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Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

Calculations of External Gamma Radiation Exposure Rates from Fallout and Related Radionuclid Compositions Operation Upshot-Knothole

Dated
Jul 31, 1981
Document type
Report
Length
141 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16039398 · public domain

Archive description

This report presents data on calculated gamma radiation exposure rates and ground deposition of related radionuclide resulting from events t hat deposited detectable radioactivity outside the nevada test site co mplex.

Document text

Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.

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Results of Calculations of. External Gamma Radiation Exposure Rates from Fallout and the Related Manuscript date: July 1981 LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY University of California l Livermore, California l 94550 Available from: National Technical Information Service l U.S. Department of Commerce 5285 Port Royal Road l Springfield, VA 22161 l ~!kOO per copy l (Microfiche $3.50)

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hill Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory TO: All holders of UCRL-53152, "Results of Calculations of External Gamma Radiation Exposure Rates from Fallout and the Related FROM: Technical Information Department For purposes of clarification, the following information (underlined below) is being added to your copy of UCRL-53152 Part 4: Each Appendix contains 11 pages of calculated results relating to one Event in Table 1. Each set of 11 pages is marked Page 2 through Page bottom. Page 2 of each set gives the external gamma-ray exposure rates and associated values of total microcuries per square meter at 30 decay intervals and at zero time. Note that the totals at zero time include only the nuclides listed in pages 3 through 12, not all the nuclides present at zero time. Calculated values for each radionuclide at various decay intervals are given in the remaining pages--from 1 to 21 hr in Pages 3-7, from 1 to 300 d in Pages 8-11, and from 1 to 50 y in Page 12. Unless otherwise indicated. the value for each nuclide at zero time is the result of a radiochemical measurement. The measurements were performed on debris samples taken by aircraft approximately 1 to 4 hr after detonation. The production of nuclides designated by (*> has been estimated. When no estimate could be made, the value appears as zero. To incorporate this addendum, please staple or affix the attached page so as to cover the existing Page 2 in your document. An Equal Opportunity Employe- l lhversityof California l PO. Box 808 LivermOre, Califomia 94550 l Telephone f415)422-1100 l TWX910-386-8339 UCLLL LVMR

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This document is one of eight parts of Report UCRL-53152. Each part contains results for Events (shots) from a specific Operation or Operations, as listed here. Part 1. Operation Ranger, Events Able, Baker, Easy, Baker-2 and Fox. Part 2. Operation Buster-Jangle, Events Buster Baker, Buster Charlie, Buster Dog, Buster Easy, Jangle Sugar and Jangle Uncle. Part 3. Operation Tumbler-Snapper, Events Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George and How. Harry, Grable and Climax. Events Annie, Nancy, Ruth, Dixie, Ray, Badger, Simon, Encore, Part 5. Operation Teapot, Events Wasp, Moth, Tesla, Turk, Hornet, Bee, Ess, Apple I, Wasp Prime, HA, Post, Met, Apple II and Zucchini. Part 6. Operation Plumbob, Events Boltzmann, Franklin, Wilson, Priscilla, Hood, Diablo, John, Kepler, Owens, Pascal A, Stokes, Shasta, Doppler, Franklin Prime, Smoky, Galileo, Wheeler, Coulomb B, Laplace, Fizeau, Newton, Whitney, Charleston, Morgan and Coulomb C. Part 7. Operation Hardtack II, Events Otero, Eddy, Mora, Hidalgo, Quay, Lea, Hamilton, Dona Ana, Vesta, Rio Arriba, Socorro, Wrangell, Rushmore, Catron, Sanford, Debaca, Chavez, Humboldt, Titania and Santa Fe. Part 8. Operations Nougat through Bowline, Events Danny Boy, Sedan, Johnny Boy, Small Boy, Little Feller I, Sulky, Palanquin, Cabriolet, Buggy and Schooner. Each part of the report contains 11 pages of data relating to each Event covered by that part of the

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Detailed results for Event Annie Detailed results for Event Nancy Detailed results for Event Ruth Detailed results for Event Dixie Detailed results for Event Ray . Detailed results for Event Badger Detailed results for Event Simon Detailed results for Event Encore Detailed results for Event Harry Detailed results for Event Grable Detailed results for Event Climax

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Results of Calculations of External Gamma Radiation Exposure Rates from Fallout and the Related Radionuclide Compositions This report presents data on calculated gamma radiation exposure rates and ground deposition of related radionuclides resulting from Events that deposited detectable radioactivity outside the Nevada Test Site complex. The Events which deposited detectable radioactivity outside the Nevada Test Site complex1 are listed in Table. 1. TABLE I. Yield, date and placement of Events of Operation Upshot-Knothole, 1953. Event Yield (kt) Date Placement Results of the calculations of relative external gamma radiation exposure rate and related radionuclide ground deposition are given in the Appendices. These calculations are described in detail in Ref. 2. The output of the calculation has 30 decay times, 10 from 1 to 21 h, 10 from 1 to 300 d, and 10 from 1 to 50 y. For each of these times and for zero time there are values of the external gamma radiation exposure rate normalized to 1 mR/h, I m above the surface, 12 h after the event, the associated values of $Zi/m2 for each radionuclide, and the total /.G/m2.

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The 233~~ 235u, 23f3u, and 239,240 Pu data were omitted primarily to keep the output unclassified. Furthermore, the natural uranium content of the soil is about one million times that received from fallout and at least half of the plutonium in Nevada and Utah soils comes from worldwide fallout.3 Surface roughness effects are simulated by using Beck’s values4 of (mR/h)/(&i/m2) for a relaxation length of 0.16 g/cm2. According to Beck, the concentration of fallout varies exponentially with soil depth, Fractionation effects were simulated by the removal of a fraction of the refractory nuclides from the calculation. In general, air drops were assumed to be unfractionated, surface and cratering Events were assumed to have 0.4 of the refractory elements present, and all other Events were assumed to have 0.5 of the refractory elements present. Each Appendix contains 11 pages of calculated results relating to one Event in Table 1. Each set of 11 pages is marked Page 2 through Page 12 at the top and A2 through Al2 (or B2 through B12, etc.) at the bottom. Page 2 of each set gives the external gamma-ray exposure rates and associated values of total microcuries per square meter at 30 decay intervals and at zero time. Note that the totals at zero time include only the nuclides listed in Pages 3 through 12, not all the nuclides present at zero time. Calculated values for each radionuclide at various decay intervals are given in the remaining pages-from 1 to 21 h in Pages 3-7, from 1 to 300 d in Page 8-11, and from 1 to 50 y in Page 12. Unless otherwise indicated, the value for each nuclide at zero time is the result of a radiochemical measurement. The measurements were performed on debris samples taken by aircraft approximately 1 to 4 h after detonation. The production of nuclides designated by (*) has been estimated. When no estimate could be made, the value appears as 1. Announced United States Nuclear Tests, July, 1945, through December, 1980, Office of Public Affairs, Nevada Operations Office, Department of Energy, Las Vegas, NV, NVO-209, Rev. 1, January 1981. 2. H. G. Hicks, Calculation of the Concentration of Any Radionuclide Deposited on the Ground by Fallout from’ a Nuclear Detonation, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, Preprint UCRL-86177 (1981). Accepted for publication in Health Physics. 3. E. Hardy, Plutonium in Soil Northeast of the Nevada Test Site, Environmental Measurements Laboratory, Department of Energy, New York, NY, HASL-306, pg. 1-51, July 1, 1976. 4. H. L. Beck, Exposure Rate Conversion Factors for Radionuclides Deposited on the Ground, Environmental Measurements Laboratory, Department of Energy, New York, NY, EML-387, July, 1980.

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FRACTION OF REFRACTORIES PRESENT = 0.500 DEBRIS DECAY FR0M 1 TO 21 HOURS

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BOMB FRACTIBN PER SQ. METER q 3.648E-13 DEBRIS DECAY FROM 1 TB 21 HBURS

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ANN 1 E MI CRUCIJRI ES/SO METER DEBRIS DECAY FRUM 1 TO 300 DAYS

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FRACTION 0~ REFRACTBRIES PRESENT q 0.500 DEBRIS DECAY FRBM 1 TO 50 YEARS

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FRACTION UF REFRACTURIES PRESENT = 0.500 DEBRIS DECAY FRUM 1 TU 300 DAYS

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RUTH MI CRBCUR I ES/SO METER FRACTION OF REFRACTURIES PRESENT q 0.500 DEBRlS DECAY FRaM 1 Till 21 HUURS

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