Experimental Studies of Soil Thermal Irradiation. Volume II. Thermochemical Pulse Generator Development.
Abstract
The total report describes three experimental activities in thermal layer experimental development. Volume II reports on an innovative thermochemical pulse generator development program. A method of simulating the thermal radiation from a nuclear weapon over an area of tens of square meters in a field environment was developed for operational evaluation. The thermal radiation is produced by a pulse generator that uses the thermochemical reaction of aluminum and oxygen, referred to as a 'flashbulb' in this report. Preliminary analysis and small-scale experiments led to the selection of an aluminum-oxygen reaction as the most promising approach. The potentially better performance of magnesium-oxygen and zirconium-oxygen was offset by the hazards involved in shipping and handling these metals in foil or powder form.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA058303
Entities
People
- A. Houghton
- J. Cockayne
- J. Dishon
- T. M. Knasel