Rethinking Porosity-Based Diffusivity Estimates for Sorptive Gas Transport at Variable Temperatures.

Abstract

The detection of noble gas radioisotopes following a suspected underground nuclear explosion is the surest indicator that nuclear detonation has occurred. However, the accurate interpretation and attribution of radioisotopic signatures is only possible with a complete understanding of transport processes occurring between the nuclear cavity and surface. In the far-field, diffusive forces contributing to gas transport are impacted by temperature gradients and subsurface lithology. In the current study, we investigate diffusive transport of xenon (Xe), krypton (Kr), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) through intact Bandelier tuff at elevated temperatures using a newly developed high temperature diffusion cell. Diffusion coefficients determined using Finite Element Heat and Mass transfer code simulations and the Parameter ESTimation tool range from 2.6-3.1 × 10^-6 m²/s at 20 °C, 3.4-5.1 × 10^-6 m²/s at 40 °C, and 4.3-7.0 × 10^-6 m²/s at 70 °C. Sorption was found to be an important transport mechanism at ambient temperatures (20 °C). Most critically, our study shows that empirical porosity-based diffusion estimates for these gases through tuff captured neither the magnitude nor trends relative to a nonsorbing sandstone. These new insights highlight the importance of experimental transport investigations and will be used to improve models for subsurface gas propagation relevant to proliferation detection and environmental contamination.