1
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Injection and sampling of 133Xe in shallow boreholes in alluvium. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08584-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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2
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Lapka JL, Haas DA, Lowrey JD. Radiokrypton and radioxenon diffusion in silicate and sodium chloride media. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08533-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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3
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Neil CW, Boukhalfa H, Xu H, Ware SD, Ortiz J, Avendaño S, Harp D, Broome S, Hjelm RP, Mao Y, Roback R, Brug WP, Stauffer PH. Gas diffusion through variably-water-saturated zeolitic tuff: Implications for transport following a subsurface nuclear event. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 250:106905. [PMID: 35598406 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Noble gas transport through geologic media has important applications in the characterization of underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). Without accurate transport models, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between xenon signatures originating from civilian nuclear facilities and UNEs. Understanding xenon transport time through the earth is a key parameter for interpreting measured xenon isotopic ratios. One of the most challenging aspects of modeling gas transport time is accounting for the effect of variable water saturation of geological media. In this study, we utilize bench-scale laboratory experiments to characterize the diffusion of krypton, xenon, and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) through intact zeolitic tuff under different saturations. We demonstrate that the water in rock cores with low partial saturation dramatically affects xenon transport time compared to that of krypton and SF6 by blocking sites in zeolitic tuff that preferentially adsorb xenon. This leads to breakthrough trends that are strongly influenced by the degree of the rock saturation. Xenon is especially susceptible to this phenomenon, a finding that is crucial to incorporate in subsurface gas transport models used for nuclear event identification. We also find that the breakthrough of SF6 diverges significantly from that of noble gases within our system. When developing field scale models, it is important to understand how the behavior of xenon deviates from chemical tracers used in the field, such as SF6 (Carrigan et al., 1996). These new insights demonstrate the critical need to consider the interplay between rock saturation and fission product sorption during transport modeling, and the importance of evaluating specific interactions between geomedia and gases of interest, which may differ from geomedia interactions with chemical tracers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea W Neil
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA.
| | - Hakim Boukhalfa
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Hongwu Xu
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - S Douglas Ware
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - John Ortiz
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA; Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Sofia Avendaño
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Dylan Harp
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Scott Broome
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA
| | - Rex P Hjelm
- National Security Education Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Yimin Mao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA; NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Robert Roback
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - William P Brug
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Philip H Stauffer
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
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4
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Evaluation of subsurface transport processes of delayed gas signatures applicable to underground nuclear explosions. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13169. [PMID: 35915214 PMCID: PMC9343667 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16918-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Radioactive gas signatures from underground nuclear explosions (UNEs) result from gas-migration processes occurring in the subsurface. The processes considered in this study either drive or retard upward migration of gases from the detonation cavity. The relative importance of these processes is evaluated by simulating subsurface transport in a dual-permeability medium for the multi-tracer Noble Gas Migration Experiment (NGME) originally intended to study some aspects of transport from a UNE. For this experiment, relevant driving processes include weak two-phase convection driven by the geothermal gradient, over pressuring of the detonation cavity, and barometric pumping while gas sorption, dissolution, radioactive decay, and usually diffusion represent retarding processes. From deterministic simulations we found that over-pressuring of the post-detonation chimney coupled with barometric pumping produced a synergistic effect amplifying the tracer-gas reaching the surface. Bounding simulations indicated that the sorption and dissolution of gases, tending to retard transport, were much smaller than anticipated by earlier laboratory studies. The NGME observations themselves show that differences in gas diffusivity have a larger effect on influencing upward transport than do the combined effects of tracer-gas sorption and dissolution, which is consistent with a Sobol’ sensitivity analysis. Both deterministic simulations and those considering parametric uncertainties of transport-related properties predict that the excess in concentration of SF\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$_6$$\end{document}6 compared to \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$^{127}$$\end{document}127Xe as might be captured in small volumetric samples should be much smaller than the order-of-magnitude contrast found in the large-volume gas samples taken at the site. While extraction of large-volume subsurface gas samples is shown to be capable of distorting in situ gas compositions, the highly variable injection rate of SF\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$_6$$\end{document}6 into the detonation cavity relative to that of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$^{127}$$\end{document}127Xe at the start of the field experiment is the most likely explanation for the large difference in observed concentrations.
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5
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Cantrell KJ, Wang G, Mitroshkov AV, Lowrey JD. Noble gas adsorption to tuff. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 243:106809. [PMID: 34995997 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A method was developed to measure trace noble gas element adsorption to the surfaces of geologic materials in the presence of a background gas that could potentially compete for surface adsorption sites. Adsorption of four noble gas elements (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) at a concentration of 100 ppm in helium and nitrogen were measured on a sample of crushed tuff at 0, 15, 30, and 45 °C. In addition, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe at 250 ppm and 500 ppm in nitrogen at 15 °C were measured. Noble gas adsorption was found to increase with increasing atomic mass and decreasing temperature. It was also observed that the relative increase in noble gas element adsorption with decreasing temperature tends to increase with increasing atomic mass. As the noble gas concentrations in nitrogen increased, adsorption increased in a slightly non-linear fashion which could be modeled using a Freundlich isotherm. For noble gas concentrations that were ≤100 ppm Henry's Law constant were calculated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk J Cantrell
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
| | - Guohui Wang
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA, 99352, USA.
| | | | - Justin D Lowrey
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
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6
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Johnson C, Milbrath B, Lowrey J, Alexander T, Fast J, Fritz B, Kirkham R, Mace E, Mayer M, McIntyre J, Olsen K. Measurements of Argon-39 from locations near historic underground nuclear explosions. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2021; 237:106715. [PMID: 34371240 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Measurement of radioactive gas seepage from an underground nuclear explosion is one of the primary methods to confirm whether an event was nuclear in nature. Radioactive noble gas indicators that are commonly targeted by such measurements (e.g. 133Xe, 37Ar) have half-lives of 35 days or less. Argon-39, an activation product similar to 37Ar, is produced by the interaction between neutrons and potassium in the surrounding geology and has a half-life of 269 years. Measurements taken at three sites near three historic underground nuclear test locations at the Nevada National Security Site have all shown highly elevated levels of 39Ar in soil gas decades after the test events. Elevated levels of 39Ar were also detected in atmospheric air collected near two of these sites, and outside the entrance of the one tunnel site. These measurements demonstrate that 39Ar has the potential to be a long-term signature of an underground nuclear event which can be reliably detected at the surface or in the shallow subsurface. This radionuclide detection of an underground nuclear event decades after the event takes place is in contrast to the commonly held assumption that detecting underground nuclear events via radionuclides at the surface needs to be done in a matter of months. Depending upon what further studies show about the robustness of this signature in a variety of geological settings, it may in fact be easy to detect underground nuclear events at the surface for a very long time post-detonation.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Johnson
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA.
| | - B Milbrath
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | - J Lowrey
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | | | - J Fast
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | - B Fritz
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | - R Kirkham
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | - E Mace
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | - M Mayer
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | - J McIntyre
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
| | - K Olsen
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA
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7
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Bourret SM, Kwicklis EM, Stauffer PH. Evaluation of several relevant fractionation processes as possible explanation for radioxenon isotopic activity ratios in samples taken near underground nuclear explosions in shafts and tunnels. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2021; 237:106698. [PMID: 34304113 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Gas samples taken from two historic underground nuclear tests done in 1989 at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), formerly the Nevada Test Site (NTS), were examined to determine how xenon isotopes fractionate because of early-time cavity processes, transport through the rock, or dispersal through tunnels. Xenon isotopes are currently being used to distinguish civilian sources of xenon in the atmosphere from sources associated with underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). The two nuclear tests included (1) BARNWELL, a test conducted in a vertical shaft approximately 600 m below ground surface at Pahute Mesa, and (2) DISKO ELM, a horizontal line-of-sight test done in P-tunnel approximately 261 m below the surface of Aqueduct Mesa. Numerical flow and transport models developed for the two sites had mixed success when attempting to match the observed xenon isotope ratios. At the BARNWELL site, the simulated xenon isotope ratios were consistent with measurements from the chimney and ground surface, and appeared to have been affected primarily by fractionation during subsurface transport. At the DISKO ELM site, samples taken from two elevations in the chimney failed to show the degree of fractionation predicted by the models during transport, and did not show evidence for significant fractionation due to early-time condensation of refractory xenon-precursor radionuclides into the melt glass. Gas samples taken from the adjacent tunnels in the days following the test showed mixed evidence for early-time separation of xenon isotopes from their iodine precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Michelle Bourret
- Comoutational Earth Science Group, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA.
| | - Edward M Kwicklis
- Comoutational Earth Science Group, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Philip H Stauffer
- Comoutational Earth Science Group, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
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8
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Paul M, Feldman J. Measuring Gas Transport and Sorption in Large Intact Geologic Specimens via the Piezometric Method. Transp Porous Media 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11242-021-01627-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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9
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Bourret SM, Kwicklis EM, Harp DR, Ortiz JP, Stauffer PH. Beyond Barnwell: Applying lessons learned from the Barnwell site to other historic underground nuclear tests at Pahute Mesa to understand radioactive gas-seepage observations. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 222:106297. [PMID: 32739734 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
An underground nuclear explosion (UNE) generates radioactive gases that can be transported through fractures to the ground surface over timescales of hours to months. If detected, the presence of particular short-lived radionuclides in the gas can provide strong evidence that a recent UNE has occurred. By drawing comparisons between sixteen similar historical U.S. UNEs where radioactive gas was or was not detected, we identified factors that control the occurrence and timing of breakthrough at the ground surface. The factors that we evaluated include the post-test atmospheric conditions, local geology, and surface geology at the UNE sites. The UNEs, all located on Pahute Mesa on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), had the same announced yield range (20-150 kt), similar burial depths in the unsaturated zone, and were designed and performed by the same organization during the mid-to-late 1980s. Results of the analysis indicate that breakthrough at the ground surface is largely controlled by a combination of the post-UNE barometric pressure changes in the months following the UNE, and the volume of air-filled pore space above the UNE. Conceptually simplified numerical models of each of the 16 historical UNEs that include these factors successfully predict the occurrence (5 of the UNEs) or lack of occurrence (remaining 11 UNEs) of post-UNE gas seepage to the ground surface. However, the data analysis and modeling indicates that estimates of the meteorological conditions and of the post-UNE, site-specific subsurface environment including air-filled porosity, in combination, may be necessary to successfully predict late-time detectable gas breakthrough for a suspected UNE site.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Michelle Bourret
- Computational Earth Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA.
| | - Edward M Kwicklis
- Computational Earth Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Dylan R Harp
- Computational Earth Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - John P Ortiz
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Philip H Stauffer
- Computational Earth Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
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10
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Paul MJ, Broome S, Kuhlman KL, Feldman J, Heath J. An Experimental Method to Measure Gaseous Diffusivity in Tight and Partially Saturated Porous Media via Continuously Monitored Mass Spectrometry. Transp Porous Media 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11242-020-01397-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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11
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Johnson C, Aalseth CE, Alexander TR, Bowyer TW, Chipman V, Day AR, Drellack S, Fast JE, Fritz BG, Hayes JC, Huckins-Gang HE, Humble P, Kirkham RR, Lowrey JD, Mace EK, Mayer MF, McIntyre JI, Milbrath BD, Panisko ME, Paul MJ, Obi CM, Okagawa RK, Olsen KB, Ripplinger MD, Seifert A, Suarez R, Thomle J, Townsend MJ, Woods VT, Zhong L. Migration of noble gas tracers at the site of an underground nuclear explosion at the Nevada National Security Site. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 208-209:106047. [PMID: 31526956 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
As part of an underground gas migration study, two radioactive noble gases (37Ar and 127Xe) and two stable tracer gases (SF6 and PFDMCH) were injected into a historic nuclear explosion test chimney and allowed to migrate naturally. The purpose of this experiment was to provide a bounding case (natural transport) for the flow of radioactive noble gases following an underground nuclear explosion. To accomplish this, soil gas samples were collected from a series of boreholes and a range of depths from the shallow subsurface (3 m) to deeper levels (~160 m) over a period of eleven months. These samples have provided insights into the development and evolution of the subsurface plume and constrained the relative migration rates of the radioactive and stable gas species in the case when the driving pressure from the cavity is low. Analysis of the samples concluded that the stable tracer SF6 was consistently enriched in the subsurface samples relative to the radiotracer 127Xe, but the ratios of SF6 and 37Ar remained similar throughout the samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Johnson
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
| | - C E Aalseth
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - T R Alexander
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - T W Bowyer
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - V Chipman
- Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - A R Day
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - S Drellack
- Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - J E Fast
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - B G Fritz
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - J C Hayes
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | | | - P Humble
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - R R Kirkham
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - J D Lowrey
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - E K Mace
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M F Mayer
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - J I McIntyre
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - B D Milbrath
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M E Panisko
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M J Paul
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - C M Obi
- Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - R K Okagawa
- Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - K B Olsen
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M D Ripplinger
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - A Seifert
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - R Suarez
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - J Thomle
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M J Townsend
- Mission Support and Test Services LLC, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - V T Woods
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - L Zhong
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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13
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Mellard SC, Biegalski SR. MCNP based simulations for the optimization of radioxenon via DD and DT neutron generators from 132Xe. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-018-6112-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Blood ME, Biegalski SR, Haas DA, Artnak EJ. A method for measuring radioxenon emanation with cryotrapping and γ spectroscopy. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-018-6025-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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15
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Byers MF, Paul MJ, Haas DA, Biegalski SR, De Luna BA, Barth BS. Evaluation of carbon tetrafluoride as a xenon surrogate for underground gas transport. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-018-6135-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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16
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Direct low-energy measurement of 37Ar and 127Xe in a radiotracer gas using low-background proportional counters. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-018-6074-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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17
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Paul MJ, Biegalski SR, Haas DA, Jiang H, Daigle H, Lowrey JD. Xenon adsorption on geological media and implications for radionuclide signatures. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 187:65-72. [PMID: 29449040 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The detection of radioactive noble gases is a primary technology for verifying compliance with the pending Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. A fundamental challenge in applying this technology for detecting underground nuclear explosions is estimating the timing and magnitude of the radionuclide signatures. While the primary mechanism for transport is advective transport, either through barometric pumping or thermally driven advection, diffusive transport in the surrounding matrix also plays a secondary role. From the study of primordial noble gas signatures, it is known that xenon has a strong physical adsorption affinity in shale formations. Given the unselective nature of physical adsorption, isotherm measurements reported here show that non-trivial amounts of xenon adsorb on a variety of media, in addition to shale. A dual-porosity model is then discussed demonstrating that sorption amplifies the diffusive uptake of an adsorbing matrix from a fracture. This effect may reduce the radioxenon signature down to approximately one-tenth, similar to primordial xenon isotopic signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Paul
- Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Rd, Bldg 159, Austin, TX 78758, USA.
| | - S R Biegalski
- Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Rd, Bldg 159, Austin, TX 78758, USA
| | - D A Haas
- Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Rd, Bldg 159, Austin, TX 78758, USA
| | - H Jiang
- Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 200 E. Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - H Daigle
- Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 200 E. Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - J D Lowrey
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd, Richland, WA 99354, USA
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18
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McIntyre JI, Aalseth CE, Alexander TR, Back HO, Bellgraph BJ, Bowyer TW, Chipman V, Cooper MW, Day AR, Drellack S, Foxe MP, Fritz BG, Hayes JC, Humble P, Keillor ME, Kirkham RR, Krogstad EJ, Lowrey JD, Mace EK, Mayer MF, Milbrath BD, Misner A, Morley SM, Panisko ME, Olsen KB, Ripplinger MD, Seifert A, Suarez R. Measurements of Argon-39 at the U20az underground nuclear explosion site. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 178-179:28-35. [PMID: 28755564 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory reports on the detection of 39Ar at the location of an underground nuclear explosion on the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. The presence of 39Ar was not anticipated at the outset of the experimental campaign but results from this work demonstrated that it is present, along with 37Ar and 85Kr in the subsurface at the site of an underground nuclear explosion. Our analysis showed that by using state-of-the-art technology optimized for radioargon measurements, it was difficult to distinguish 39Ar from the fission product 85Kr. Proportional counters are currently used for high-sensitivity measurement of 37Ar and 39Ar. Physical and chemical separation processes are used to separate argon from air or soil gas, yielding pure argon with contaminant gases reduced to the parts-per-million level or below. However, even with purification at these levels, the beta decay signature of 85Kr can be mistaken for that of 39Ar, and the presence of either isotope increases the measurement background level for the measurement of 37Ar. Measured values for the 39Ar measured at the site ranged from 36,000 milli- Becquerel/standard-cubic-meter-of-air (mBq/SCM) for shallow bore holes to 997,000 mBq/SCM from the rubble chimney from the underground nuclear explosion.
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Affiliation(s)
- J I McIntyre
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
| | - C E Aalseth
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - T R Alexander
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - H O Back
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - B J Bellgraph
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - T W Bowyer
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - V Chipman
- National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), North Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - M W Cooper
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - A R Day
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - S Drellack
- National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), North Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - M P Foxe
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - B G Fritz
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - J C Hayes
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - P Humble
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M E Keillor
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - R R Kirkham
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - E J Krogstad
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - J D Lowrey
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - E K Mace
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M F Mayer
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - B D Milbrath
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - A Misner
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - S M Morley
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M E Panisko
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - K B Olsen
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - M D Ripplinger
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - A Seifert
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - R Suarez
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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