Phenomenology of the Pokaranpne experiment

Abstract

The phenomenology of the Pokaran PNE experiment (yield - 12 kiloton of TNT) conducted in a shale-sandstone rock, 107 meters underground, is described with the aid of computations using a one-dimensional spherical symmetric rock mechanics computer code developed by the authors. The calculated values of cavity radius, spall velocity and extent of rock fracturing are in good agreement with the observed values. The principal mechanism for crater formation at Pokaran was spall and the relatively smaller crater dimensions and non-venting of radioactivity gases were due to lower kinetic energy transferred to the shale-sandstone rock.