Fractionation Properties of Nuclear Debris from the Chinese Test of 24 December 1967

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Abstract
Debris from China's seventh nuclear explosion test was examined with gamma-spectrographic and autoradiographic methods. The “hot particles” are rather uniformly reddish, with a specific activity in the medium range. They displayed a normal fractionation, but the fractionation factors are independent of particle size in the range 0.4 μm-4.5 μm. Debris, dissolved in precipitation water, displayed an “opposite” fractionation and it was shown that the “hot particles” and the soluble particulate are “mirror particulates,” i.e. they represent the parts of a dual partition of the nuclear debris, originally formed. The distribution of various gamma-emitting nuclides between the two particulates is calculated. The “hot particles” were found to have incorporated about 90% of all atoms of mass-chain 95 formed. It was estimated that 3.2 × 103 kg of iron per kg burnt-out uranium were incorporated in the fire-ball. Particle size spectra for different “hot particle” samples are given. The concept of “mirror particulates” is discussed theoretically and in the light of the particle formation model of Holmberg-Andersson.

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