Delayed signatures of underground nuclear explosions

Carrigan, Charles R.; Sun, Yunwei; Hunter, Steven L.; Ruddle, David G.; Wagoner, Jeffrey L.; Myers, Katherine B.  L.; Emer, Dudley F.; Drellack, Sigmund L.; Chipman, Veraun D.

doi:10.1038/srep23032

Title: Delayed signatures of underground nuclear explosions

Journal Article · 16 March 2016 · Scientific Reports

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep23032 · OSTI ID:1259513

Carrigan, Charles R. ^[1]; Sun, Yunwei ^[1]; Hunter, Steven L. ^[1]; Ruddle, David G. ^[1]; Wagoner, Jeffrey L. ^[1]; Myers, Katherine B. L. ^[1]; Emer, Dudley F. ^[2]; Drellack, Sigmund L. ^[2]; Chipman, Veraun D. ^[2]

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
National Security Technologies, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

Radionuclide signals from underground nuclear explosions (UNEs) are strongly influenced by the surrounding hydrogeologic regime. One effect of containment is delay of detonation-produced radioxenon reaching the surface as well as lengthening of its period of detectability compared to uncontained explosions. Using a field-scale tracer experiment, we evaluate important transport properties of a former UNE site. Here, we observe the character of signals at the surface due to the migration of gases from the post-detonation chimney under realistic transport conditions. Background radon signals are found to be highly responsive to cavity pressurization suggesting that large local radon anomalies may be an indicator of a clandestine UNE. Computer simulations, using transport properties obtained from the experiment, track radioxenon isotopes in the chimney and their migration to the surface. They show that the chimney surrounded by a fractured containment regime behaves as a leaky chemical reactor regarding its effect on isotopic evolution introducing a dependence on nuclear yield not previously considered. This evolutionary model for radioxenon isotopes is validated by atmospheric observations of radioxenon from a 2013 UNE in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). In conclusion, our model produces results similar to isotopic observations with nuclear yields being comparable to seismic estimates.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 1259513

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1474358

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-679542; srep23032

Journal Information:: Scientific Reports, Vol. 6; ISSN 2045-2322

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Flow-through compression cell for small-angle and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering measurements Hjelm, Rex P.; Taylor, Mark A.; Frash, Luke P. Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 89, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5022678	journal	May 2018
Gas transport across the low-permeability containment zone of an underground nuclear explosion Carrigan, Charles R.; Sun, Yunwei; Hunter, Steven L. Scientific Reports, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58445-1	journal	January 2020
Faults as Windows to Monitor Gas Seepage: Application to CO2 Sequestration and CO2-EOR Klusman, Ronald Geosciences, Vol. 8, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8030092	journal	March 2018

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