THE EFFECT OF RADIONUCLIDE FRACTIONATION ON THE NORMALIZATION FACTOR FOR FALLOUT FIELDS

Abstract

This report compares the normalization factor, r/hr per kt/sq mi, calculated for unfractionated fission products with the normalization factors calculated from field data for a near-surface silicate soil burst and a silicate soil cratering burst. The large discrepancies between predicted and observed values appear to be caused by a combination of radionuclide fractionation, ground roughness and instrument self-shielding, and gradient effects. Fractionation effects can cause a difference of a factor of five in the normalization factors for surface and cratering bursts, allowing about 50% reduction in radiation due to ground roughness and instrument self-shielding. Ionization-chamber measurements on field-collected samples are correlated with their degree of fractionation in this report, and a reasonable correspondence between the ionization-chamber readings and the exposure rates measured in the field is established. (Author)

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 04, 1965
Accession Number
AD0473335

Entities

People

  • Glenn R. Crocker

Organizations

  • Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • California
  • Contamination
  • Cratering
  • Detonations
  • Fission Products
  • Gamma Rays
  • Geometry
  • Ionization Chambers
  • Isotopes
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Particles
  • Radiation
  • Shielding
  • Standards
  • Thermal Neutrons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.
  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.