Speaker
Description
Underground nuclear explosions produce radioxenon, which may be transported through the geology and subsequently collected and measured locally in an On-Site Inspection or regionally via the International Monitoring System. Predicting how much radioxenon may be available for collection and measurement requires development of geology-specific subsurface gas transport models to estimate timing and quantity of gases released. These models are increasingly complex, incorporating explosively driven transport through crushed or damaged rock zones, models of naturally occurring heterogeneities in geologic media, chemistry at interfacial surfaces, and both porous media and fracture driven flow. In this work, we explore a model that can be used to help set practical bounding parameters for these subsurface transport simulations. For example, physical phenomena that do not result in sufficient radioxenon concentrations in the appropriate time frame for nuclear explosion monitoring can be excluded from the models. We explore these bounds for selected emplacement conditions for a nominal 1 kT explosion.
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