PNNL

Abstract

The interaction of xenon with containment barriers can play a crucial role in the detection of underground nuclear explosions. Independent field experiments and laboratory-derived models have observed depressed surface level xenon concentrations and subsequently predicted geological capture rates. This work sought to experimentally verify those predictions by analyzing xenon transport though a two-bulb diffusion apparatus adapted for the study of geologic media. Novel to this work is the timescale over which these experiments were carried out, allowing the system to reach equilibrium, rather than relying on numerical models to treat the equilibrium concentration of each gas as a fit coefficient.