Water Entrainment in Nuclear Detonations: Discovery and Investigation
- Pomona College, Claremont, CA (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
This paper reports on the discovery of water entrainment in the fireball of nuclear explosions over the ocean, as observed in LLNL archival films. When a nuclear weapon explodes, a volume of fine mist can be entrained within its shock wave, and the mist rises through time. This water entrainment phenomenon is only observed in films of nuclear detonations with yield greater than or equal to 100 kt, suggesting that appreciable water entrainment occurs when shock force is greater than a threshold value. Inside the fireball, the mist-filled volume forms a funnel-like shape, and the maximum height of the mist-filled volume depends on the yield of the nuclear detonation. When the ratio between the height of the water entrainment line and the height of the nuclear fireball (shockwave) are plotted versus relative time (time normalized to the time at which the fireball cools to 3300 K), the ratio curves for detonations of all yields converge to a general logarithmic curve. The observation and study of water entrainment in nuclear weapons provides important constrains on numerical simulations of shock waves over water, which is relevant to weapon’s effects, nuclear fallout, and planetary defense studies.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344
- OSTI ID:
- 1476199
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-TR--758735; 947053
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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