Jack Rabbit II: Experimental Large-Scale Chlorine Release Trials

In August and September of 2015, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) conducted the Phase 1 field trials of the Jack Rabbit II (JR II) program, a series of 5 large-scale outdoor chlorine release experiments with a collaborative team of partners from government, industry, and academia.  Sponsored by the CSAC, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and Transport Canada, these field trials were performed to fill critical knowledge, data, and capability gaps to support and improve chemical release modeling, industrial safety, and emergency response procedures.  This paper summarizes the execution of the 5 successful chlorine release trials ranging from 5 to 9 tons, the instrumentation deployed, the data collected, and preliminary analyses of the high-definition video footage, cloud movement, and behavior and concentration/time profiles as a function of distance from the release site.  This paper will also present plans for the JR II Phase 2 field trials scheduled for late 2016 which will include additional chlorine releases up to 16 tons.