Explosive Byproduct Gas Transport Through Sorptive Geomedia
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Current underground nuclear explosion (UNE) detection strategies rely heavily on atmospheric noble gas sampling of radioxenon. However, discriminating nuclear weapons testing programs from civilian sources is difficult due to highly variable atmospheric radioxenon backgrounds and processes affecting subsurface transport of parent radionuclides. Here, we aim to study the transport of gases produced by subsurface explosions as novel stable signatures for underground nuclear explosion (UNE) monitoring. These gases may be produced in large quantities with distinct molecular ratios, which will be impacted by subsurface transport processes. To demonstrate how ratios of gases produced by explosions can change during transport in geomaterials, we conducted laboratory benchtop experiments on the transport of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) gases through variably saturated zeolitic tuff, which is abundant at the historic US testing site. We observed that zeolitic tuff sorbs substantial quantities of CO2 while allowing H2 to transport more freely, leading to changes in the molecular ratios of the two gases along the transport pathway. Gas uptake in the dry zeolitic tuff core was 72.3% for CO2, compared with 53.4% for xenon and 7.6% for H2. The presence of 20% water saturation disrupted the CO2 sorption process, though to a lesser extent than observed for noble gases, with a 36.7% drop in xenon sorption compared with a 21.9% drop for CO2. These results represent the first observations of zeolite sorption altering explosive gas ratios during transport through geomedia relevant to nuclear proliferation monitoring.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001
- OSTI ID:
- 2588089
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--25-22553; 10.1007/s11242-025-02212-1; 1573-1634
- Journal Information:
- Transport in Porous Media, Journal Name: Transport in Porous Media Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 152; ISSN 1573-1634; ISSN 0169-3913
- Publisher:
- Springer Science and Business Media LLCCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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