A Feasibility Study of Nuclear Fireball Simulation.
Abstract
The report describes the initial phase of an experimental program designed to assess the feasibility of simulating the thermal environment of a high-temperature nuclear fireball. A high-performance, explosively driven shock tube is used to produce temperatures from 10,000 K to 100,000 K in xenon gas. The Boltzmann number and optical depth in the gas are chosen to match the fireball environment. Radiative energy transfer dominates conductive and convective processes in a nuclear fireball (as measured by the Boltzmann number), so that it is possible to achieve fireball simulation with a gas other than air. Xenon was chosen for its thermodynamic compatibility with state-of-the-art explosively driven shock tubes. The fireball simulator is primarily useful in providing a definitive experimental test of prediction codes for fireball thermal effects, for obtaining data on the energy-transport properties of ablated surface materials, and for developing and testing fireball instrumentation concepts. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0717090
Entities
People
- D. W. Baum
- S. P. Gill