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Chemical detection of buried landmines

Phelan, James M.

Of all the buried landmine identification technologies currently available, sensing the chemical signature from the explosive components found in landmines is the only technique that can classify non-explosive objects from the real threat. In the last two decades, advances in chemical detection methods has brought chemical sensing technology to the foreground as an emerging technological solution. In addition, advances have been made in the understanding of the fundamental transport processes that allow the chemical signature to migrate from the buried source to the ground surface. A systematic evaluation of the transport of the chemical signature from inside the mine into the soil environment, and through the soil to the ground surface is being explored to determine the constraints on the use of chemical sensing technology. This effort reports on the results of simulation modeling using a one-dimensional screening model to evaluate the impacts on the transport of the chemical signature by variation of some of the principal soil transport parameters.