General Report on Nuclear Weapons Tests - Sandia Labs

93 Pages·1998·2.833 MB·English

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RALISTIr(: 1JtSslt.- I)IVI'ilON
TECHNICAL LIBRARY WT' 9003
Doctimen No.~ii ( opy No. 13
I 1GENERAL REPORT
4- 6 Cft 1 W ^0& P Oi nirdS
Mv VEAPONS
.- Now LONGJ-DISt'ANCE BI AST PREDICTIONS,
MICR BARZ1METRIC MEASUREMENTS, AND
UPPE -AhKOSPHERE MET]Y OROIOGIC AL
O~eqVA NS FOR OPERATIONS UPSHOT-
%L~ffHOLO ICASOTIFE AND TEPTA
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Isnp~e~ie~ 0,151..1it~ 1)
C-251 - - 1- Ji - I
RE S T RI CTEED DATA
This document contains i estr c ed daita as
defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.
Its transmittal or the disclosure of its
o'ontents in any manner to an unauthorized
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ýAKJ)IA('n PnRATION1 ALB10UQUEROQUE. NEW -MEXICO
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This report supersedes WT-9003(Prelim.), Series A.
Holders of WT-9003(Preiim.) should destroy copies in
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struction certificates should be forwarded to the
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If WT-9003, Series B, is no longer needed, return it to
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ThisWT-9003
This document consists of 90 pages
No. of 4R3copies, Series B
LONG-DISTANCE BLAST PREDICTIONS,
MICROBAROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS, AND
UPPER-ATMOSPHERE METEOROLOGICAL
OBSERVATIONS FOR OPERATIONS
I
UPSHOT- KNOTHOLE, CASTLE, AND TEAPOT
By
E. F. Cox --
and
J_ W. Reed,.
Sandia Corporattru
Albuquerque, New Mexico
October 1956
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This document contains restricted data as
defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.
Its transmittal or the disclosure of its
contents in any manner to an unauthorized
person is prohibited.
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S ECRE T
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it. ACT 195-41
ABSTRACT
A blast prediction and mrcrobarograph observation pro-
gram was operated by Sandia Corporation du.-ing Operations
Upshot-Knothole, Castle, and Teapot. Refined methods for
blast prediction have been derived which appear to predeter-
mine adequately the possibility of blast damages occurring
outside the Nevada Test Site during test operations. In addi-
tion, sound recordings have been used for inverted geophysical
seismic exploration of winds and temperatures in the ozono-
sphere, 30-60 km above the earth.
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CONTENTS
P age
ABSTRACT 2
CHAPTER 1 THR 'PROHT.P.M OP" T ONC,-fltTAC I AST EF.FECTS AT NFV'V\l-)A
TEST' SITE
CHAPTER 2 INST'RUMENTATION 15
CHAPTER 3 PREDICTING SIGNAL PROPAGATION 23
3.1 General Considerations 23
3.2 Propagation under an Inversion 26
3.3 Propagation in Complexc Atmospheres 27
3,4 Raypac Propagation Computations 3.3
CHAPTER 4 VERIFICATION OF PREDICTIONS 43
.4. 1 Accuracy of Predictions Prior to Operation Teapot 43
4.2 Verification of Teapot Predictions 46
4.3 Accuracy of Weather Predictions 52
CHAPTER 5 UPPER ATMOSPHERE (OZONOSPHERE, IONOSPHERE) SIGNALS 59
5. 1 Deducing Osonosphere Weather Conditionis 59
5,2 Observations from Operation Upshot-Knothole 62
5.3 Observations from Operation Castle 69
5.4 Observations from Operation Teapot 72
CHAPTER 6 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE OPERATIONS 83
CHAPTER 7 SUMMARY 85
ILLUSTRATIONS
CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM OF LONG-DISTANCE BLAST EFFECTS AT NEVADA
TEST SITE
1.1 Departure of Mean Surface Temperature from Normal, March-May 195,3,
Upshot-Knothole 8
1.2 Peak Press.u.rs Measured at Las Vegas for All Tests Except Ranger 9
1.3 Departure of Mean Surface Temperature from Normal, February-May
1955, Teapot 12
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ILLUSTRATIONS (cont)
Page
CHAPTER 2 INSTRUMENTATION
2.1 Microbarograph Sensing Head on Glenn, Eniwetok Atoll, Castle 16
2.2 Microbarograph Recording System, Eniwetok, Castle 16
2.3 Microbarograph Sensing Head at Boulder City, Teapot 17
2.4 Microbarograph Reornding Station, Boulder City, Teapot 18
2.5 Microbarograph Stations and Nuclear and HE Shot Points at the
N evada Test Site, Upshot-Knothole 19
2.6 Microbarograph Recording Stations Used During 1953, Upshot-Knothole 20
2.7 Microbarograph Recording Stations Used During 1955, Teapot 21
2.8 Microbarograph Recording Stations Used During 1954, Castle 22
CHAPTER 3 ING.3.....'SIGNAL FRfPAGAtfAit UN
3. 1 Sound Ray Paths Under a Surface Temperature Inversion 24
3.2 Sound Ray Paths for the Complex Atmospheric Case, with a Focus of
Energy 25
3.3 Peak Overpressure versus Distance from a Surface Explosion Under
an Inversion 28
3.4 Sound Signal Frequency versus Yield for Upshot-Knothole Tests 30
3.5 Fraction of Initial Blast Energy Remaining in Shock or Sound Wave 32
3.6 Raypac Computer for Plotting Sound Rays 34
3.7 Raypac Plots for Open Shot, Teapot 38
3.8 Peak Overpressure Computation Chart 41
CHAPTER 4 VERIFICATION OF PREDICTIONS
4. 1 Verification of Inversion-ducted Overpressures Predicted from
Eq 3. 10, Teapot 47
4.2 Verification of Inversion-ducted Overpressures Predicted from
Eq 3.11, Teapot 48
4.3 Verification u. Raypac -predicted Overpressures, Teapot 50
4.4 Verification of HE-scaled Overpressures, Teapot 51
4;5 Verification of W1/3 Scaled HE Overpressures, Teapot 53
4.6 Verification of Wl/2 Scaled HE Overpressures, Teapot 54
4.7 Errors in Predicting Sound Velocity, Upshot-Knothole 55
4.8 Errors in Predicting Sound Speed, Upshot-Knothole 56
4.9 Layer Character of Errors in Predicting Sound Velocity 57
4.10 Possible Sound Velocity Structures Caused by Forecasting Errors 58
CHAPTER 5 UPPER ATMOSPHERE (OZONOSPHERE, IONOSPHERE) SIGNALS
5. i Geometry of Dual Microbarograph Sound Recording a
5. 2 Two-gradient Solutions of Upper Atmosphere Sound Velocity 61
5. 3 Upper Air Sound Velocities from Upshot-Knothole Microbarograph
Recordings 63
5.4 Linearized Solution for Upper Air Sound Velocities, Upshot-Knothole 64
5.5 Atmospheric Sound Velocity-Altitude Structures Used in Checking
Empiric Height Equation 65
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ILLUSTRATIONS (cont)
Page
5.6 Computed Sound Travel Parameters from Assumed Atmospheric
Structures 66
5.7 Ozonosphere Sound Velocities, Upshot-Knothole 67
5. 8 Ozonosphere and Ionosphere Sound Velocities, Upshot-Knothole 68
5.9 Resolution of Mean Sound Velocities to Wind and Temperature Means,
Upshot-Knothole 70
5.10 Mean Ozonosphere Sound Speeds and Winds, Upshot-Knothole 71
5. 11 Observed Upper Air Sound Velnoctie', Castll 'i4
5.12 Sound Signal Recording, Bravo Shot, Castle 75
5.13 Ozonosphere Temperatures Observed During Teapot 80
5.14 Ozonosphere Winds Observed During Teapot 81
TABLES
CHAPTER 3 PREDICTING SIGNAL PROPAGATION
3.1 Speed of Sound in Air 35
3.2 Wind Resolution Coefficients 36
3.3 Raypac Weather Data Input Computaiionsq Open Shot, Teapot 37
3.4 Reflection Factors Used in Blast Prediction 40
CHAPTER 4 VERIFICATION OF PREDICTIONS
4.1 P-ak-to-Peak Blast Pressures in Las Vegas 44
4.2 Grade on Blast Prediction from Las Vegas 45
CHAPTER 5 UPPER ATMOSPHERE (OZONOSPHERE, IONOSPHERE) SIGNALS
5. 1 Ozonosphere Observation Program Results, Teapot 76
REFERENCES 87
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