The Effect of Water Content on the Predictions of the Cloud Rise Module of DELFIC

Abstract

The effect of water content on the predictions of the Cloud Rise Module (CRM) of the Defense Land Fallout Information Code, (DELFIC) was examined. Problems with the theory of the CRM were found, especially how it handled the cloud's water content. The source code of the CRM was also found to have some contradictions with its documentation. All of the problems found with the CRM were addressed and a new version of DELFIC was created. This new version was then used to examine the predicted nuclear cloud height and volume for different humidity profiles and surface water mass loading of the cloud. Increasing the atmospheric humidity resulted in a higher stabilized cloud top altitude and larger volume; increasing the surface water loading resulted in a lower stabilized cloud top and a smaller cloud volume. The effect of soil loading was examined, and found to produce only slight changes in the stabilized cloud top and volume. Results found with the revised CRM were compared to the results found using the original CRM. Both versions followed the same trends as the humidity profiles were changed, but the results found for the surface water loading case were very divergent. The differences in the results of the two versions suggest the results of the revised CRM are more valid. Keywords: Nuclear explosion simulation.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA194618

Entities

People

  • Bryan M. Minor

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Computer Programs
  • Differential Equations
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Explosives
  • Heat Energy
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Latent Heat
  • Nuclear Clouds
  • Nuclear Explosion Simulation
  • Nuclear Explosions
  • Specific Heat
  • Surface Waters
  • Water Masses
  • Water Vapor

Readers

  • Atmospheric Remote Sensing.
  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.
  • Mathematics or Statistics