Canada. The chamber is currently the only AARST-NRPP accredited secondary radon calibration chamber in Canada. In addition to supporting the Institute’s PAD Service, the chamber is used to provide quality control, calibration, and testing for other radon measurement devices, as well as conducting applied research in controlled atmospheric environments. Within the 12 m³ walk-in chamber, radon concentrations can be varied and controlled between 150 Bq/m³ and 500 kBq/m³ utilizing gas-flow-through sources and computer-controlled air management systems. Radon progeny concentrations can be varied and controlled using an aerosol injection system. The chamber includes multiple reference measurement. The chamber has a comprehensive quality assurance program which includes routine chamber intercomparisons with the Bowser-Morner facility in Dayton, Ohio, USA to ensure traceability. Since certification in 2017, the Institute has tested over 600 instruments. In this presentation I will share the design and commissioning work conducted by the Institute and lessons learned to certify the Radon Calibration Laboratory.