Project 596

596

Test deviceChinaImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent22 kt

Key specs

Country: China
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Test device
Number built: 1

Overview

China’s first nuclear test: a 22 kt implosion device of highly enriched uranium-235, fired on a tower at Lop Nur in October 1964. Using uranium rather than plutonium surprised Western analysts.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 22 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 210 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.5 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 2 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 2.4 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 6.2 km

Estimated ground ranges for an air burst at the optimum height over flat, open ground, computed from the yield with standard scaling laws. These are not measurements: real effects depend on the height of burst, terrain, buildings and weather.

Formulas from: Glasstone & Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977), chapter II; Carey Sublette, Nuclear Weapons FAQ, section 5

Tests and use

Date	Event	Site	Yield
Oct 16, 1964	Project 596	Lop Nur, Xinjiang, China	22 kt

Sources

Project 596, Wikipedia