Characterization of the Plasma Chemistry in Nuclear Fireballs
Abstract
In the immediate seconds after the detonation of a nuclear weapon a large plasma cloud is formed. This plasma cloud has a unique environment due to the pressure and temperatures that are achieved. As part of on-going efforts between the University of Tennessee Institute for Nuclear Security s (UT-INS) Radiochemistry Center of Excellence (RCoE) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the two institutions have been collaborating, and have set up an industrial grade plasma torch. This work will leverage the existing collaboration and laboratory facilities to investigate the plasma chemistry in real time to determine what processes of formation (e.g. oxide, nitride, sulfide, etc.) occur in different regions of the plasma (e.g. edge, center, etc.) using chemical compositions for the fallout recipes derived using the methods developed by Giminaro et. al. After particulate matter is formed in the plasma region, the experimental chamber is set up to collect samples for investigation by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and other similar morphological and surface chemistry characterization techniques. The resulting data will allow investigators to tie together correlations such as particle size to elemental composition, chemical form (oxide, nitride, etc) as a function of temperature, and other useful factors
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 10, 2017
- Source ID
- HDTRA11710022
Entities
People
- John David Auxier Ii
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- University of Tennessee