Radon Removal Commissioning of the PandaX-4T Cryogenic Distillation System

The PandaX-4T distillation system, designed for the removal of krypton and radon from xenon, was evaluated for its radon removal efficiency using a $^{222}$Rn source during the online distillation process. The PandaX-4T dark matter detector was employed to monitor the temporal evolution of radon activity. To determine the radon reduction factor, the experimental data of radon atoms introduced into and bypassed the distillation system was compared. The results indicate that, the PandaX-4T distillation system achieved a radon reduction factor exceeding 190 at a flow rate of 10 slpm and a reflux ratio of 1.44. Gas-only online distillation process of a flow rate of 20 slpm was also conducted, without observing significant reduction of radon levels in the detector. This observation suggests that the migration flow of radon atoms from the liquid phase to the gas phase is limited, and the flow rate and duration of the process may be insignificant compared to the total xenon mass of 6 tons. This study provides the evidence supporting the efficient removal of radon using cryogenic distillation systems. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the distillation method could control radon background levels effectively in liquid xenon-based experiments.