Berlin 2008 – scientific programme
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AKA: Arbeitskreis Physik und Abrüstung
AKA 3: Nuclear Testing and Test Ban
AKA 3.3: Talk
Thursday, February 28, 2008, 10:30–11:00, H 0112
Modelling of Radionuclide Migration after Underground Nuclear Explosions by Barometric Pumping — •Robert Annewandter and Martin Kalinowski — Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker-Centre for Science and Peace Research, Hamburg, Germany
During and shortly after a nuclear explosion several noble gas isotopes (131mXe, 133mXe, 133Xe and 135Xe) besides many other fission products are produced. If the explosion is emplaced underground for clandestine test purposes these isotopes, all other fission and activation products are injected into the surrounding rocks. Only the noble gases are able to migrate upwards to the surface through suitable pathways in a fractured permeable medium due to cyclical changes in barometric surface pressure. Possible pathways are cracks, faults or high-permability layers.
Times of arrival are much shorter than is expected by diffusion-process alone and may be of orders of magnitude more significant to allow verifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
This work will calculate time of arrival and shifts in abundance of the radioxenons due to its different molecular diffusion lengths.