The Department of Energy Nevada Test Site Remote Area Monitoring System

Conference · Wed Jun 09 04:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:10185260

Sanders, L D; Hart, O F

The Remote Area Monitoring System was developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for DOE test directors at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) to verify radiological conditions are safe after a nuclear test. In the unlikely event of a venting as a result of a nuclear test, this system provides radiological and meteorological data to Weather Service Nuclear Support Office (WSNSO) computers where mesoscale models are used to predict downwind exposure rates. The system uses a combination of hardwired radiation sensors and satellite based data acquisition units with their own radiation sensors to measure exposure rates in remote areas of the NTS. The satellite based data acquisition units are available as small, Portable Remote Area Monitors (RAMs) for rapid deployment, and larger, Semipermanent RAMs that can have meteorological towers. The satellite based stations measure exposure rates and transmit measurements to the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) where they are relayed to Direct Readout Ground Stations (DRGS) at the NTS and Los Alamos. Computers process the data and display results in the NTS Operations Coordination Center. Los Alamos computers and NTS computers are linked together through a wide area network, providing remote redundant system capability. Recently, LANL, expanded the system to take radiological and meteorological measurements in communities in the western United States. The system was also expanded to acquire data from Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) that transmit through GOES. The addition of Portable and Semipermanent RAMs to the system has vastly expanded monitoring capabilities at NTS and can be used to take measurements anywhere in this hemisphere.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 10185260
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--93-2201; CONF-9306222--2; ON: DE93018562
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450200
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130
COMPUTER NETWORKS
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DESIGN
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FALLOUT
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
METEOROLOGY
MONITORING
NEVADA TEST SITE
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS AND EXPLOSIVES
PORTABLE EQUIPMENT
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
REMOTE AREAS
SATELLITES
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS