Effect of water content on the predictions of the Cloud Rise Module of DELFIC. Master's thesis

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6927147

Minor, B M

The effect of water content on the predictions of the Cloud Rise Module (CRM) of the Defense Land Fallout Information Code, (DELFIC) was examined. Problems with the theory of the CRM were found, especially how it handled the cloud's water content. The source code of the CRM was also found to have some contradictions with its documentation. All of the problems found with the CRM were addressed and a new version of DELFIC was created. This new version was then used to examine the predicted nuclear cloud height and volume for different humidity profiles and surface-water mass loading of the cloud. Increasing the atmospheric humidity resulted in a higher stabilized cloud top altitude and larger volume; increasing the surface water loading resulted in a lower stabilized cloud top and a smaller cloud volume. The effect of soil loading was examined, and found to produce only slight changes in the stabilized cloud top and volume. Results found with the revised CRM were compared to the results found using the original CRM. Both versions followed the same trends as the humidity profiles were changed, but the results found for the surface water loading case were very divergent. The differences in the results of the two versions suggest the results of the revised CRM are more valid.

• Research Organization: Air Force Inst. of Tech., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (USA). School of Engineering
• OSTI ID: 6927147
• Report Number(s): AD-A-194618/5/XAB; AFIT/GNE/ENP-88M-7
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COMPUTER CODES
D CODES
FALLOUT
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
RADIOACTIVE CLOUDS
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
STABILIZATION
WATER
CLOUDS
EXPLOSIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SIMULATION
450100* - Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense- Chemical Explosions & Explosives
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)