Te Question 17 . Another type of Plowshare explosion--the kind used to "mine" natural gas and oil, for instance--is deeply buried, and seems to raise completely different environmental questions. Part A Question 17 Is there any difference in nuclide production from explosives used for excavation, and explosives used for underground engineering? equally clean? Or are they Part A Answer Question 17 The AEC is studying the design of nuclear fission explosives which” produce minimal amounts of tritium to be used for industrial applications such as stimulation of natural gus and oil. Similarly, special explosives have been designed for excavation applications which produce minimal amounts of fission products. In each case, the explosive is specifically designed to limtt to the greatest extent possible the production of radionuclides troublesome to that particular application. _ Part B Question 17 Does anyone understand why some tests vent and others do not? it not be predicted? If so, why can Part B Answer Question 17 Since 1961, no Plowshare experiments designed for complete containment have vented. However, the Commission is continuing its work to refine calculational models to predict the conditions necessary for containment of further detonations. These models, based on theoretical studies of specific parameters such as the type of rock and special emplacement techniques, are