Containment and safety review for the Mighty Oak Nuclear Weapon Effects Test

Technical Report · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6607938· OSTI ID:6607938

On the morning of April 10, 1986, the US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted a nuclear weapons effects test, Mighty Oak, 1300 feet below the surface of Rainier Mesa in the T tunnel complex. From the standpoint of containment, there was no accidental release of radioactivity to the atmosphere whatsoever. All radioactivity was contained within the tunnel complex until April 16 when the first controlled purging of the tunnel took place. Mighty Oak purging resulted in a known amount of radioactive noble gases being released in a controlled manner to the atmosphere. The maximum dose any person would have received standing in the open, downwind, for the entire period of purging, would have been 0.27 microrem. From the standpoint of data recovery, Mighty Oak was successful. Approximately 85% of the data from prime test objectives was recovered; however, only 70% of the overall data was recovered. Most equipment - experiment, diagnostic, and construction - within the tunnel complex was lost. This loss occurred as a result of high temperature and radiation. Other passive experiments and data were recovered. Loss of normally recoverable and reusable equipment was approximately 32 million dollars.

• Research Organization: USDOE Nevada Operations Office, Las Vegas
• OSTI ID: 6607938
• Report Number(s): NVO-311; ON: DE87008899
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450202* -- Explosions & Explosives-- Nuclear-- Weaponry-- (-1989)
BLAST EFFECTS
CONTAINMENT
DAMAGE
DOSES
EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
RADIATION DOSES
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
WEAPONS