In search of plutonium: A nonproliferation journey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hecker, Siegfried

2010-02-01

In February 1992, I landed in the formerly secret city of Sarov, the Russian Los Alamos, followed a few days later by a visit to Snezhinsk, their Livermore. The briefings we received of the Russian nuclear weapons program and tours of their plutonium, reactor, explosives, and laser facilities were mind boggling considering the Soviet Union was dissolved only two months earlier. This visit began a 17-year, 41 journey relationship with the Russian nuclear complex dedicated to working with them in partnership to protect and safeguard their weapons and fissile materials, while addressing the plight of their scientists and engineers. In the process, we solved a forty-year disagreement about the plutonium-gallium phase diagram and began a series of fundamental plutonium science workshops that are now in their tenth year. At the Yonbyon reprocessing facility in January 2004, my North Korean hosts had hoped to convince me that they have a nuclear deterrent. When I expressed skepticism, they asked if I wanted to see their ``product.'' I asked if they meant the plutonium; they replied, ``Well, yes.'' Thus, I wound up holding 200 grams of North Korean plutonium (in a sealed glass jar) to make sure it was heavy and warm. So began the first of my six journeys to North Korea to provide technical input to the continuing North Korean nuclear puzzle. In Trombay and Kalpakkam a few years later I visited the Indian nuclear research centers to try to understand how India's ambitious plans for nuclear power expansion can be accomplished safely and securely. I will describe these and other attempts to deal with the nonproliferation legacy of the cold war and the new challenges ahead. )

Processes for metal extraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowersox, David F.

1992-01-01

This report describes the processing of plutonium at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and operation illustrating concepts that may be applicable to the processing of lunar materials. The toxic nature of plutonium requires a highly closed system for processing lunar surface materials.

Destructive analysis capabilities for plutonium and uranium characterization at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tandon, Lav; Kuhn, Kevin J; Drake, Lawrence R

Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) Actinide Analytical Chemistry (AAC) group has been in existence since the Manhattan Project. It maintains a complete set of analytical capabilities for performing complete characterization (elemental assay, isotopic, metallic and non metallic trace impurities) of uranium and plutonium samples in different forms. For a majority of the customers there are strong quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) objectives including highest accuracy and precision with well defined uncertainties associated with the analytical results. Los Alamos participates in various international and national programs such as the Plutonium Metal Exchange Program, New Brunswick Laboratory's (NBL' s) Safeguardsmore » Measurement Evaluation Program (SME) and several other inter-laboratory round robin exercises to monitor and evaluate the data quality generated by AAC. These programs also provide independent verification of analytical measurement capabilities, and allow any technical problems with analytical measurements to be identified and corrected. This presentation will focus on key analytical capabilities for destructive analysis in AAC and also comparative data between LANL and peer groups for Pu assay and isotopic analysis.« less

Development of an integrated, unattended assay system for LWR-MOX fuel pellet trays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stewart, J.E.; Hatcher, C.R.; Pollat, L.L.

1994-08-01

Four identical unattended plutonium assay systems have been developed for use at the new light-water-reactor mixed oxide (LWR-MOX) fuel fabrication facility at Hanau, Germany. The systems provide quantitative plutonium verification for all MOX pellet trays entering or leaving a large, intermediate store. Pellet-tray transport and storage systems are highly automated. Data from the ``I-Point`` (information point) assay systems will be shared by the Euratom and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Inspectorates. The I-Point system integrates, for the first time, passive neutron coincidence counting (NCC) with electro-mechanical sensing (EMS) in unattended mode. Also, provisions have been made for adding high-resolution gammamore » spectroscopy. The system accumulates data for every tray entering or leaving the store between inspector visits. During an inspection, data are analyzed and compared with operator declarations for the previous inspection period, nominally one month. Specification of the I-point system resulted from a collaboration between the IAEA, Euratom, Siemens, and Los Alamos. Hardware was developed by Siemens and Los Alamos through a bilateral agreement between the German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT) and the US DOE. Siemens also provided the EMS subsystem, including software. Through the USSupport Program to the IAEA, Los Alamos developed the NCC software (NCC COLLECT) and also the software for merging and reviewing the EMS and NCC data (MERGE/REVIEW). This paper describes the overall I-Point system, but emphasizes the NCC subsystem, along with the NCC COLLECT and MERGE/REVIEW codes. We also summarize comprehensive testing results that define the quality of assay performance.« less

PLUTONIUM PROCESSING OPTIMIZATION IN SUPPORT OF THE MOX FUEL PROGRAM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

GRAY, DEVIN W.; COSTA, DAVID A.

2007-02-02

After Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) personnel completed polishing 125 Kg of plutonium as highly purified PuO{sub 2} from surplus nuclear weapons, Duke, COGEMA, Stone, and Webster (DCS) required as the next process stage, the validation and optimization of all phases of the plutonium polishing flow sheet. Personnel will develop the optimized parameters for use in the upcoming 330 kg production mission.

Aqueous Nitrate Recovery Line at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finstad, Casey Charles

2016-06-15

This powerpoint is part of the ADPSM Plutonium Engineering Lecture Series, which is an opportunity for new hires at LANL to get an overview of work done at TA55. It goes into detail about the aqueous nitrate recovery line at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

LANL OPERATING EXPERIENCE WITH THE WAND AND HERCULES PROTOTYPE SYSTEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

K. M. GRUETZMACHER; C. L. FOXX; S. C. MYERS

2000-09-01

The Waste Assay for Nonradioactive Disposal (WAND) and the High Efficiency Radiation Counters for Ultimate Low Emission Sensitivity (HERCULES) prototype systems have been operating at Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL's) Solid Waste Operation's (SWO'S) non-destructive assay (NDA) building since 1997 and 1998, respectively. These systems are the cornerstone of the verification program for low-density Green is Clean (GIC) waste at the Laboratory. GIC waste includes all non-regulated waste generated in radiological controlled areas (RCAS) that has been actively segregated as clean (i.e., nonradioactive) through the use of waste generator acceptable knowledge (AK). The use of this methodology alters LANL's pastmore » practice of disposing of all room trash generated in nuclear facilities in radioactive waste landfills. Waste that is verified clean can be disposed of at the Los Alamos County Landfill. It is estimated that 50-90% of the low-density room trash from radioactive material handling areas at Los Alamos might be free of contamination. This approach avoids the high cost of disposal of clean waste at a radioactive waste landfill. It also reduces consumption of precious space in the radioactive waste landfill where disposal of this waste provides no benefit to the public or the environment. Preserving low level waste (LLW) disposal capacity for truly radioactive waste is critical in this era when expanding existing radioactive waste landfills or permitting new ones is resisted by regulators and stakeholders. This paper describes the operating experience with the WAND and HERCULES since they began operation at SWO. Waste for verification by the WAND system has been limited so far to waste from the Plutonium Facility and the Solid Waste Operations Facility. A total of461 ft3 (13.1 m3) of low-density shredded waste and paper have been verified clean by the WAND system. The HERCULES system has been used to verify waste from four Laboratory facilities. These are the Solid Waste Operations Facility, the TA-48 Chemistry Facility, the Shops Facility, and the Environmental Facility. A total of 3150 ft3 (89.3 m3) of low-density waste has been verified clean by the HERCULES system.« less

Data Call Response for NEPA Supplement Analysis of CMRR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Booth, Steven Richard

The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) is proposing to provide analytical chemistry (AC) and materials characterization (MC) capabilities at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) by using a combination of existing space in two existing buildings: the Radiological Laboratory/Utility/Office Building (RLUOB) and the Plutonium Facility, Building 4 (PF-4) in TA-55. This represents a change from decisions made by DOE as informed by previous National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. In accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and DOE requirements, NNSA is preparing a Supplement Analysis (SA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action. Themore » focus of this analysis is on determining whether the proposal to provide AC and MC laboratory capabilities in existing space in RLUOB and PF-4 rather than building a new nuclear facility (NF) is a substantial change that is relevant to environmental concerns or whether new circumstance or information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its impacts are significant. The end result of the analysis is a determination whether the existing Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Environmental Impact Statement (CMRR EIS) should be supplemented, a new EIS should be prepared, or no further NEPA analysis is necessary. This report provides data for incorporation into the Supplement Analysis being written by Leidos, Inc. under contract to NNSA. Responding to the data call requires several areas of expertise. Los Alamos subject matter experts estimate equipments lists, facility modifications, waste quantities, labor needs and radiological doses. Los Alamos NEPA experts assist Leidos in compiling existing data from the LANL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) and CMRR EIS for public and other impacts. Bounding conditions are used to determine NEPA estimates.« less

Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Plutonium Sustainment Monthly Program Report September 2012

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McLaughlin, Anastasia Dawn; Storey, Bradford G.; Bowidowicz, Martin

In March of 2012 the Plutonium Sustainment program at LANL completed or addressed the following high-level activities: (1) Delivered Revision 2 of the Plutonium Sustainment Manufacturing Study, which incorporated changes needed due to the release of the FY2013 President's Budget and the delay in the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility (CMRRNF). (2) W87 pit type development activities completed a detailed process capability review for the flowsheet in preparation for the Engineering Development Unit Build. (3) Completed revising the Laser Beam Welding schedule to address scope and resource changes. (4) Completed machining and inspecting the first set of high-fidelitymore » cold parts on Precitech 2 for Gemini. (5) The Power Supply Assembly Area started floor cutting with a concrete saw and continued legacy equipment decommissioning. There are currently no major issues associated with achieving MRT L2 Milestones 4195-4198 or the relevant PBIs associated with Plutonium Sustainment. There are no budget issues associated with FY12 final budget guidance. Table 1 identifies all Baseline Change Requests (BCRs) that were initiated, in process, or completed during the month. The earned value metrics overall for LANL are within acceptable thresholds, so no high-level recovery plan is required. Each of the 5 major LANL WBS elements is discussed in detail.« less

Historic Manhattan Project Sites at Los Alamos

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGehee, Ellen

The Manhattan Project laboratory constructed at Los Alamos, New Mexico, beginning in 1943, was intended from the start to be temporary and to go up with amazing speed. Because most of those WWII-era facilities were built with minimal materials and so quickly, much of the original infrastructure was torn down in the late '40s and early '50s and replaced by more permanent facilities. However, a few key facilities remained, and are being preserved and maintained for historic significance. Four such sites are visited briefly in this video, taking viewers to V-Site, the buildings where the first nuclear explosive device wasmore » pre-assembled in preparation for the Trinity Test in Southern New Mexico. Included is another WWII area, Gun Site. So named because it was the area where scientists and engineers tested the so-called "gun method" of assembling nuclear materials -- the fundamental design of the Little Boy weapon that was eventually dropped on Hiroshima. The video also goes to Pajarito Site, home of the "Slotin Building" and "Pond Cabin." The Slotin Building is the place where scientist Louis Slotin conducted a criticality experiment that went awry in early 1946, leading to his unfortunate death, and the Pond Cabin served the team of eminent scientist Emilio Segre who did early chemistry work on plutonium that ultimately led to the Fat Man weapon.« less

Historic Manhattan Project Sites at Los Alamos

ScienceCinema

McGehee, Ellen

2018-05-11

The Manhattan Project laboratory constructed at Los Alamos, New Mexico, beginning in 1943, was intended from the start to be temporary and to go up with amazing speed. Because most of those WWII-era facilities were built with minimal materials and so quickly, much of the original infrastructure was torn down in the late '40s and early '50s and replaced by more permanent facilities. However, a few key facilities remained, and are being preserved and maintained for historic significance. Four such sites are visited briefly in this video, taking viewers to V-Site, the buildings where the first nuclear explosive device was pre-assembled in preparation for the Trinity Test in Southern New Mexico. Included is another WWII area, Gun Site. So named because it was the area where scientists and engineers tested the so-called "gun method" of assembling nuclear materials -- the fundamental design of the Little Boy weapon that was eventually dropped on Hiroshima. The video also goes to Pajarito Site, home of the "Slotin Building" and "Pond Cabin." The Slotin Building is the place where scientist Louis Slotin conducted a criticality experiment that went awry in early 1946, leading to his unfortunate death, and the Pond Cabin served the team of eminent scientist Emilio Segre who did early chemistry work on plutonium that ultimately led to the Fat Man weapon.

The cement solidification systems at LANL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veazey, G.W.

1990-01-01

There are two major cement solidification systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Both are focused primarily around treating waste from the evaporator at TA-55, the Plutonium Processing Facility. The evaporator receives the liquid waste stream from TA-55's nitric acid-based, aqueous-processing operations and concentrates the majority of the radionuclides in the evaporator bottoms solution. This is sent to the TA-55 cementation system. The evaporator distillate is sent to the TA-50 facility, where the radionuclides are precipitated and then cemented. Both systems treat TRU-level waste, and so are operated according to the criteria for WIPP-destined waste, but they differ in both cementmore » type and mixing method. The TA-55 systems uses Envirostone, a gypsum-based cement and in-drum prop mixing; the TA-50 systems uses Portland cement and drum tumbling for mixing.« less

Detecting errors and anomalies in computerized materials control and accountability databases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whiteson, R.; Hench, K.; Yarbro, T.

The Automated MC and A Database Assessment project is aimed at improving anomaly and error detection in materials control and accountability (MC and A) databases and increasing confidence in the data that they contain. Anomalous data resulting in poor categorization of nuclear material inventories greatly reduces the value of the database information to users. Therefore it is essential that MC and A data be assessed periodically for anomalies or errors. Anomaly detection can identify errors in databases and thus provide assurance of the integrity of data. An expert system has been developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory that examines thesemore » large databases for anomalous or erroneous data. For several years, MC and A subject matter experts at Los Alamos have been using this automated system to examine the large amounts of accountability data that the Los Alamos Plutonium Facility generates. These data are collected and managed by the Material Accountability and Safeguards System, a near-real-time computerized nuclear material accountability and safeguards system. This year they have expanded the user base, customizing the anomaly detector for the varying requirements of different groups of users. This paper describes the progress in customizing the expert systems to the needs of the users of the data and reports on their results.« less

Characterization of Representative Materials in Support of Safe, Long Term Storage of Surplus Plutonium in DOE-STD-3013 Containers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Narlesky, Joshua E.; Stroud, Mary Ann; Smith, Paul Herrick

2013-02-15

The Surveillance and Monitoring Program is a joint Los Alamos National Laboratory/Savannah River Site effort funded by the Department of Energy-Environmental Management to provide the technical basis for the safe, long-term storage (up to 50 years) of over 6 metric tons of plutonium stored in over 5,000 DOE-STD-3013 containers at various facilities around the DOE complex. The majority of this material is plutonium that is surplus to the nuclear weapons program, and much of it is destined for conversion to mixed oxide fuel for use in US nuclear power plants. The form of the plutonium ranges from relatively pure metalmore » and oxide to very impure oxide. The performance of the 3013 containers has been shown to depend on moisture content and on the levels, types and chemical forms of the impurities. The oxide materials that present the greatest challenge to the storage container are those that contain chloride salts. Other common impurities include oxides and other compounds of calcium, magnesium, iron, and nickel. Over the past 15 years the program has collected a large body of experimental data on 54 samples of plutonium, with 53 chosen to represent the broader population of materials in storage. This paper summarizes the characterization data, moisture analysis, particle size, surface area, density, wattage, actinide composition, trace element impurity analysis, and shelf life surveillance data and includes origin and process history information. Limited characterization data on fourteen nonrepresentative samples is also presented.« less

Critical assembly: A technical history of Los Alamos during the Oppenheimer years, 1943--1945

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoddeson, L.; Henriksen, P.W.; Meade, R.A.

1993-11-01

This volume treats the technical research that led to the first atomic bombs. The authors explore how the ``critical assembly`` of scientists, engineers, and military Personnel at Los Alamos collaborated during World War II, blending their traditions to create a new approach to large-scale research. The research was characterized by strong mission orientation, multidisciplinary teamwork, expansion of the scientists` traditional methodology with engineering techniques, and a trail-and-error methodology responding to wartime deadlines. The book opens with an introduction laying out major themes. After a synopsis of the prehistory of the bomb project, from the discovery of nuclear fission to themore » start of the Manhattan Engineer District, and an overview of the early materials program, the book examines the establishment of the Los Alamos Laboratory, the implosion and gun assembly programs, nuclear physics research, chemistry and metallurgy, explosives, uranium and plutonium development, confirmation of spontaneous fission in pile-produced plutonium, the thermonuclear bomb, critical assemblies, the Trinity test, and delivery of the combat weapons.« less

Preparation of high purity plutonium oxide for radiochemistry instrument calibration standards and working standards

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wong, A.S.; Stalnaker, N.D.

1997-04-01

Due to the lack of suitable high level National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable plutonium solution standards from the NIST or commercial vendors, the CST-8 Radiochemistry team at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has prepared instrument calibration standards and working standards from a well-characterized plutonium oxide. All the aliquoting steps were performed gravimetrically. When a {sup 241}Am standardized solution obtained from a commercial vendor was compared to these calibration solutions, the results agreed to within 0.04% for the total alpha activity. The aliquots of the plutonium standard solutions and dilutions were sealed in glass ampules for long termmore » storage.« less

Measurements of actinides in soil, sediments, water and vegetation in Northern New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gallaher, B. M.; Efurd, D. W.

2002-01-01

This study was undertaken during 1991 - 1998 to identify the origin of plutonium uranium in northern New Mexico Rio Grande and tributary stream sediments. Isotopic fingerprinting techniques help distinguish radioactivity from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and from global fallout or natural sources. The geographic area covered by the study extended from the headwaters of the Rio Grande in southern Colorado to Elephant Butte Reservoir in southern New Mexico. Over 100 samples of stream channel and reservoir bottom sediments were analyzed for the atom ratios of plutonium and uranium isotopes using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Comparison of thesemore » ratios against those for fallout or natural sources allowed for quantification of the Laboratory impact. Of the seven major drainages crossing LANL, movement of LANL plutonium into the Rio Grande can only be traced via Los Alamos Canyon. The majority of sampled locations within and adjacent to LANL have little or no input of plutonium from the Laboratory. Samples collected upstream and distant to L A N show an average (+ s.d.) fallout 240Pu/239Pauto m ratio of 0.169 + 0.012, consistent with published worldwide global fallout values. These regional background ratios differ significantly from the 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio of 0.015 that is representative of LANL-derived plutonium entering the Rio Grande at Los Alamos Canyon. Mixing calculations of these sources indicate that the largest proportion (60% to 90%) of the plutonium in the Rio Grande sediments is from global atmospheric fallout, with an average of about 25% from the Laboratory. The LANL plutonium is identifiable intermittently along the 35-km reach of the Rio Grande to Cochiti Reservoir. The source of the LANL-derived plutonium in the Rio Grande was traced primarily to pre-1960 discharges of liquid effluents into a canyon bottom at a distance approximately 20 km upstream of the river. Plutonium levels decline exponentially with distance downstream after mixing with cleaner sediments, yet the LANL isotopic fingerprint remains distinct for at least 55 km from the effluent source. Plutonium isotopes in Rio Grande and Pajarito Plateau sediments are not at levels known to adversely affect public health. Activities of 239+240pwui thin this sample set ranged from 0.001- 0.046 pCUg in the Rio Grande to 3.7 pCi/g near the effluent discharge point. Levels in the Rio Grande are usually more than 1000 times. lower than prescribed cleanup standards. Uranium in stream and reservoir sediments is predominantly within natural concentration ranges and is of natural uranium isotopic composition. None of the sediments from the Rio Grande show identifiable Laboratory uranium, using the isotopic ratios. These results suggest that the mass of Laboratory-derived uranium entering the Rio Grande is small relative to the natural load carried with river sediments.« less

Plutonium Oxide Containment and the Potential for Water-Borne Transport as a Consequence of ARIES Oxide Processing Operations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wayne, David Matthew; Rowland, Joel C.

2015-02-01

The question of oxide containment during processing and storage has become a primary concern when considering the continued operability of the Plutonium Facility (PF-4) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). An Evaluation of the Safety of the Situation (ESS), “Potential for Criticality in a Glovebox Due to a Fire” (TA55-ESS-14-002-R2, since revised to R3) first issued in May, 2014 summarizes these concerns: “The safety issue of fire water potentially entering a glovebox is: the potential for the water to accumulate in the bottom of a glovebox and result in an inadvertent criticality due to the presence of fissionable materials inmore » the glovebox locations and the increased reflection and moderation of neutrons from the fire water accumulation.” As a result, the existing documented safety analysis (DSA) was judged inadequate and, while it explicitly considered the potential for criticality resulting from water intrusion into gloveboxes, criticality safety evaluation documents (CSEDs) for the affected locations did not evaluate the potential for fire water intrusion into a glovebox.« less

Minimizing Glovebox Glove Breaches, Part III: Deriving Service Lifetimes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cournoyer, M.E.; Wilson, K.V.; Maestas, M.M.

At the Los Alamos Plutonium Facility, various isotopes of plutonium along with other actinides are handled in a glove box environment. Weapons-grade plutonium consists mainly in Pu-239. Pu-238 is another isotope used for heat sources. The Pu-238 is more aggressive regarding gloves due to its higher alpha-emitting characteristic ({approx}300 times more active than Pu-239), which modifies the change-out intervals for gloves. Optimization of the change-out intervals for gloves is fundamental since Nuclear Materials Technology (NMT) Division generates approximately 4 m{sup 3}/yr of TRU waste from the disposal of glovebox gloves. To reduce the number of glovebox glove failures, the NMTmore » Division pro-actively investigates processes and procedures that minimize glove failures. Aging studies have been conducted that correlate changes in mechanical (physical) properties with degradation chemistry. This present work derives glovebox glove change intervals based on mechanical data of thermally aged Hypalon{sup R}, and Butasol{sup R} glove samples. Information from this study represent an important baseline in gauging the acceptable standards for polymeric gloves used in a laboratory glovebox environment and will be used later to account for possible presence of dose-rate or synergistic effects in 'combined-environment'. In addition, excursions of contaminants into the operator's breathing zone and excess exposure to the radiological sources associated with unplanned breaches in the glovebox are reduced. (authors)« less

Los Alamos Science Facilities

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Dexterity test data contribute to reduction in leaded glovebox gloves use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cournoyer, Michael E; Lawton, Cindy M; Castro, Amanda M

2009-01-01

Programmatic operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility (T A-55) involve working with various amounts of plutonium and other highly toxic, alpha-emitting materials. The spread of radiological contamination on surfaces, airborne contamination, and excursions of contaminants into the operator's breathing zone are prevented through the use of a variety of gloveboxes. Using an integrated approach, controls have been developed and implemented through an efficient Glovebox Glove Integrity Program. A key element of this program is to consider measures that lower the overall risk of glovebox operations. Line management who own glovebox processes through this program make decisions onmore » which type of glovebox gloves (hereafter referred to as gloves), the weakest component of this safety-significant system, would perform best in these aggressive environments. As Low as Reasonably Achievable considerations must be balanced with glove durability and worker dexterity, both of which affect the final overall risk of the operation. In the past, lead-loaded (leaded) gloves made from Hypalon(reg.) were the primary glove for programmatic operations at TA55. Replacing leaded gloves with unleaded gloves for certain operations would lower the overall risk as well as reduce the amount of mixed transuranic waste. This effort contributes to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Continuous Improvement Program by improving the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and formality of glovebox operations. In this report, the pros and cons of wearing leaded gloves, the effect of leaded gloves versus unleaded gloves on task performance using standard dexterity tests, the justification for switching from leaded to unleaded gloves, and the pollution prevention benefits of this dramatic change in the glovebox system are presented.« less

Dexterity tests data contribute to reduction in leaded glovebox gloves use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cournoyer, Michael E; Lawton, Cindy M; Castro, Amanda M

2008-01-01

Programmatic operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility (TA-55) involve working with various amounts of plutonium and other highly toxic, alphaemitting materials. The spread of radiological contamination on surfaces and airborne contamination and excursions of contaminants into the operator's breathing zone are prevented through the use of a variety of gloveboxes. Through an integrated approach, controls have been developed and implemented through an efficient Glovebox Glove Integrity Program (GGJP). A key element of this program is to consider measures that lower the overall risk of glovebox operations. Line management owning glovebox processes through this program make decisions onmore » which type of glovebox gloves (the weakest component of this safety significant system) would perform in these aggressive environments. As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) considerations must be balanced with glove durability and worker dexterity, both of which affect the final overall risk of the operation. In the past, lead-loaded (leaded) glovebox gloves made from Hypalon(reg.) had been the workhorse of programmatic operations at TA-55. Replacing leaded gloves with unleaded gloves for certain operations would lower the overall risk as well as reduced the amount of mixed TRU waste. This effort contributes to Los Alamos National Laboratory Continuous Improvement Program by improving the efficiency, cost effectiveness, and formality of glovebox operations. In the following report, the pros and cons of wearing leaded glovebox gloves, the effect of leaded gloves versus unleaded gloves on task performance using standard dexterity tests, the justification for switching from leaded to unleaded gloves, and pollution prevention benefits of this dramatic change in the glovebox system are presented.« less

Test and evaluation of the Argonne BPAC10 Series air chamber calorimeter designed for 20 minute measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perry, R.B.; Fiarman, S.; Jung, E.A.

1990-10-01

This paper is the final report on DOE-OSS Task ANLE88002 Fast Air Chamber Calorimetry.'' The task objective was to design, construct, and test an isothermal air chamber calorimeter for plutonium assay of bulk samples that would meet the following requirements for sample power measurement: average sample measurement time less than 20 minutes. Measurement of samples with power output up to 10 W. Precision of better than 1% RSD for sample power greater than 1 W. Precision better than 0.010 watt SD, for sample power less than 1 W. This report gives a description of the calorimeter hardware and software andmore » discusses the test results. The instrument operating procedure, included as an appendix, gives examples of typical input/output and explains the menu driven software. Sample measurement time of less than 20 minutes was attained by pre-equilibration of the samples in low cost precision preheaters and by prediction of equilibrium measurements. Tests at the TA55 Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, on typical samples, indicates that the instrument meets all the measurement requirements.« less

Decrease the Number of Glovebox Glove Breaches and Failures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hurtle, Jackie C.

2013-12-24

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is committed to the protection of the workers, public, and environment while performing work and uses gloveboxes as engineered controls to protect workers from exposure to hazardous materials while performing plutonium operations. Glovebox gloves are a weak link in the engineered controls and are a major cause of radiation contamination events which can result in potential worker exposure and localized contamination making operational areas off-limits and putting programmatic work on hold. Each day of lost opportunity at Technical Area (TA) 55, Plutonium Facility (PF) 4 is estimated at $1.36 million. Between July 2011 and Junemore » 2013, TA-55-PF-4 had 65 glovebox glove breaches and failures with an average of 2.7 per month. The glovebox work follows the five step safety process promoted at LANL with a decision diamond interjected for whether or not a glove breach or failure event occurred in the course of performing glovebox work. In the event that no glove breach or failure is detected, there is an additional decision for whether or not contamination is detected. In the event that contamination is detected, the possibility for a glove breach or failure event is revisited.« less

Electronic structure, phase transitions and diffusive properties of elemental plutonium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setty, Arun; Cooper, B. R.

2003-03-01

We present a SIC-LDA-LMTO based study of the electronic structure of the delta, alpha and gamma phases of plutonium, and also of the alpha and gamma phases of elemental cerium. We find excellent agreement with the experimental densities and magnetic properties [1]. Furthermore, detailed studies of the computational densities of states for delta plutonium, and comparison with the experimental photoemission spectrum [2], provide evidence for the existence of an unusual fluctuating valence state. Results regarding the vacancy formation and self-diffusion in delta plutonium will be presented. Furthermore, a study of interface diffusion between plutonium and steel (technologically relevant in the storage of spent fuel) or other technologically relevant alloys will be included. Preliminary results regarding gallium stabilization of delta plutonium, and of plutonium alloys will be presented. [1] M. Dormeval et al., private communication (2001). [2] A. J. Arko, J. J. Joyce, L. Morales, J. Wills, and J. Lashley et. al., Phys. Rev. B, 62, 1773 (2000). [3] B. R. Cooper et al, Phil. Mag. B 79, 683 (1999); B.R. Cooper, Los Alamos Science 26, 106 (2000)); B.R. Cooper, A.K. Setty and D.L.Price, to be published.

Dynamic Radioactive Source for Evaluating and Demonstrating Time-dependent Performance of Continuous Air Monitors.

PubMed

McLean, Thomas D; Moore, Murray E; Justus, Alan L; Hudston, Jonathan A; Barbé, Benoît

2016-11-01

Evaluation of continuous air monitors in the presence of a plutonium aerosol is time intensive, expensive, and requires a specialized facility. The Radiation Protection Services Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory has designed a Dynamic Radioactive Source, intended to replace plutonium aerosol challenge testing. The Dynamic Radioactive Source is small enough to be inserted into the sampler filter chamber of a typical continuous air monitor. Time-dependent radioactivity is introduced from electroplated sources for real-time testing of a continuous air monitor where a mechanical wristwatch motor rotates a mask above an alpha-emitting electroplated disk source. The mask is attached to the watch's minute hand, and as it rotates, more of the underlying source is revealed. The measured alpha activity increases with time, simulating the arrival of airborne radioactive particulates at the air sampler inlet. The Dynamic Radioactive Source allows the temporal behavior of puff and chronic release conditions to be mimicked without the need for radioactive aerosols. The new system is configurable to different continuous air monitor designs and provides an in-house testing capability (benchtop compatible). It is a repeatable and reusable system and does not contaminate the tested air monitor. Test benefits include direct user control, realistic (plutonium) aerosol spectra, and iterative development of continuous air monitor alarm algorithms. Data obtained using the Dynamic Radioactive Source has been used to elucidate alarm algorithms and to compare the response time of two commercial continuous air monitors.

Dynamic Radioactive Source for Evaluating and Demonstrating Time-dependent Performance of Continuous Air Monitors

DOE PAGES

McLean, Thomas D.; Moore, Murray E.; Justus, Alan L.; ...

2016-01-01

Evaluation of continuous air monitors in the presence of a plutonium aerosol is time intensive, expensive, and requires a specialized facility. The Radiation Protection Services Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory has designed a Dynamic Radioactive Source, intended to replace plutonium aerosol challenge testing. Furthermore, the Dynamic Radioactive Source is small enough to be inserted into the sampler filter chamber of a typical continuous air monitor. Time-dependent radioactivity is introduced from electroplated sources for real-time testing of a continuous air monitor where a mechanical wristwatch motor rotates a mask above an alpha-emitting electroplated disk source. The mask is attached tomore » the watch’s minute hand, and as it rotates, more of the underlying source is revealed. The alpha activity we measured increases with time, simulating the arrival of airborne radioactive particulates at the air sampler inlet. The Dynamic Radioactive Source allows the temporal behavior of puff and chronic release conditions to be mimicked without the need for radioactive aerosols. The new system is configurable to different continuous air monitor designs and provides an in-house testing capability (benchtop compatible). It is a repeatable and reusable system and does not contaminate the tested air monitor. Test benefits include direct user control, realistic (plutonium) aerosol spectra, and iterative development of continuous air monitor alarm algorithms. We also used data obtained using the Dynamic Radioactive Source to elucidate alarm algorithms and to compare the response time of two commercial continuous air monitors.« less

1. West facade of Plutonium Concentration Facility (Building 233S), ReductionOxidation ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. West facade of Plutonium Concentration Facility (Building 233-S), Reduction-Oxidation Building (REDOX-202-S) to the right. Looking east. - Reduction-Oxidation Complex, Plutonium Concentration Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

User Facilities

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) [SEC 1 THRU 11

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ULLAH, M K

2001-02-26

The Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) is located on the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site in south central Washington State. The DOE Richland Operations (DOE-RL) Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) is with Fluor Hanford Inc. (FH). Westinghouse Safety Management Systems (WSMS) provides management support to the PFP facility. Since 1991, the mission of the PFP has changed from plutonium material processing to preparation for decontamination and decommissioning (D and D). The PFP is in transition between its previous mission and the proposed D and D mission. The objective of the transition is to place the facility into a stablemore » state for long-term storage of plutonium materials before final disposition of the facility. Accordingly, this update of the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) reflects the current status of the buildings, equipment, and operations during this transition. The primary product of the PFP was plutonium metal in the form of 2.2-kg, cylindrical ingots called buttoms. Plutonium nitrate was one of several chemical compounds containing plutonium that were produced as an intermediate processing product. Plutonium recovery was performed at the Plutonium Reclamation Facility (PRF) and plutonium conversion (from a nitrate form to a metal form) was performed at the Remote Mechanical C (RMC) Line as the primary processes. Plutonium oxide was also produced at the Remote Mechanical A (RMA) Line. Plutonium processed at the PFP contained both weapons-grade and fuels-grade plutonium materials. The capability existed to process both weapons-grade and fuels-grade material through the PRF and only weapons-grade material through the RMC Line although fuels-grade material was processed through the line before 1984. Amounts of these materials exist in storage throughout the facility in various residual forms left from previous years of operations.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kippen, Karen Elizabeth

This is Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) June 2016 newsletter of the Materials Science and Technology Division. The following are major topics in this newsletter: MST-8 scientists guide national efforts to overcome nuclear energy technical challenges, first-ever scanning probe microscopy capabilities for plutonium, laboratory metallurgists make thorium targets for production of cancer-fighting isotopes, and a spotlight on Veronica Livescu.

Progress on plutonium stabilization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hurt, D.

1996-05-01

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has safety oversight responsibility for most of the facilities where unstable forms of plutonium are being processed and packaged for interim storage. The Board has issued recommendations on plutonium stabilization and has has a considerable influence on DOE`s stabilization schedules and priorities. The Board has not made any recommendations on long-term plutonium disposition, although it may get more involved in the future if DOE develops plans to use defense nuclear facilities for disposition activities.

Investigation of a “Sharps” Incident

DOE PAGES

Cournoyer, Michael Edward; Trujillo, Stanley; Schreiber, Stephen Bruce

2016-08-03

Special nuclear material research, process development, technology demonstration, and manufacturing capabilities are provided at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility. Engineered barriers provide the most effective protection from radioactive and hazardous materials. The Worker Safety Security Team augments these passive safety feature by investigating incidents to identify appropriate prevention and mitigation measures. “Learning Teams” facilitate employee feedback loop and integration toward process improvement. Here, this article reports an investigation of a “Sharps” incident and reviews a case study of a technician that cuts his left thumb while making a gasket. Causal analysis of the sharps incident uncovered contributing factorsmore » that created the environment in which the incident occurred. Finally, latent organizational conditions that created error-likely situations or weakened defenses were identified and controlled. Effective improvements that reduce the probability or consequence of similar sharps incidents were implemented.« less

VITRIFICATION SYSTEM FOR THE TREATMENT OF PLUTONIUM-BEARING WASTE AT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R. NAKAOKA; G. VEAZEY; ET AL

2001-05-01

A glove box vitrification system is being fabricated to process aqueous evaporator bottom waste generated at the Plutonium Facility (TA-55) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The system will be the first within the U.S. Department of Energy Complex to routinely convert Pu{sup 239}-bearing transuranic (TRU) waste to a glass matrix for eventual disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Currently at LANL, this waste is solidified in Portland cement. Radionuclide loading in the cementation process is restricted by potential radiolytic degradation (expressed as a wattage limit), which has been imposed to prevent the accumulation of flammable concentrations ofmore » H{sub 2} within waste packages. Waste matrixes with a higher water content (e.g., cement) are assigned a lower permissible wattage limit to compensate for their potential higher generation of H{sub 2}. This significantly increases the number of waste packages that must be prepared and shipped, thus driving up the costs of waste handling and disposal. The glove box vitrification system that is under construction will address this limitation. Because the resultant glass matrix produced by the vitrification process is non-hydrogenous, no H{sub 2} can be radiolytically evolved, and drums could be loaded to the maximum allowable limit of 40 watts. In effect, the glass waste form shifts the limiting constraint for loading disposal drums from wattage to the criticality limit of 200 fissile gram equivalents, thus significantly reducing the number of drums generated from this waste stream. It is anticipated that the number of drums generated from treatment of evaporator bottoms will be reduced by a factor of 4 annually when the vitrification system is operational. The system is currently undergoing non-radioactive operability testing, and will be fully operational in the year 2003.« less

Nightshade Prototype Experiments (Silverleaf)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Danielson, Jeremy; Bauer, Amy L.

2016-12-23

The Red Sage campaign is a series of subcritical dynamic plutonium experiments designed to measure ejecta. Nightshade, the first experiments in Red Sage scheduled for fiscal year 2019, will measure the amount of ejecta emission into vacuum from a double-­shocked plutonium surface. To address the major technical risks in Nightshade, a Level 2 milestone was developed for fiscal year 2016. Silverleaf, a series of four experiments, was executed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in July and August 2016 to demonstrate a prototype of the Nightshade package and to satisfy this Level 2 milestone. This report is documentation that Redmore » Sage Level 2 milestone requirements were successfully met.« less

The Walls Come Tumbling Down: Decontamination and Demolition of 29 Manhattan Project and Cold War-Era Buildings and Structures at Los Alamos National Laboratory-12301

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chaloupka, Allan B.; Finn, Kevin P.; Parsons, Duane A.

2012-07-01

When the nation's top scientists and military leaders converged on Los Alamos, New Mexico in the 1943, to work on the Manhattan Project, the facilities they used to conduct their top-secret work were quickly constructed and located in the middle of what eventually became the Los Alamos town site. After one of these early facilities caught on fire, it seemed wise to build labs and production facilities farther away from the homes of the town's residents. They chose to build facilities on what was then known as Delta Prime (DP) Mesa and called it Technical Area 21, or TA-21. Withmore » wartime urgency, a number of buildings were built at TA-21, some in as little as a few months. Before long, DP Mesa was populated with several nondescript metal and cinder-block buildings, including what became, immediately following the war, the world's first plutonium production facility. TA-21 also housed labs that used hazardous chemicals and analyzed americium, tritium and plutonium. TA-21 was a bustling center of research and production for the next several decades. Additional buildings were built there in the 1960's, but by the 1990's many of them had reached the end of their service lives. Labs and offices were moved to newer, more modern buildings. When Los Alamos National Laboratory received $212 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in July 2009 for environmental cleanup projects, about $73 million of the funds were earmarked to decontaminate and demolish 21 of the old buildings at TA-21. Although some D and D of TA-21 buildings was performed in the 1990's, many of the facilities at DP Site remained relatively untouched for nearly three decades following their final operational use. In 2006, there were over three dozen buildings or structures on the mesa to be removed so that soil cleanup could be completed (and the land made available for transfer and reuse). The total footprint of buildings across the mesa was approximately 18,580 m{sup 2} (200,000 ft{sup 2}). The initially approved baseline for the ARRA D and D Project was to remove 22 buildings and structures that included approximately 14,680 m{sup 2} (158,000 ft{sup 2}) of footprint. By employing efficiencies during subcontracting, demolition, and waste segregation, the savings allowed an additional 1,580 m{sup 2} (17,000 ft{sup 2}) of footprint to be removed using ARRA funds. Additionally, the lessons learned from this experience were used to apply NNSA funding to the removal of six additional non-contaminated buildings and structures. In the end, 29 buildings and structures, including stacks, cooling towers and tanks, were removed from the mesa. The entire DP East area was cleared of buildings and sub-grade structures and the soils cleaned to residential standards. The total footprint reduction at TA-21 as a result of this effort was in excess of 17,650 m{sup 2} (190,000 ft{sup 2}). The use of a Laboratory self-performance team to start demolition of non-contaminated structures resulted in steady work performance early in the project while subcontracts were being put in place to perform more complicated abatement and contaminated demolition activities. Most importantly, there were no serious worker injuries and the minor injuries recorded were those common to construction type activities. Extensive monitoring along the site boundary demonstrated that no hazardous chemicals or radioactive contamination were released and radiological dose to the public was negligible. The ARRA demolition activities were completed six months in advance of the deadline for employing ARRA funds. Additionally, over 17,585 m{sup 3} (23,000 yds{sup 3}) of building demolition debris was safely removed from DP Mesa. All of the major buildings have been removed, unencumbered access to the SWMUs that are required to be cleaned up by the Consent Order with the state of New Mexico, has been achieved, and a significant portion of the mesa has been prepared to support a process that will eventually transfer this land from federal government control for further use. (authors)« less

Living in Los Alamos

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Science and Innovation at Los Alamos

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Status summary of chemical processing development in plutonium-238 supply program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Collins, Emory D.; Benker, Dennis; Wham, Robert M.

This document summarizes the status of development of chemical processing in the Plutonium-238 Supply Program (PSP) near the end of Demonstration 1. The objective of the PSP is “to develop, demonstrate, and document a production process that meets program objectives and to prepare for its operation” (Frazier et al. 2016). Success in the effort includes establishing capability using the current infrastructure to produce Np targets for irradiation in Department of Energy research reactors, chemically processing the irradiated targets to separate and purify the produced Pu and transferring the PuO 2 product to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at an averagemore » rate of 1.5 kg/y.« less

The Inglorious Death of Jumbo

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meade, Roger Allen

In the summer of 1944, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Los Alamos faced a crisis. An isotopic impurity in Plutonium rendered the metal unusable in a gun-assembled atomic bomb (i.e., Little Boy). Making this situation worse was a shortage of Uranium. The combination of these two problems threatened the entire wartime project. The answer to this dilemma, in part, was to develop a novel assembly method for Plutonium using the supersonic shock waves created by several tons of high explosives to compress a ball of Plutonium into a supercritical state. Since this method, implosion, was not much more than a theoreticalmore » construct, the Trinity test was devised to proof test the process. Given the speculative nature of implosion, Trinity was a gamble of sorts. If the test failed (i.e., little or no nuclear yield), the blast of the high explosives would scatter the scarce and expensive Plutonium over the surrounding desert. Since the probability of failure remained high into the early summer of 1945, some method of containing a failed nuclear explosion was needed. Jumbo was the answer.« less

Transport of plutonium in snowmelt run-off

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Purtymun, W.D.; Peters, R.; Maes, M.N.

1990-07-01

Plutonium in treated low-level radioactive effluents released into intermittent streams is bound by ion exchange or adsorption to bed sediments in the stream channel. These sediments are subject to transport with summer and spring snowmelt run-off. A study was made of the transport of plutonium during seven spring run-off events in Los Alamos and Pueblo canyons from the Laboratory boundary to Otowi on the Rio Grande. The melting of the snowpack during these years resulted in run-off that was large enough to reach the eastern edge of the Laboratory. Of these seven run-off events recorded at the Laboratory boundary, onlymore » five had sufficient flow to reach the Rio Grande. The volume of the five events that reached the river ranged from 5 {times} 10{sup 3} m{sup 3} to 104 {times} 10{sup 3} m{sup 3}. The five run-off events carried 119 {times} 10{sup 3} kg of suspended sediments and 1073 {times} 10{sup 3} kg of bed sediments, and transported 598 {mu}Ci of plutonium to the river. Of the 598 {mu}Ci of plutonium, 3% was transported in solution, 57% with suspended sediments, and 40% with bed sediments. 13 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs.« less

Videos

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Publications

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Collaboration

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Business

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Features

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Visitors

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Mission

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Community

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Giving

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Optical velocimetry at the Los Alamos Proton Radiography Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tupa, Dale; Tainter, Amy; Neukirch, Levi; Hollander, Brian; Buttler, William; Holtkamp, David; The Los Alamos Proton Radiography Team Team

2016-05-01

The Los Alamos Proton Radiography Facility (pRad) employs a high-energy proton beam to image the properties and behavior of materials driven by high explosives. We will discuss features of pRad and describe some recent experiments, highlighting optical diagnostics for surface velocity measurements.

Web Policies

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Research Opportunities

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Business opportunities

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Emergency Communication

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Civilian Nuclear Program

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Radical Supercomputing

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Media Contacts

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Capabilities: Science Pillars

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Social Media

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Location and Infrastructure

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Dual Career Services

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Science Briefs

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Teachers (K-12)

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Career Videos

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Students (K-12)

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Environmental Management System

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

About Us

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Energy Sustainability

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Energy Security Solutions

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Reusing Water

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Community Leaders Survey

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Green Purchasing

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Mission, Vision, Values

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

News Releases

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Office of Science

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Regional Education Partners

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Invoicing, Payments Info

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Obeying Environmental Laws

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Education Office Housing

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Community Videos

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Cultural Preservation

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Speakers Bureau

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Copyright, Legal

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Protecting Wildlife

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Community Feature Stories

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Lab Organizations

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Economic Development

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Higher Education

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Leadership, Governance

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Quantum Institute

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

STEM Education Programs

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

October 2015

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

LANL Contacts

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Applied Energy Program

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

STEM Education

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Bradbury Science Museum

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Our History

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Travel Reimbursement

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Operational Excellence

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

75 FR 60745 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Nuclear...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-01

... Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Nuclear Facility Portion of the Chemistry and Metallurgy... construction and operation of the nuclear facility portion of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building... Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos...

Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD)

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Payments to the Lab

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Nuclear Deterrence and Stockpile Stewardship

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Emerging Threats and Opportunities

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Protecting Against Nuclear Threats

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Ion Beam Materials Lab

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Frontiers in Science Lectures

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

70+ Years of Innovations

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Center for Nonlinear Studies

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Taking Care of our Trails

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

What We Monitor & Why

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Soil plutonium and cesium in stream channels and banks of Los Alamos liquid effluent-receiving areas.

PubMed

Nyhan, J W; White, G C; Trujillo, G

1982-10-01

Stream channel sediments and adjacent bank soils found in three intermittent streams used for treated liquid effluent disposal at Los Alamos, New Mexico were sampled to determine the distribution of 238Pu, 239,240Pu and 137Cs. Radionuclide concentrations and inventories were determined as functions of distance downstream from the waste outfall and from the center of the stream channel, soil sampling depth, stream channel-bank physiography, and the waste use history of each disposal area. Radionuclide concentrations in channel sediments were inversely related to distances up to 10 km downstream from the outfalls. For sites receiving appreciable waste effluent additions, contaminant concentrations in bank soils decreased with perpendicular distances greater than 0.38 m from the stream channel, and with stream bank sampling depths greater than 20-40 cm. Concentrations and total inventories of radionuclides in stream bank soils generally decreased as stream bank height increased. Inventory estimates of radionuclides in channel sediments exhibited coefficients of variation that ranged 0.41-2.6, reflecting the large variation in radionuclide concentrations at each site. Several interesting temporal relationships of these radionuclides in intermittent streams were gleaned from the varying waste use histories of the three effluent-receiving areas. Eleven yr after liquid wastes were added to one canyon, the major radionuclide inventories were found in the stream bank soils, unlike most of the other currently-used receiving areas. A period of time greater than 6 yr seems to be required before the plutonium in liquid wastes currently added to the canyon is approximately equilibrated with the plutonium in the bank soils. These observations are discussed relative to waste management practices in these southwestern intermittent streams.

Tiny plastic lung mimics human pulmonary function

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

Public Reading Room: Environmental Documents, Reports

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

A Conversation with Robert F. Christy Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lippincott, Sara

2006-12-01

Robert F. Christy, Institute Professor of Theoretical Physics Emeritus at Caltech, recalls his wartime work at Los Alamos on the critical assembly for the plutonium bomb (“the Christy bomb”); the Alamogordo test, July 16, 1945; the postwar concerns of ALAS (Association of Los Alamos Scientists); his brief return to the University of Chicago and move to Caltech; friendship with and later alienation from Edward Teller; work with Charles and Tommy Lauritsen and William A. Fowler in Caltech’s Kellogg Radiation Laboratory; Freeman Dyson’s Orion Project; work on the meson and RR Lyrae stars; fellowship at Cambridge University; 1950s Vista Project at Caltech; his opposition to the Strategic Defense Initiative; and his post-retirement work for the National Research Council’s Committee on Dosimetry and on inertial-confinement fusion.

Area G Perimeter Surface-Soil and Single-Stage Water Sampling: Environmental Surveillance for Fiscal Years 1996 and 1997, Group ESH-19

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marquis Childs; Ron Conrad

1998-10-01

Area Gin Technical Area 54, has been the principal facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the storage and disposal of low-level, solid mixed, and transuranic radioactive waste since 1957. Soil samples were analyzed for tritium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. Thirteen metals-silver, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, lead, antimony, selenium, thallium and zinc-were analyzed on filtered-sediment fractions of the single-stage samples using standard analytical chemistry techniques. During the two years of sampling discussed in this report elevated levels of tritium (as high as 716,000 pCi/L) in soil were found for sampling sites adjacent to the tritium burialmore » shafts located on the south- central perimeter of Area G. Additionally, tritium concentrations in soil as high as 38,300 pCi/L were detected adjacent to the TRU pads in the northeast comer of Area G. Plutonium-238 activities in FY96 soils ranged from 0.001-2.866 pCi/g, with an average concentration of 0.336& 0.734 pCdg. Pu-238 activities in FY97 soils ranged from 0.002-4.890 pCi/g, with an average concentration of 0.437 & 0.928 pCdg. Pu-239 activities in FY96 soils ranged from 0.009 to 1.62 pCdg, with an average of 0.177- 0.297 pCdg. Pu-239 activities in FY97 soils ranged from 0.005 to 1.71 pCi/g, with an average of 0.290- 0.415 pCi/g. The locations of elevated plutonium readings were consistent with the history of plutonium disposal at Area G. The two areas of elevated Am-241 activity reflected the elevated activities found for plutonium, the average values for Am-241 on soils were 0.6-2.07 pCi/g, and 0.10-0.14 pCi/g respectively for samples collected in FY96 and FY97. CS-137 activities in soils had average values of 0.33 pCi/g, and 0.28 pCi/g respectively for samples collected in FY96 and 97. There was no perimeter area where soil concentrations of CS-137 were significantly elevated.« less

75 FR 72829 - Los Alamos Historical Document Retrieval and Assessment (LAHDRA) Project

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-26

... Historical Document Retrieval and Assessment (LAHDRA) Project The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... release of the Final Report of the Los Alamos Historical Document Retrieval and Assessment (LAHDRA)Project... information about historical chemical or radionuclide releases from facilities at the Los Alamos National...

Panel: If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now

Science.gov Websites

Los Alamos National Laboratory Search Site submit About Mission Business Newsroom Publications Los Innovation in New Mexico Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection (LACED) SensorNexus Exascale Computing Project (ECP) User Facilities Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos Neutron

76 FR 28222 - Extension of the Public Review and Comment Period and Announcement of an Additional Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-16

... Impact Statement for the Nuclear Facility Portion of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building... Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos... Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Project (CMRR-NF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory...

Plutonium storage criteria

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chung, D.; Ascanio, X.

1996-05-01

The Department of Energy has issued a technical standard for long-term (>50 years) storage and will soon issue a criteria document for interim (<20 years) storage of plutonium materials. The long-term technical standard, {open_quotes}Criteria for Safe Storage of Plutonium Metals and Oxides,{close_quotes} addresses the requirements for storing metals and oxides with greater than 50 wt % plutonium. It calls for a standardized package that meets both off-site transportation requirements, as well as remote handling requirements from future storage facilities. The interim criteria document, {open_quotes}Criteria for Interim Safe Storage of Plutonium-Bearing Solid Materials{close_quotes}, addresses requirements for storing materials with less thanmore » 50 wt% plutonium. The interim criteria document assumes the materials will be stored on existing sites, and existing facilities and equipment will be used for repackaging to improve the margin of safety.« less

Los Alamos National Laboratory Facility Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelson, Ronald Owen

2015-06-05

This series of slides depicts the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). The Center's 800-MeV linac produces H + and H - beams as well as beams of moderated (cold to 1 MeV) and unmoderated (0.1 to 600 MeV) neutrons. Experimental facilities and their capabilities and characteristics are outlined. Among these are LENZ, SPIDER, and DANCE.

TA-55 change control manual

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blum, T.W.; Selvage, R.D.; Courtney, K.H.

This manual is the guide for initiating change at the Plutonium Facility, which handles the processing of plutonium as well as research on plutonium metallurgy. It describes the change and work control processes employed at TA-55 to ensure that all proposed changes are properly identified, reviewed, approved, implemented, tested, and documented so that operations are maintained within the approved safety envelope. All Laboratory groups, their contractors, and subcontractors doing work at TA-55 follow requirements set forth herein. This manual applies to all new and modified processes and experiments inside the TA-55 Plutonium Facility; general plant project (GPP) and line itemmore » funded construction projects at TA-55; temporary and permanent changes that directly or indirectly affect structures, systems, or components (SSCs) as described in the safety analysis, including Facility Control System (FCS) software; and major modifications to procedures. This manual does not apply to maintenance performed on process equipment or facility SSCs or the replacement of SSCs or equipment with documented approved equivalents.« less

Nuclear Weapons: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-15

Unicorn ,” was conducted in a “down-hole” or vertical CRS-18 58 “Nanos Tours Nevada Test Site,” Daily Newsbulletin, Los Alamos National Laboratory...radioactive decay of aged plutonium would degrade weapon performance. Several SCEs have been used to support certification of the W88 pit. (A pit is the...tools and data that assess age -related complications and maintain the reliability and safety of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.”59 As they produce no

Safety analysis, 200 Area, Savannah River Plant: Separations area operations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perkins, W.C.; Lee, R.; Allen, P.M.

1991-07-01

The nev HB-Line, located on the fifth and sixth levels of Building 221-H, is designed to replace the aging existing HB-Line production facility. The nev HB-Line consists of three separate facilities: the Scrap Recovery Facility, the Neptunium Oxide Facility, and the Plutonium Oxide Facility. There are three separate safety analyses for the nev HB-Line, one for each of the three facilities. These are issued as supplements to the 200-Area Safety Analysis (DPSTSA-200-10). These supplements are numbered as Sup 2A, Scrap Recovery Facility, Sup 2B, Neptunium Oxide Facility, Sup 2C, Plutonium Oxide Facility. The subject of this safety analysis, the, Plutoniummore » Oxide Facility, will convert nitrate solutions of {sup 238}Pu to plutonium oxide (PuO{sub 2}) powder. All these new facilities incorporate improvements in: (1) engineered barriers to contain contamination, (2) barriers to minimize personnel exposure to airborne contamination, (3) shielding and remote operations to decrease radiation exposure, and (4) equipment and ventilation design to provide flexibility and improved process performance.« less

New Rad Lab for Los Alamos

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

The topping out ceremony for a key construction stage in the Los Alamos National Laboratory's newest facility, the Radiological Laboratory Utility & Office Building. This is part of the National Nu...  

Preparation and Characterization of a Master Blend of Plutonium Oxide for the 3013 Large Scale Shelf-Life Surveillance Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gillispie, Obie William; Worl, Laura Ann; Veirs, Douglas Kirk

A mixture of chlorine-containing, impure plutonium oxides has been produced and has been given the name Master Blend. This large quantity of well-characterized chlorinecontaining material is available for use in the Integrated Surveillance and Monitoring Program for shelf-life experiments. It is intended to be representative of materials packaged to meet DOE-STD-3013.1 The Master Blend contains a mixture of items produced in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) electro-refining pyrochemical process in the late 1990s. Twenty items were crushed and sieved, calcined to 800ºC for four hours, and blended multiple times. This process resulted in four batches of Master Blend. Calorimetry andmore » density data on material from the four batches indicate homogeneity.« less

Guide of good practices for occupational radiological protection in plutonium facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-06-01

This Technical Standard (TS) does not contain any new requirements. Its purpose is to provide guides to good practice, update existing reference material, and discuss practical lessons learned relevant to the safe handling of plutonium. the technical rationale is given to allow US Department of Energy (DOE) health physicists to adapt the recommendations to similar situations throughout the DOE complex. Generally, DOE contractor health physicists will be responsible to implement radiation protection activities at DOE facilities and DOE health physicists will be responsible for oversight of those activities. This guidance is meant to be useful for both efforts. This TSmore » replaces PNL-6534, Health Physics Manual of Good Practices for Plutonium Facilities, by providing more complete and current information and by emphasizing the situations that are typical of DOE`s current plutonium operations; safe storage, decontamination, and decommissioning (environmental restoration); and weapons disassembly.« less

10 CFR 830.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

.... Critical assembly means special nuclear devices designed and used to sustain nuclear reactions, which may... reaction becomes self-sustaining. Design features means the design features of a nuclear facility specified... reaction (e.g., uranium-233, uranium-235, plutonium-238, plutonium-239, plutonium-241, neptunium-237...

Nuclear Methods for Transmutation of Nuclear Waste: Problems, Perspextives, Cooperative Research - Proceedings of the International Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khankhasayev, Zhanat B.; Kurmanov, Hans; Plendl, Mikhail Kh.

1996-12-01

The Table of Contents for the full book PDF is as follows: * Preface * I. Review of Current Status of Nuclear Transmutation Projects * Accelerator-Driven Systems — Survey of the Research Programs in the World * The Los Alamos Accelerator-Driven Transmutation of Nuclear Waste Concept * Nuclear Waste Transmutation Program in the Czech Republic * Tentative Results of the ISTC Supported Study of the ADTT Plutonium Disposition * Recent Neutron Physics Investigations for the Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle * Optimisation of Accelerator Systems for Transmutation of Nuclear Waste * Proton Linac of the Moscow Meson Factory for the ADTT Experiments * II. Computer Modeling of Nuclear Waste Transmutation Methods and Systems * Transmutation of Minor Actinides in Different Nuclear Facilities * Monte Carlo Modeling of Electro-nuclear Processes with Nonlinear Effects * Simulation of Hybrid Systems with a GEANT Based Program * Computer Study of 90Sr and 137Cs Transmutation by Proton Beam * Methods and Computer Codes for Burn-Up and Fast Transients Calculations in Subcritical Systems with External Sources * New Model of Calculation of Fission Product Yields for the ADTT Problem * Monte Carlo Simulation of Accelerator-Reactor Systems * III. Data Basis for Transmutation of Actinides and Fission Products * Nuclear Data in the Accelerator Driven Transmutation Problem * Nuclear Data to Study Radiation Damage, Activation, and Transmutation of Materials Irradiated by Particles of Intermediate and High Energies * Radium Institute Investigations on the Intermediate Energy Nuclear Data on Hybrid Nuclear Technologies * Nuclear Data Requirements in Intermediate Energy Range for Improvement of Calculations of ADTT Target Processes * IV. Experimental Studies and Projects * ADTT Experiments at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center * Neutron Multiplicity Distributions for GeV Proton Induced Spallation Reactions on Thin and Thick Targets of Pb and U * Solid State Nuclear Track Detector and Radiochemical Studies on the Transmutation of Nuclei Using Relativistic Heavy Ions * Experimental and Theoretical Study of Radionuclide Production on the Electronuclear Plant Target and Construction Materials Irradiated by 1.5 GeV and 130 MeV Protons * Neutronics and Power Deposition Parameters of the Targets Proposed in the ISTC Project 17 * Multicycle Irradiation of Plutonium in Solid Fuel Heavy-Water Blanket of ADS * Compound Neutron Valve of Accelerator-Driven System Sectioned Blanket * Subcritical Channel-Type Reactor for Weapon Plutonium Utilization * Accelerator Driven Molten-Fluoride Reactor with Modular Heat Exchangers on PB-BI Eutectic * A New Conception of High Power Ion Linac for ADTT * Pions and Accelerator-Driven Transmutation of Nuclear Waste? * V. Problems and Perspectives * Accelerator-Driven Transmutation Technologies for Resolution of Long-Term Nuclear Waste Concerns * Closing the Nuclear Fuel-Cycle and Moving Toward a Sustainable Energy Development * Workshop Summary * List of Participants

Baseline process description for simulating plutonium oxide production for precalc project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pike, J. A.

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) started a multi-year project, the PreCalc Project, to develop a computational simulation of a plutonium oxide (PuO 2) production facility with the objective to study the fundamental relationships between morphological and physicochemical properties. This report provides a detailed baseline process description to be used by SRNL personnel and collaborators to facilitate the initial design and construction of the simulation. The PreCalc Project team selected the HB-Line Plutonium Finishing Facility as the basis for a nominal baseline process since the facility is operational and significant model validation data can be obtained. The process boundary as wellmore » as process and facility design details necessary for multi-scale, multi-physics models are provided.« less

25. Plutonium Recovery From Contaminated Materials, Architectural Plans & Details, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

25. Plutonium Recovery From Contaminated Materials, Architectural Plans & Details, Building 232-Z, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Atomic Products Operation, General Electric Company, Dwg. No. H-2-23105, 1959. - Plutonium Finishing Plant, Waste Incinerator Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

24. Plutonium Recovery From Contaminated Materials, Architectural Details, Building 232z, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

24. Plutonium Recovery From Contaminated Materials, Architectural Details, Building 232-z, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Atomic Products Operation, General Electric Company, Dwg. No. H-2-23106, 1959. - Plutonium Finishing Plant, Waste Incinerator Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

26. Plutonium Recovery From Contaminated Materials, Architectural Elevations, Sections & ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

26. Plutonium Recovery From Contaminated Materials, Architectural Elevations, Sections & Dets., Building 232-Z, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Atomic Products Operation, General Electric Company, Dwg. No. H-2-23106, 1959. - Plutonium Finishing Plant, Waste Incinerator Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

The Bonebrake Theological Seminary: Top-Secret Manhattan Project Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sopka, Katherine R.; Sopka, Elisabeth M.

2010-09-01

We discuss the top-secret Manhattan Project site established at the Bonebrake Theological Seminary in 1943 in Dayton, Ohio, where research on polonium and its production was carried out. The polonium produced there was then transported to Los Alamos to be used in a polonium-beryllium neutron source whose purpose was to ignite the plutonium implosion bomb that would be dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. Our account is based primarily on the recollections of John J. Sopka, research physicist at the Bonebrake laboratory.

NNSA B-Roll: MOX Facility

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

In 1999, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a contract with a consortium, now called Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC to design, build, and operate a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. This facility will be a major component in the United States program to dispose of surplus weapon-grade plutonium. The facility will take surplus weapon-grade plutonium, remove impurities, and mix it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. These assemblies will be irradiated in commercial nuclear power reactors.

NNSA B-Roll: MOX Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2010-05-21

In 1999, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a contract with a consortium, now called Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC to design, build, and operate a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. This facility will be a major component in the United States program to dispose of surplus weapon-grade plutonium. The facility will take surplus weapon-grade plutonium, remove impurities, and mix it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. These assemblies will be irradiated in commercial nuclear power reactors.

Project C-018H, 242-A Evaporator/PUREX Plant Process Condensate Treatment Facility, functional design criteria. Revision 3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sullivan, N.

1995-05-02

This document provides the Functional Design Criteria (FDC) for Project C-018H, the 242-A Evaporator and Plutonium-Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant Condensate Treatment Facility (Also referred to as the 200 Area Effluent Treatment Facility [ETF]). The project will provide the facilities to treat and dispose of the 242-A Evaporator process condensate (PC), the Plutonium-Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant process condensate (PDD), and the PUREX Plant ammonia scrubber distillate (ASD).

1. VIEW LOOKING SOUTH AT BUILDING 771 UNDER CONSTRUCTION. BUILDING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. VIEW LOOKING SOUTH AT BUILDING 771 UNDER CONSTRUCTION. BUILDING 771 WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FOUR MAJOR BUILDINGS AT THE ROCKY FLATS PLANT, BUILDING 771 WAS ORIGINALLY THE PRIMARY FACILITY FOR PLUTONIUM OPERATIONS. (5/29/52) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

A continuous plutonium aerosol monitor for use in high radon environments.

PubMed

Li, HuiBin; Jia, MingYan; Li, GuoShen; Wang, YinDong

2012-01-01

Radon concentration is very high in underground basements and other facilities. Radon concentration in a nuclear facility locates in the granite tunnel can be as high as 10(4) Bq m(-3) in summer. Monitoring plutonium aerosol in this circumstance is seriously interfered by radon daughters. In order to solve this problem, a new continuous aerosol monitor that can monitor very low plutonium aerosol concentration in high radon background was developed. Several techniques were used to reduce interference of radon daughters, and the minimum detectable concentrations in various radon concentrations were measured.

Roadmap to MaRIE March 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barnes, Cris William

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s proposed MaRIE facility is slated to introduce the world’s highest energy hard x-ray free electron laser (XFEL). As the light source for the Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes experimental facility (MaRIE), the 42-keV XFEL, with bursts of x-ray pulses at gigahertz repetition for studying fast dynamical processes, will help accelerate discovery and design of the advanced materials needed to meet 21st-century national security and energy security challenges. Yet the science of free-electron lasers has a long and distinguished history at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where for nearly four decades Los Alamos scientists have been performing research,more » design, development, and collaboration work in FEL science. The work at Los Alamos has evolved from low-gain amplifier and oscillator FEL development to highbrightness photoinjector development, and later, self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) and high-gain amplifier FEL development.« less

Availability of environmental radioactivity to honey bee colonies at Los Alamos

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hakonson, T.E.; Bostick, K.V.

Data are presented on the availability of tritium, cesium 137, and plutonium to honey bee colonies foraging in the environment surrounding the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Sources of these radionuclides in the laboratory environs include liquid and atmospheric effluents and buried solid waste. Honey bee colonies were placed in three canyon liquid waste disposal areas and were sampled frequently, along with honey, surface water, and surrounding vegetation, to qualitatively determine the availability of these radionuclides to bees (Apis mellifera) and to identify potential food chain sources of the elements. Tritium concentrations in bee and honey samples from the canyons increasedmore » rapidly from initial values of <1 pCi/ml moisture to as much as 9.2 nCi/ml in 75 days after placement of the hives in the canyons. Seasonal patterns in foraging activities as influenced by weather and food availability were apparent in the data. It appears that several sources of tritium were utilized by the colonies, including surface water in the canyons and vegetation receiving tritium from atmospheric effluents and buried solid waste. Concentrations of cesium 137 and plutonium were generally low or undetectable in bees throughout the study. However, levels of both nuclides increased by factors of 10 to 20 in bees from two of the canyon study areas during a 3-month period in 1973. It was speculated that the liquid effluents in the two canyons were the source of the increased concentrations in bee samples, since this water was the only significant source of /sup 137/Cs in the environs. The existence of at least three radionuclide sources in the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) environs complicates the interpretation of the data. However, it is apparent that honey bees can acquire /sup 3/H, /sup 137/Cs, and Pu from multiple sources in the environs.« less

Cleaning up the Legacy of the Cold War: Plutonium Oxides and the Role of Synchrotron Radiation Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clark, David Lewis

2015-01-21

The deceptively simple binary formula of AnO 2 belies an incredibly complex structural nature, and propensity to form mixed-valent, nonstoichiometric phases of composition AnO 2±x. For plutonium, the very formation of PuO 2+x has challenged a long-established dogma, and raised fundamental questions for long-term storage and environmental migration. This presentation covers two aspects of Los Alamos synchrotron radiation studies of plutonium oxides: (1) the structural chemistry of laboratory-prepared AnO 2+x systems (An = U, Pu; 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) determined through a combination of x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) and x-ray scattering of laboratory prepared samples; and (2)more » the application of synchrotron radiation towards the decontamination and decommissioning of the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. Making the case for particle transport mechanisms as the basis of plutonium and americium mobility, rather than aqueous sorption-desorption processes, established a successful scientific basis for the dominance of physical transport processes by wind and water. The scientific basis was successful because it was in agreement with general theory on insolubility of PuO 2 in oxidation state IV, results of ultrafiltration analyses of field water/sediment samples, XAFS analyses of soil, sediment, and concrete samples, and was also in general agreement with on-site monitoring data. This understanding allowed Site contractors to rapidly move to application of soil erosion and sediment transport models as the means of predicting plutonium and americium transport, which led to design and application of site-wide soil erosion control technology to help control downstream concentrations of plutonium and americium in streamflow.« less

Area G perimeter surface-soil and single-stage water sampling: Environmental surveillance for fiscal year 95. Progress report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Childs, M.; Conrad, R.

1997-09-01

ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) during FY 95 to characterize possible radionuclide movement out of Area G through surface water and entrained sediment runoff. Soil samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. The single-stage water samples were analyzed for tritium and plutonium isotopes. All radiochemical data was compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and 94 and reported in LA-12986 and LA-13165-PR. Six surface soils were also submitted for metal analyses. These data were included with similar data generatedmore » for soil samples collected during FY 94 and compared with metals in background samples collected at the Area G expansion area.« less

11. SIDE VIEW OF INSTALLATION OF A CONTINUOUS ROTARYTUBE HYDROFLUORINATOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

11. SIDE VIEW OF INSTALLATION OF A CONTINUOUS ROTARY-TUBE HYDROFLUORINATOR LOCATED IN ROOM 146. THE HYDROFLUORINATOR IS BEING INSTALLED INSIDE A GLOVE BOX. HYDROFLUORINATION CONVERTED PLUTONIUM OXIDE TO PLUTONIUM TETRAFLUORIDE. (1/11/62) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

10. VIEW OF CALCINER IN ROOM 146148. THE CALCINER HEATED ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. VIEW OF CALCINER IN ROOM 146-148. THE CALCINER HEATED PLUTONIUM PEROXIDE TO CONVERT IT TO PLUTONIUM OXIDE. THE PROCESS REMOVED RESIDUAL WATER AND NITRIC ACID LEAVING A DRY, POWDERED PRODUCT. (4/29/65) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

14. END VIEW OF THE PLUTONIUM STORAGE VAULT FROM THE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

14. END VIEW OF THE PLUTONIUM STORAGE VAULT FROM THE REMOTE CONTROL STATION. THE STACKER-RETRIEVER, A REMOTELY-OPERATED, MECHANIZED TRANSPORT SYSTEM, RETRIEVES CONTAINERS OF PLUTONIUM FROM SAFE GEOMETRY PALLETS STORED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE VAULT. THE STACKER-RETRIEVER RUNS ALONG THE AISLE BETWEEN THE PALLETS OF THE STORAGE CHAMBER. (3/2/86) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

An Update on the Status of the Supply of Plutonium-238 for Future NASA Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wham, R. M.

2016-12-01

For more than five decades, Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs) have enabled space missions to operate in locations where the Sun's intensity is too weak, obscured, or otherwise inadequate for solar power or other conventional power‒generation technologies. The natural decay heat (0.57 W/g) from the radioisotope, plutonium-238 (238Pu), provides the thermal energy source used by an RPS to generate electricity for operation of instrumentation, as well as heat to keep key subsystems warm for missions such as Voyagers 1 and 2, the Cassini mission to Saturn, the New Horizons flyby of Pluto, and the Mars Curiosity rover which were sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Plutonium-238 is produced by irradiation of neptunium-237 in a nuclear reactor a relatively high neutron flux. The United States has not produced new quantities of 238Pu since the early 1990s. RPS‒powered missions have continued since then using existing 238Pu inventory managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), including material purchased from Russia. A new domestic supply is needed to ensure the continued availability of RPSs for future NASA missions. NASA and DOE are currently executing a project to reestablish a 238Pu supply capability using its existing facilities and reactors, which are much smaller than the large-scale production reactors and processing canyon equipment used previously. The project is led by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Target rods, containing NpO2, will be fabricated at ORNL and irradiated in the ORNL High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. Irradiated targets will be processed in chemical separations at the ORNL Radiochemical Engineering Center to recover the plutonium product and unconverted neptunium for recycle. The 238PuO2 product will be shipped to Los Alamos National Laboratory for fabrication of heat source pellets. Key activities, such as transport of the neptunium to ORNL, irradiation of neptunium, and chemical processing to recover the newly generated 238Pu, have begun and have been demonstrated with the initial amounts (50-100 g) produced. Product samples have been shipped to LANL for evaluation, including chemical impurity analysis. This paper will provide an overview of the approach to the project and its progress to date.

Risk assessment of CST-7 proposed waste treatment and storage facilities Volume I: Limited-scope probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of proposed CST-7 waste treatment & storage facilities. Volume II: Preliminary hazards analysis of proposed CST-7 waste storage & treatment facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sasser, K.

1994-06-01

In FY 1993, the Los Alamos National Laboratory Waste Management Group [CST-7 (formerly EM-7)] requested the Probabilistic Risk and Hazards Analysis Group [TSA-11 (formerly N-6)] to conduct a study of the hazards associated with several CST-7 facilities. Among these facilities are the Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility (HWTF), the HWTF Drum Storage Building (DSB), and the Mixed Waste Receiving and Storage Facility (MWRSF), which are proposed for construction beginning in 1996. These facilities are needed to upgrade the Laboratory`s storage capability for hazardous and mixed wastes and to provide treatment capabilities for wastes in cases where offsite treatment is not availablemore » or desirable. These facilities will assist Los Alamos in complying with federal and state requlations.« less

Evaluation of aircraft crash hazard at Los Alamos National Laboratory facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Selvage, R.D.

This report selects a method for use in calculating the frequency of an aircraft crash occurring at selected facilities at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (the Laboratory). The Solomon method was chosen to determine these probabilities. Each variable in the Solomon method is defined and a value for each variable is selected for fourteen facilities at the Laboratory. These values and calculated probabilities are to be used in all safety analysis reports and hazards analyses for the facilities addressed in this report. This report also gives detailed directions to perform aircraft-crash frequency calculations for other facilities. This will ensure thatmore » future aircraft-crash frequency calculations are consistent with calculations in this report.« less

Development of an alternate pathway for materials destined for disposition to WIPP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ayers, Georgette Y; Mckerley, Bill; Veazey, Gerald W

2010-01-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory currently has an inventory of process residues that may be viable candidates for disposition to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) located at Carlsbad, New Mexico. A recent 'Attractiveness Level D' exemption allows for the discard of specified intractable materials regardless of the percent plutonium. However, the limits with respect to drum loadings must be met. Cementation is a key component of the aqueous nitrate flowsheet and serves as a 'bleed-off' stream for impurities separated from the plutonium during processing operations. The main 'feed' to the cementation operations are the 'bottoms' from the evaporation process.more » In the majority of cases, the cemented bottoms contain less than the allowed amount per drum for WIPP acceptance. This project would expand the route to WIPP for items that have no defined disposition path, are difficult to process, have been through multiple passes, have no current recovery operations available to recover the plutonium and that are amenable to cementation. This initial work will provide the foundation for a full scale disposition pathway of the candidate materials. Once the pathway has been expanded and a cementation matrix developed, routine discard activities will be initiated.« less

HB-Line Plutonium Oxide Data Collection Strategy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watkins, R.; Varble, J.; Jordan, J.

2015-05-26

HB-Line and H-Canyon will handle and process plutonium material to produce plutonium oxide for feed to the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF). However, the plutonium oxide product will not be transferred to the MFFF directly from HB-Line until it is packaged into a qualified DOE-STD-3013-2012 container. In the interim, HB-Line will load plutonium oxide into an inner, filtered can. The inner can will be placed in a filtered bag, which will be loaded into a filtered outer can. The outer can will be loaded into a certified 9975 with getter assembly in compliance with onsite transportation requirement, for subsequentmore » storage and transfer to the K-Area Complex (KAC). After DOE-STD-3013-2012 container packaging capabilities are established, the product will be returned to HB-Line to be packaged into a qualified DOE-STD-3013-2012 container. To support the transfer of plutonium oxide to KAC and then eventually to MFFF, various material and packaging data will have to be collected and retained. In addition, data from initial HB-Line processing operations will be needed to support future DOE-STD-3013-2012 qualification as amended by the HB-Line DOE Standard equivalency. As production increases, the volume of data to collect will increase. The HB-Line data collected will be in the form of paper copies and electronic media. Paper copy data will, at a minimum, consist of facility procedures, nonconformance reports (NCRs), and DCS print outs. Electronic data will be in the form of Adobe portable document formats (PDFs). Collecting all the required data for each plutonium oxide can will be no small effort for HB-Line, and will become more challenging once the maximum annual oxide production throughput is achieved due to the sheer volume of data to be collected. The majority of the data collected will be in the form of facility procedures, DCS print outs, and laboratory results. To facilitate complete collection of this data, a traveler form will be developed which identifies the required facility procedures, DCS print outs, and laboratory results needed to assemble a final data package for each HB-Line plutonium oxide interim oxide can. The data traveler may identify the specific values (data) required to be extracted from the collected facility procedures and DCS print outs. The data traveler may also identify associated criteria to be checked. Inevitably there will be procedure anomalies during the course of the HB-Line plutonium oxide campaign that will have to be addressed in a timely manner.« less

Assessment of plutonium in the Savannah River Site environment. Revision 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carlton, W.H.; Evans, A.G.; Geary, L.A.

1992-12-31

Plutonium in the Savannah River Site Environment is published as a part of the Radiological Assessment Program (RAP). It is the fifth in a series of eight documents on individual radioisotopes released to the environment as a result of Savannah River Site (SRS) operations. These are living documents, each to be revised and updated on a two-year schedule. This document describes the sources of plutonium in the environment, its release from SRS, environmental transport and ecological concentration of plutonium, and the radiological impact of SRS releases to the environment. Plutonium exists in the environment as a result of above-ground nuclearmore » weapons tests, the Chernobyl accident, the destruction of satellite SNAP 9-A, plane crashes involving nuclear weapons, and small releases from reactors and reprocessing plants. Plutonium has been produced at SRS during the operation of five production reactors and released in small quantities during the processing of fuel and targets in chemical separations facilities. Approximately 0.6 Ci of plutonium was released into streams and about 12 Ci was released to seepage basins, where it was tightly bound by clay in the soil. A smaller quantity, about 3.8 Ci, was released to the atmosphere. Virtually all releases have occurred in F- and H-Area separation facilities. Plutonium concentration and transport mechanisms for the atmosphere, surface water, and ground water releases have been extensively studied by Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and ecological mechanisms have been studied by Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL). The overall radiological impact of SRS releases to the offsite maximum individual can be characterized by a total dose of 15 mrem (atmospheric) and 0.18 mrem (liquid), compared with the dose of 12,960 mrem from non-SRS sources during the same period of time (1954--1989). Plutonium releases from SRS facilities have resulted in a negligible impact to the environment and the population it supports.« less

Progress at LAMPF: Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility. Progress report, January-June 1981

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allred, J.C.

1981-09-01

Progress at LAMPF is the semiannual progress report of the MP Division of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The report includes brief reports on research done at LAMPF by researchers from other institutions and Los Alamos divisions.

Authorization basis supporting documentation for plutonium finishing plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, J.P., Fluor Daniel Hanford

1997-03-05

The identification and definition of the authorization basis for the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) facility and operations are essential for compliance to DOE Order 5480.21, Unreviewed Safety Questions. The authorization basis, as defined in the Order, consists of those aspects of the facility design basis, i.e., the structures, systems and components (SSCS) and the operational requirements that are considered to be important to the safety of operations and are relied upon by DOE to authorize operation of the facility. These facility design features and their function in various accident scenarios are described in WHC-SD-CP-SAR-021, Plutonium Finishing Plant Final Safety Analysismore » Report (FSAR), Chapter 9, `Accident Analysis.` Figure 1 depicts the relationship of the Authorization Basis to its components and other information contained in safety documentation supporting the Authorization Basis. The PFP SSCs that are important to safety, collectively referred to as the `Safety Envelope` are discussed in various chapters of the FSAR and in WHC-SD-CP-OSR-010, Plutonium Finishing Plant Operational Safety Requirements. Other documents such as Criticality Safety Evaluation Reports (CSERS) address and support some portions of the Authorization Basis and Safety Envelope.« less

All About MOX

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2009-07-29

In 1999, the Nuclear Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a contract with a consortium, now called Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC to design, build, and operate a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. This facility will be a major component in the United States program to dispose of surplus weapon-grade plutonium. The facility will take surplus weapon-grade plutonium, remove impurities, and mix it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. These assemblies will be irradiated in commercial nuclear power reactors.

All About MOX

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

In 1999, the Nuclear Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a contract with a consortium, now called Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC to design, build, and operate a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. This facility will be a major component in the United States program to dispose of surplus weapon-grade plutonium. The facility will take surplus weapon-grade plutonium, remove impurities, and mix it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. These assemblies will be irradiated in commercial nuclear power reactors.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dr. Donald Rej

Dr. Donald Rej of Los Alamos National Laboratory presents an overview of issues, needs, and performance gaps related to materials testing and how they are being addressed at their facility. Current projects such as the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) and Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes (MaRIE) are also discussed.

Radionuclide concentrations in honey bees from Area G at TA-54 during 1997. Progress report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haarmann, T.K.; Fresquez, P.R.

Honey bees were collected from two colonies located at Los Alamos National Laboratory`s Area G, Technical Area 54, and from one control (background) colony located near Jamez Springs, NM. Samples were analyzed for the following: cesium ({sup 137}Cs), americium ({sup 241}Am), plutonium ({sup 238}Pu and {sup 239,240}Pu), tritium ({sup 3}H), total uranium, and gross gamma activity. Area G sample results from both colonies were higher than the upper (95%) level background concentration for {sup 238}Pu and {sup 3}H.

3. AERIAL VIEW, LOOKING SOUTH, OF BUILDING 371 BASEMENT UNDER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. AERIAL VIEW, LOOKING SOUTH, OF BUILDING 371 BASEMENT UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THE BASEMENT HOUSES HEATING, VENTILATION, AND AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT AND MECHANICAL UTILITIES, THE UPPER PART OF THE PLUTONIUM STORAGE VAULT AND MAINTENANCE BAY, AND SMALL PLUTONIUM PROCESSING AREAS. THE BASEMENT LEVEL IS DIVIDED INTO NEARLY EQUAL NORTH AND SOUTH PARTS BY THE UPPER PORTION OF THE PLUTONIUM STORAGE VAULT. (10/7/74) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

RLUOB Celebration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wong, Amy S.; Powell, Kimberly S.

Los Alamos National Laboratory's newest facility, the Radiological Laboratory Utility Office Building (RLUOB), is also its first to achieve both the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) status and LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). From its robust design to its advanced scientific equipment, RLUOB is essential to the Laboratory's national security mission in support of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) nuclear weapons program. At more than 200,000 square feet, this building is the only radiological facility within the Department of Energy to have attained LEED Gold, which contributes to NNSA's achievement towards themore » high performance sustainable building goals outlined in Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. 'As we celebrate RLUOB being completed almost one year ahead of schedule and having achieved LEED certification at the Gold level, we approach our plutonium mission at Los Alamos and NNSA with a great sense of achievement,' said Don Cook, NNSA's deputy administrator for defense programs. 'RLUOB adds a major component to NNSA's plutonium support capability and RLUOB demonstrates our commitment in helping to deliver President Obama's nuclear security agenda which includes ensuring the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent without testing.' The facility contains laboratories for analytical chemistry and materials characterization of special nuclear material, along with space for offices, training and emergency operations. Its multi-functional purpose makes RLUOB a unique project for which LEED certification was sought. 'LEED certification was a huge goal and one we sought from the very beginning of this project,' said Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan. 'It's an important step forward, allowing us to advance national security science in modern, safer, more efficient infrastructure.' The Laboratory's project team and its contractor partners, especially in coordination with Jacobs Engineering, focused on green design and construction in LEED categories, such as sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design. RLUOB's features include: (1) Building envelope design (orientation, materials and insulation) yielded a 20 percent improvement in energy performance; (2) Incorporation of building materials with 24 percent recycled content; (3) Diversion of 72 percent of construction-generated materials through reuse, recycle and salvage; (4) Roofing comprised of 93 percent highly-reflective materials to reduce heat island effects; (5) High efficiency, gas-fired hot water boilers, air-cooled chillers, thermal storage systems and variable frequency drives for compressors, fans and pumps; (6) Energy efficient lighting for interiors, exteriors, process glove boxes and fume hoods; (7) Water efficient fixtures resulting in 30 percent reduction in usage; (8) Low emission paints and carpeting for improved indoor air quality; (9) Landscaping that doesn't require permanent irrigation; (10) Enhanced building system commissioning; and (11) Comprehensive transportation alternatives, including public transportation, bicycle storage and changing rooms, and a refueling station for government vehicles using alternative fuels. 'RLUOB's LEED certification demonstrates tremendous leadership in green building,' says Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of USGBC. 'The urgency of our mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and RLUOB serves as a prime example of just how much we can accomplish.'« less

LAFD: TA-15 DARHT Firefighter Facility Familiarization Tour, OJT 53044, Revision 0.2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rutherford, Victor Stephen; Priestley, Terry B.; Maestas, Marvin Manuel

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Lab) will conduct familiarization tours for the Los Alamos County Fire Department (LAFD) at the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) Facility, TA-15-0312. The purpose of these tours is to orient LAFD firefighters to the DARHT facility layout and hazards. This document provides information and figures to supplement the familiarization tours. The document will be distributed to the trainees at the time of the familiarization tour. A checklist (Attachment A) has also been developed to ensure that all required information is consistently presented to LAFD personnel during the familiarization tours.

Transuranic solid waste management programs. Progress report, July--December 1975

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1976-09-01

Progress is reported for three transuranic solid waste management programs funded at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) by the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) Division of Fuel Cycle and Production (NFCP). Under the Transuranic Waste Research and Development Program, continued studies have shown the potential attractiveness of fiber drums as an acceptable substitute for the current mild steel storage containers. Various fire retardants have been evaluated, with one indicating significant ability to inhibit fire propagation. Continued radiolysis studies, under laboratory and field conditions, continue to reaffirm earlier LASL results indicating no significant hazard from radiolytic reactions, assuming nomore » change in current allowable loadings. Care must be exercised to differentiate between radiolytic and chemical reactions. Other efforts have identified a modification of chemical processing to reduce the amounts of plutonium requiring retrievable storage. Studies are also in progress to enhance the sensitivity of the LASL MEGAS assay system. The Transuranic-Contaminated Solid Waste Treatment Development Facility building was 72 percent complete as of December 31, 1975, which is in accord with the existing schedule. Procurement of process components is also on schedule. Certain modifications to the facility have been made, and various pre-facility experiments on waste container handling and processing have been completed. The program for the Evaluation of Transuranic-Contaminated Radioactive Waste Disposal Areas continued development of various computer modules for simulation of radionuclide transport within the biosphere. In addition, program staff contributed to an ERDA document on radioactive waste management through the preparation of a report on burial of radioactive waste at ERDA-contractor and commercial sites.« less

Accomplishments in the Trident Laser Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernandez, Juan Carlos

Trident has been an extremely productive laser facility, despite its modest size and operating cost in the firmament of high-energy, high-power laser facilities worldwide. More than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles (in 39 different journals) have been published using Trident experimental data, many in high-impact journals such as Nature, Nature Physics, Nature Communications, and Physical Review Letters. More than 230 oral presentations involving research at Trident have been presented at national and international conferences. Trident publications have over 5000 citations in the literature with an h-index of 38. AT least 23 Los Alamos postdoctoral researchers have worked on Trident. In themore » period since its inception in 1992-2007, despite not issuing formal proposal calls for access nor functioning explicitly as a user facility until later, Trident has 170 unique users from more than 30 unique institutions, such as Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia national laboratories, various University of California campuses, General Atomic, Imperial College, and Ecole Polytechnique. To reinforce its role as an important Los Alamos point of connection to the external research community, at least 20 PhD students did a significant fraction of their thesis work on Trident. Such PhD students include Mike Dunne (Imperial College, 1995) - now director of LCLS and professor at Stanford; David Hoarty (IC, 1997) - scientist at Atomic Weapons Establishment, UK; Dustin Froula (UC Davis, 2002) - Plasma and Ultrafast Physics Group leader at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and assistant professor at the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Rochester; Tom Tierney (UC Irvine, 2002) - scientist at Los Alamos; Eric Loomis (Arizona State U., 2005) - scientist at Los Alamos; and Eliseo Gamboa (University of Michigan, 2013) - scientist at the Linac Coherent Light Source. The work performed on Trident, besides its scientific impact, has also supported the Inertial Confinement Fusion and Weapons research programs at the Laboratory. It also has advanced technologies and techniques that hold significant promise for Los Alamos initiatives, such as MaRIE (the proposed Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes experimental facility), and more generally for important societal applications, such as defense, global security, advanced accelerators, fusion energy, radiotherapy, and laser technology. Specific research contributions based on Trident experiments are listed below.« less

Background Radioactivity in River and Reservoir Sediments near Los Alamos, New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

S.G.McLin; D.W. Lyons

2002-05-05

As part of its continuing Environmental Surveillance Program, regional river and lake-bottom sediments have been collected annually by Los Alamos National Laboratory (the Laboratory) since 1974 and 1979, respectively. These background samples are collected from three drainage basins at ten different river stations and five reservoirs located throughout northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Radiochemical analyses for these sediments include tritium, strontium-90, cesium-137, total uranium, plutonium-238, plutonium-239,-240, americium-241, gross alpha, gross beta, and gross gamma radioactivity. Detection-limit radioactivity originates as worldwide fallout from aboveground nuclear weapons testing and satellite reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Spatial and temporal variations in individual analytemore » levels originate from atmospheric point-source introductions and natural rate differences in airborne deposition and soil erosion. Background radioactivity values on sediments reflect this variability, and grouped river and reservoir sediment samples show a range of statistical distributions that appear to be analyte dependent. Traditionally, both river and reservoir analyte data were blended together to establish background levels. In this report, however, we group background sediment data according to two criteria. These include sediment source (either river or reservoir sediments) and station location relative to the Laboratory (either upstream or downstream). These grouped data are statistically evaluated through 1997, and background radioactivity values are established for individual analytes in upstream river and reservoir sediments. This information may be used to establish the existence and areal extent of trace-level environmental contamination resulting from historical Laboratory research activities since the early 1940s.« less

Twenty-Five Year Site Plan FY2013 - FY2037

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, William H.

2012-07-12

Los Alamos National Laboratory (the Laboratory) is the nation's premier national security science laboratory. Its mission is to develop and apply science and technology to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the United States (U.S.) nuclear stockpile; reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction, proliferation, and terrorism; and solve national problems in defense, energy, and the environment. The fiscal year (FY) 2013-2037 Twenty-Five Year Site Plan (TYSP) is a vital component for planning to meet the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) commitment to ensure the U.S. has a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear deterrent. The Laboratory also usesmore » the TYSP as an integrated planning tool to guide development of an efficient and responsive infrastructure that effectively supports the Laboratory's missions and workforce. Emphasizing the Laboratory's core capabilities, this TYSP reflects the Laboratory's role as a prominent contributor to NNSA missions through its programs and campaigns. The Laboratory is aligned with Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) modernization activities outlined in the NNSA Strategic Plan (May 2011) which include: (1) ensuring laboratory plutonium space effectively supports pit manufacturing and enterprise-wide special nuclear materials consolidation; (2) constructing the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF); (3) establishing shared user facilities to more cost effectively manage high-value, experimental, computational and production capabilities; and (4) modernizing enduring facilities while reducing the excess facility footprint. Th is TYSP is viewed by the Laboratory as a vital planning tool to develop an effi cient and responsive infrastructure. Long range facility and infrastructure development planning are critical to assure sustainment and modernization. Out-year re-investment is essential for sustaining existing facilities, and will be re-evaluated on an annual basis. At the same time, major modernization projects will require new line-item funding. This document is, in essence, a roadmap that defines a path forward for the Laboratory to modernize, streamline, consolidate, and sustain its infrastructure to meet its national security mission.« less

Test results of a new detector system for gamma ray isotopic measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malcom, J.E.; Bonner, C.A.; Hurd, J.R.

1993-08-01

A new type of gamma-ray detector system for isotopic measurements has been developed. This new system, a ``Duo detector`` array, consists of two intrinsic germanium detectors, a planar followed by a coaxial mounted on the same axis within a single cryostat assembly. This configuration allows the isotopic analysis system to take advantage of spectral data results that are collected simultaneously from different gamma-ray energy regimes. Princeton Gamma Tech (PGT) produced several prototypes of this Duo detector array which were then tested by Rocky Flats personnel until the design was optimized. An application for this detector design is in automated, roboticizedmore » NDA systems such as those being developed at the Los Alamos TA-55 Plutonium Facility. The Duo detector design reduces the space necessary for the isotopic instrument by a factor of two (only one liquid nitrogen dewar is needed), and also reduces the complexity of the mechanical systems and controlling software. Data will be presented on measurements of nuclear material with a Duo detector for a wide variety of matrices. Results indicate that the maximum count rate can be increased up to 100,000 counts per second yet maintaining excellent resolution and energy rate product.« less

Automated System Calibration and Verification of the Position Measurements for the Los Alamos Isotope Production Facility and the Switchyard Kicker Facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barr, D.; Gilpatrick, J. D.; Martinez, D.; Shurter, R. B.

2004-11-01

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory has constructed both an Isotope Production Facility (IPF) and a Switchyard Kicker (XDK) as additions to the H+ and H- accelerator. These additions contain eleven Beam Position Monitors (BPMs) that measure the beam's position throughout the transport. The analog electronics within each processing module determines the beam position using the log-ratio technique. For system reliability, calibrations compensate for various temperature drifts and other imperfections in the processing electronics components. Additionally, verifications are periodically implemented by a PC running a National Instruments LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI) to verify continued system and cable integrity. The VI communicates with the processor cards via a PCI/MXI-3 VXI-crate communication module. Previously, accelerator operators performed BPM system calibrations typically once per day while beam was explicitly turned off. One of this new measurement system's unique achievements is its automated calibration and verification capability. Taking advantage of the pulsed nature of the LANSCE-facility beams, the integrated electronics hardware and VI perform calibration and verification operations between beam pulses without interrupting production beam delivery. The design, construction, and performance results of the automated calibration and verification portion of this position measurement system will be the topic of this paper.

A Wildfire Behavior Modeling System at Los Alamos National Laboratory for Operational Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

S.W. Koch; R.G.Balice

2004-11-01

To support efforts to protect facilities and property at Los Alamos National Laboratory from damages caused by wildfire, we completed a multiyear project to develop a system for modeling the behavior of wildfires in the Los Alamos region. This was accomplished by parameterizing the FARSITE wildfire behavior model with locally gathered data representing topography, fuels, and weather conditions from throughout the Los Alamos region. Detailed parameterization was made possible by an extensive monitoring network of permanent plots, weather towers, and other data collection facilities. We also incorporated a database of lightning strikes that can be used individually as repeatable ignitionmore » points or can be used as a group in Monte Carlo simulation exercises and in other randomization procedures. The assembled modeling system was subjected to sensitivity analyses and was validated against documented fires, including the Cerro Grande Fire. The resulting modeling system is a valuable tool for research and management. It also complements knowledge based on professional expertise and information gathered from other modeling technologies. However, the modeling system requires frequent updates of the input data layers to produce currently valid results, to adapt to changes in environmental conditions within the Los Alamos region, and to allow for the quick production of model outputs during emergency operations.« less

Upgrades and Enclosure of Building 15 at Technical Area 40: Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Plimpton, Kathryn D; Garcia, Kari L. M; Brunette, Jeremy Christopher

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Field Office (Field Office) proposes to upgrade and enclose Building 15 at Technical Area (TA) 40, Los Alamos National Laboratory. Building TA-40-15, a Cold War-era firing site, was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (Register) in DX Division’s Facility Strategic Plan: Consolidation and Revitalization at Technical Areas 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 22, 36, 39, 40, 60, and 69 (McGehee et al. 2005). Building TA-40-15 was constructed in 1950 to support detonator testing. The firing site will be enclosed by a steel building tomore » create a new indoor facility that will allow for year-round mission capability. Enclosing TA-40-15 will adversely affect the building by altering the characteristics that make it eligible for the Register. In compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, the Field Office is initiating consultation for this proposed undertaking. The Field Office is also requesting concurrence with the use of standard practices to resolve adverse effects as defined in the Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Field Office, the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Concerning Management of the Historic Properties at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico.« less

1. VIEW OF THE CONTROL ROOM FOR THE XY RETRIEVER. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. VIEW OF THE CONTROL ROOM FOR THE X-Y RETRIEVER. USING THE X-Y RETRIEVER, OPERATORS RETRIEVED PLUTONIUM METAL FROM THE PLUTONIUM STORAGE VAULTS (IN MODULE K) AND CONVEYED IT TO THE X-Y SHUTTLE AREA WHERE IT WAS CUT AND WEIGHED. FROM THE SHUTTLE AREA THE PLUTONIUM WAS CONVEYED TO MODULES A, J OR K FOR CASTING, OR MODULE B FOR ROLLING AND FORMING. (5/17/71) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

MW Spallation Neutron Sources for Fusion Materials Testing

ScienceCinema

Dr. Donald Rej

2018-04-18

Dr. Donald Rej of Los Alamos National Laboratory presents an overview of issues, needs, and performance gaps related to materials testing and how they are being addressed at their facility. Current projects such as the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) and Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes (MaRIE) are also discussed.

Analysis of urinary excretion data from three plutonium-contaminated wounds at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE PAGES

Poudel, Deepesh; Klumpp, John A.; Waters, Tom L.; ...

2017-07-14

The NCRP-156 Report proposes seven different biokinetic models for the wound cases depending on the physicochemistry of the contaminant. Because the models were heavily based on experimental animal data, the authors of the report encouraged application and validation of the models using bioassay data from actual human exposures. Each of the wound models was applied to three plutonium-contaminated wounds, and the models resulted in a good agreement to only one of the cases. We then applied a simpler biokinetic model structure to the bioassay data and showed that fitting the transfer rates from this model structure yielded better agreement withmore » the data than does the best-fitting NCRP-156 model. Because the biokinetics of radioactive material in each wound is different, it is impractical to propose a discrete set of model parameters to describe the biokinetics of radionuclides in all wounds, and thus each wound should be treated empirically.« less

Integrating the stabilization of nuclear materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalton, H.F.

1996-05-01

In response to Recommendation 94-1 of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, the Department of Energy committed to stabilizing specific nuclear materials within 3 and 8 years. These efforts are underway. The Department has already repackaged the plutonium at Rocky Flats and metal turnings at Savannah River that had been in contact with plastic. As this effort proceeds, we begin to look at activities beyond stabilization and prepare for the final disposition of these materials. To describe the plutonium materials being stabilize, Figure 1 illustrates the quantities of plutonium in various forms that will be stabilized. Plutonium as metal comprisesmore » 8.5 metric tons. Plutonium oxide contains 5.5 metric tons of plutonium. Plutonium residues and solutions, together, contain 7 metric tons of plutonium. Figure 2 shows the quantity of plutonium-bearing material in these four categories. In this depiction, 200 metric tons of plutonium residues and 400 metric tons of solutions containing plutonium constitute most of the material in the stabilization program. So, it is not surprising that much of the work in stabilization is directed toward the residues and solutions, even though they contain less of the plutonium.« less

LA-UR-14-27684, Analysis of Wildland Fire Hazard to the TWF at Los Alamos National Labs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilbertson, Sarah

Wildfires represent an Anticipated Natural Phenomena Hazard for LANL and the surrounding area. The TWF facility is located in a cleared area and is surrounded on three sides by roadway pavement. Therefore, direct propagation of flames to the facility is not considered the most credible means of ignition. Rather, fires started by airborne transport of burning brands constitute the most significant wildland fire threat to the TWF. The purpose of this document is to update LA-UR-13-24529, Airborne Projection of Burning Embers – Planning and Controls for Los Alamos National Laboratory Facilities, to be specific to the TWF site and operations.

A new gated x-ray detector for the Orion laser facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, David D.; Aragonez, Robert; Archuleta, Thomas; Fatherley, Valerie; Hsu, Albert; Jorgenson, Justin; Mares, Danielle; Oertel, John; Oades, Kevin; Kemshall, Paul; Thomas, Phillip; Young, Trevor; Pederson, Neal

2012-10-01

Gated X-Ray Detectors (GXD) are considered the work-horse target diagnostic of the laser based inertial confinement fusion (ICF) program. Recently, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has constructed three new GXDs for the Orion laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in the United Kingdom. What sets these three new instruments apart from what has previously been constructed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is: improvements in detector head microwave transmission lines, solid state embedded hard drive and updated control software, and lighter air box design and other incremental mechanical improvements. In this paper we will present the latest GXD design enhancements and sample calibration data taken on the Trident laser facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory using the newly constructed instruments.

National Biomedical Tracer Facility: Project definition study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heaton, R.; Peterson, E.; Smith, P.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory is an ideal institution and New Mexico is an ideal location for siting the National Biomedical Tracer Facility (NBTF). The essence of the Los Alamos proposal is the development of two complementary irradiation facilities that combined with our existing radiochemical processing hot cell facilities and waste handling and disposal facilities provide a low cost alternative to other proposals that seek to satisfy the objectives of the NBTF. We propose the construction of a 30 MeV cyclotron facility at the site of the radiochemical facilities, and the construction of a 100 MeV target station at LAMPFmore » to satisfy the requirements and objectives of the NBTF. We do not require any modifications to our existing radiochemical processing hot cell facilities or our waste treatment and disposal facilities to accomplish the objectives of the NBTF. The total capital cost for the facility defined by the project definition study is $15.2 M. This cost estimate includes $9.9 M for the cyclotron and associated facility, $2.0 M for the 100 MeV target station at LAMPF, and $3.3 M for design.« less

Literature Review: Crud Formation at the Liquid/Liquid Interface of TBP-Based Solvent-Extraction Processes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delegard, Calvin H.; Casella, Amanda J.

2016-09-30

This report summarizes the literature reviewed on crud formation at the liquid:liquid interface of solvent extraction processes. The review is focused both on classic PUREX extraction for industrial reprocessing, especially as practiced at the Hanford Site, and for those steps specific to plutonium purification that were used at the Plutonium Reclamation Facility (PRF) within the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) at the Hanford Site.

Environmental consequences of postulate plutonium releases from Atomics International's Nuclear Materials Development Facility (NMDF), Santa Susana, California, as a result of severe natural phenomena

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jamison, J.D.; Watson, E.C.

1982-02-01

Potential environmental consequences in terms of radiation dose to people are presented for postulated plutonium releases caused by severe natural phenomena at the Atomics International's Nuclear Materials Development Facility (NMDF), in the Santa Susana site, California. The severe natural phenomena considered are earthquakes, tornadoes, and high straight-line winds. Plutonium deposition values are given for significant locations around the site. All important potential exposure pathways are examined. The most likely 50-year committed dose equivalents are given for the maximum-exposed individual and the population within a 50-mile radius of the plant. The maximum plutonium deposition values likely to occur offsite are alsomore » given. The most likely calculated 50-year collective committed dose equivalents are all much lower than the collective dose equivalent expected from 50 years of exposure to natural background radiation and medical x-rays. The most likely maximum residual plutonium contamination estimated to be deposited offsite following the earthquake, and the 150-mph and 170-mph tornadoes are above the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed guideline for plutonium in the general environment of 0.2 ..mu..Ci/m/sup 2/. The deposition values following the 110-mph and the 130-mph tornadoes are below the EPA proposed guideline.« less

Uncertainty quantification in fission cross section measurements at LANSCE

DOE PAGES

Tovesson, F.

2015-01-09

Neutron-induced fission cross sections have been measured for several isotopes of uranium and plutonium at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) over a wide range of incident neutron energies. The total uncertainties in these measurements are in the range 3–5% above 100 keV of incident neutron energy, which results from uncertainties in the target, neutron source, and detector system. The individual sources of uncertainties are assumed to be uncorrelated, however correlation in the cross section across neutron energy bins are considered. The quantification of the uncertainty contributions will be described here.

Preliminary volcanic hazards evaluation for Los Alamos National Laboratory Facilities and Operations : current state of knowledge and proposed path forward

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keating, Gordon N.; Schultz-Fellenz, Emily S.; Miller, Elizabeth D.

2010-09-01

The integration of available information on the volcanic history of the region surrounding Los Alamos National Laboratory indicates that the Laboratory is at risk from volcanic hazards. Volcanism in the vicinity of the Laboratory is unlikely within the lifetime of the facility (ca. 50–100 years) but cannot be ruled out. This evaluation provides a preliminary estimate of recurrence rates for volcanic activity. If further assessment of the hazard is deemed beneficial to reduce risk uncertainty, the next step would be to convene a formal probabilistic volcanic hazards assessment.

Annual Report for Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area 54, Area G Disposal Facility - Fiscal Year 2016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Birdsell, Kay Hanson; Stauffer, Philip H.; Atchley, Adam Lee

As a condition to the disposal authorization statement issued to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) on March 17, 2010, a comprehensive performance assessment and composite analysis (PA/CA) maintenance program must be implemented for the Technical Area 54, Area G disposal facility. Annual determinations of the adequacy of the PA/CA are to be conducted under the maintenance program to ensure that the conclusions reached by those analyses continue to be valid. This report summarizes the results of the fiscal year (FY) 2016 annual review for Area G.

15. VIEW OF LABORATORY EQUIPMENT IN THE BUILDING 771 ANALYTICAL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

15. VIEW OF LABORATORY EQUIPMENT IN THE BUILDING 771 ANALYTICAL LABORATORY. THE LAB ANALYZED SAMPLES FOR PLUTONIUM, AMERICIUM, URANIUM, NEPTUNIUM, AND OTHER RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES. (9/25/62) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Safeguardability of the vitrification option for disposal of plutonium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pillay, K.K.S.

1996-05-01

Safeguardability of the vitrification option for plutonium disposition is rather complex and there is no experience base in either domestic or international safeguards for this approach. In the present treaty regime between the US and the states of the former Soviet Union, bilaterial verifications are considered more likely with potential for a third-party verification of safeguards. There are serious technological limitations to applying conventional bulk handling facility safeguards techniques to achieve independent verification of plutonium in borosilicate glass. If vitrification is the final disposition option chosen, maintaining continuity of knowledge of plutonium in glass matrices, especially those containing boron andmore » those spike with high-level wastes or {sup 137}Cs, is beyond the capability of present-day safeguards technologies and nondestructive assay techniques. The alternative to quantitative measurement of fissile content is to maintain continuity of knowledge through a combination of containment and surveillance, which is not the international norm for bulk handling facilities.« less

Limited-scope probabilistic safety analysis for the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharirli, M.; Rand, J.L.; Sasser, M.K.

1992-01-01

The reliability of instrumentation and safety systems is a major issue in the operation of accelerator facilities. A probabilistic safety analysis was performed or the key safety and instrumentation systems at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF). in Phase I of this unique study, the Personnel Safety System (PSS) and the Current Limiters (XLs) were analyzed through the use of the fault tree analyses, failure modes and effects analysis, and criticality analysis. Phase II of the program was done to update and reevaluate the safety systems after the Phase I recommendations were implemented. This paper provides a brief reviewmore » of the studies involved in Phases I and II of the program.« less

Limited-scope probabilistic safety analysis for the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharirli, M.; Rand, J.L.; Sasser, M.K.

1992-12-01

The reliability of instrumentation and safety systems is a major issue in the operation of accelerator facilities. A probabilistic safety analysis was performed or the key safety and instrumentation systems at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF). in Phase I of this unique study, the Personnel Safety System (PSS) and the Current Limiters (XLs) were analyzed through the use of the fault tree analyses, failure modes and effects analysis, and criticality analysis. Phase II of the program was done to update and reevaluate the safety systems after the Phase I recommendations were implemented. This paper provides a brief reviewmore » of the studies involved in Phases I and II of the program.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberts, Peter M.; Schultz-Fellenz, Emily S.; Kelley, Richard E.

This technical paper presents the most recent and updated catalog of earthquakes measured by the Los Alamos Seismic Network at and around Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), with specific focus on the site of the proposed transuranic waste facility (TWF) at Technical Area 63 (TA-63). Any questions about the data presented herein, or about the Los Alamos Seismic Network, should be directed to the authors of this technical paper. LANL and the Los Alamos townsite sit atop the Pajarito Plateau, which is bounded on its western edge by the Pajarito fault system, a 35-mile-long system locally comprised of the down-to-the-eastmore » Pajarito fault (the master fault) and subsidiary down-to-the-west Rendija Canyon, Guaje Mountain, and Sawyer Canyon faults (Figure 1). This fault system forms the local active western margin of the Rio Grande rift near Los Alamos, and is potentially seismogenic (e.g., Gardner et al., 2001; Reneau et al., 2002; Lewis et al., 2009). The proposed TWF area at TA-63 is situated on an unnamed mesa in the north-central part of LANL between Twomile Canyon to the south, Ten Site Canyon to the north, and the headwaters of Canada del Buey to the east (Figure 2). The local bedrock is the Quaternary Bandelier Tuff, formed in two eruptive pulses from nearby Valles caldera, the eastern edge of which is located approximately 6.5 miles west-northwest of the technical area. The older member (Otowi Member) of the Bandelier Tuff has been dated at 1.61 Ma (Izett and Obradovich 1994). The younger member (Tshirege Member) of the Bandelier Tuff has been dated at 1.256 Ma (age from Phillips et al. 2007) and is widely exposed as the mesa-forming unit around Los Alamos. Several discrete cooling units comprise the Tshirege Member. Commonly accepted stratigraphic nomenclature for the Tshirege Member is described in detail by Broxton and Reneau (1995), Gardner et al. (2001), and Lewis et al. (2009). The Tshirege Member cooling unit exposed at the surface at TA-63 is Qbt3. Understanding the subtle differences between Tshirege Member cooling units and the nature of the contacts between cooling units is critical to identifying the presence or absence of faults associated with the Pajarito fault system on the Pajarito Plateau. The Los Alamos Seismic Network (LASN) continuously monitors local earthquake activity in the Los Alamos area in support of LANL's Seismic Hazards program. Seismic monitoring of LANL facilities is a requirement of DOE Order 420.1B (Facility Safety). LASN currently consists of nine permanent seismic instrument field stations that telemeter real-time sensitive ground motion data to a central recording facility. Four of these stations are located on LANL property, with three of those within 2.5 miles of TA-63. The other five stations are in remote locations in the Jemez Mountains, Valles Caldera, St Peters Dome, and the Caja del Rio plateau across the Rio Grande from the Los Alamos area. Local earthquakes are defined as those with locations within roughly 100 miles of Los Alamos. Plate 1 shows the current LASN station locations and all local earthquakes recorded from 1973 through 2011. During this time period, LASN has detected and recorded over 850 local earthquakes in north-central New Mexico. Over 650 of these were located within about 50 miles of Los Alamos, and roughly 60 were within 10 miles. The apparent higher density of earthquakes close to Los Alamos, relative to the rest of north-central New Mexico, is due largely to the fact that LASN is a sensitive local seismic network, recording many very small nearby events (magnitude less than 1.0) that are undetectable at greater distances.« less

Radioisotope contaminations from releases of the Tomsk-Seversk nuclear facility (Siberia, Russia).

PubMed

Gauthier-Lafaye, F; Pourcelot, L; Eikenberg, J; Beer, H; Le Roux, G; Rhikvanov, L P; Stille, P; Renaud, Ph; Mezhibor, A

2008-04-01

Soils have been sampled in the vicinity of the Tomsk-Seversk facility (Siberia, Russia) that allows us to measure radioactive contaminations due to atmospheric and aquatic releases. Indeed soils exhibit large inventories of man-made fission products including 137Cs (ranging from 33,000 to 68,500 Bq m(-2)) and actinides such as plutonium (i.e. 239+240Pu from 420 to 5900 Bq m(-2)) or 241Am (160-1220 Bq m(-2)). Among all sampling sites, the bank of the Romashka channel exhibits the highest radioisotope concentrations. At this site, some short half-life gamma emitters were detected as well indicating recent aquatic discharge in the channel. In comparison, soils that underwent atmospheric depositions like peat and forest soils exhibit lower activities of actinides and 137Cs. Soil activities are too high to be related solely to global fallout and thus the source of plutonium must be discharges from the Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC) plant. This is confirmed by plutonium isotopic ratios measured by ICP-MS; the low 241Pu/239Pu and 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios with respect to global fallout ratio or civil nuclear fuel are consistent with weapons grade signatures. Up to now, the influence of Tomsk-Seversk plutonium discharges was speculated in the Ob River and its estuary. Isotopic data from the present study show that plutonium measured in SCC probably constitutes a significant source of plutonium in the aquatic environment, together with plutonium from global fallout and other contaminated sites including Tomsk, Mayak (Russia) and Semipalatinsk (Republic of Kazakhstan). It is estimated that the proportion of plutonium from SCC source can reach 45% for 239Pu and 60% for 241Pu in the sediments.

Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance: U.S, Programs in the Former Soviet Union

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-26

reconfigure its large - scale former BW-related facilities so that they can perform peaceful research issues such as infectious diseases. For FY2004, the Bush...program to eliminate its plutonium, opting instead for the construction of fast breeder reactors that could burn plutonium directly for energy production...The United States might not fund this effort, as many in the United States argue that breeder reactors , which produce more plutonium than they

Los Alamos Using Neutrons to Stop Nuclear Smugglers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Favalli, Andrea; Swinhoe, Martyn; Roark, Kevin

Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have successfully demonstrated for the first time that laser-generated neutrons can be enlisted as a useful tool in the War on Terror. The international research team used the short-pulse laser at Los Alamos's TRIDENT facility to generate a neutron beam with novel characteristics that interrogated a closed container to confirm the presence and quantity of nuclear material inside. The successful experiment paves the way for creation of a table-top-sized or truck-mounted neutron generator that could be installed at strategic locations worldwide to thwart smugglers trafficking in nuclear materials.

Los Alamos Using Neutrons to Stop Nuclear Smugglers

ScienceCinema

Favalli, Andrea; Swinhoe, Martyn; Roark, Kevin

2018-02-14

Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have successfully demonstrated for the first time that laser-generated neutrons can be enlisted as a useful tool in the War on Terror. The international research team used the short-pulse laser at Los Alamos's TRIDENT facility to generate a neutron beam with novel characteristics that interrogated a closed container to confirm the presence and quantity of nuclear material inside. The successful experiment paves the way for creation of a table-top-sized or truck-mounted neutron generator that could be installed at strategic locations worldwide to thwart smugglers trafficking in nuclear materials.

Melter Technologies Assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perez, J.M. Jr.; Schumacher, R.F.; Forsberg, C.W.

1996-05-01

The problem of controlling and disposing of surplus fissile material, in particular plutonium, is being addressed by the US Department of Energy (DOE). Immobilization of plutonium by vitrification has been identified as a promising solution. The Melter Evaluation Activity of DOE`s Plutonium Immobilization Task is responsible for evaluating and selecting the preferred melter technologies for vitrification for each of three immobilization options: Greenfield Facility, Adjunct Melter Facility, and Can-In-Canister. A significant number of melter technologies are available for evaluation as a result of vitrification research and development throughout the international communities for over 20 years. This paper describes an evaluationmore » process which will establish the specific requirements of performance against which candidate melter technologies can be carefully evaluated. Melter technologies that have been identified are also described.« less

Investigation Of In-Line Monitoring Options At H Canyon/HB Line For Plutonium Oxide Production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sexton, L.

2015-10-14

H Canyon and HB Line have a production goal of 1 MT per year of plutonium oxide feedstock for the MOX facility by FY17 (AFS-2 mission). In order to meet this goal, steps will need to be taken to improve processing efficiency. One concept for achieving this goal is to implement in-line process monitoring at key measurement points within the facilities. In-line monitoring during operations has the potential to increase throughput and efficiency while reducing costs associated with laboratory sample analysis. In the work reported here, we mapped the plutonium oxide process, identified key measurement points, investigated alternate technologies thatmore » could be used for in-line analysis, and initiated a throughput benefit analysis.« less

10. VIEW OF PIPING. THE BUILDING HAD OVER 700 MILES ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. VIEW OF PIPING. THE BUILDING HAD OVER 700 MILES OF PIPING, OF WHICH 70 MILES WERE PLUTONIUM PROCESSING LINES. THESE PROCESS LINES RAN THROUGH WALLS AND TRAVERSED SEVERAL FLOORS. (6/29/78) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

13. SIDE VIEW OF THE STACKERRETRIEVER CRANE FROM THE TRANSFER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. SIDE VIEW OF THE STACKER-RETRIEVER CRANE FROM THE TRANSFER BAY. THE STACKER-RETRIEVER IS A REMOTELY-OPERATED, MECHANIZED TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR RETRIEVING PLUTONIUM CONTAINERS FROM THE STORAGE VAULT. (1/80) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iseki, Tadahiro; Inaba, Makoto; Takahashi, Naoki

During the second and third steps of Active Test at Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP), the performances of the Separation Facility have been checked; (A) diluent washing efficiency, (B) plutonium stripping efficiency, (C) decontamination factor of fission products and (D) plutonium and uranium leakage into raffinate and spent solvent. Test results were equivalent to or better than expected. (authors)

Plutonium Decontamination of Uranium using CO2 Cleaning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blau, M

A concern of the Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) and Defense Programs (DP), and of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), is the disposition of thousands of legacy and recently generated plutonium (Pu)-contaminated, highly enriched uranium (HEU) parts. These parts take up needed vault space. This presents a serious problem for LLNL, as site limit could result in the stoppage of future weapons work. The Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (NN-60) will also face a similar problem as thousands of HEU parts will be created with the disassembly of site-return pitsmore » for plutonium recovery when the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility (PDCF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) becomes operational. To send HEU to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 Plant for disposition, the contamination for metal must be less than 20 disintegrations per minute (dpm) of swipable transuranic per 100 cm{sup 2} of surface area or the Pu bulk contamination for oxide must be less than 210 parts per billion (ppb). LANL has used the electrolytic process on Pu-contaminated HEU weapon parts with some success. However, this process requires that a different fixture be used for every configuration; each fixture cost approximately $10K. Moreover, electrolytic decontamination leaches the uranium metal substrate (no uranium or plutonium oxide) from the HEU part. The leaching rate at the uranium metal grain boundaries is higher than that of the grains and depends on the thickness of the uranium oxide layer. As the leaching liquid flows past the HEU part, it carries away plutonium oxide contamination and uranium oxide. The uneven uranium metal surface created by the leaching becomes a trap for plutonium oxide contamination. In addition, other DOE sites have used CO{sub 2} cleaning for Pu decontamination successfully. In the 1990's, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory investigated this technology and showed that CO{sub 2} pellet blasting (or CO{sub 2} cleaning) reduced both fixed and smearable contamination on tools. In 1997, LLNL proved that even tritium contamination could be removed from a variety of different matrices using CO{sub 2}cleaning. CO{sub 2} cleaning is a non-toxic, nonconductive, nonabrasive decontamination process whose primary cleaning mechanisms are: (1) Impact of the CO{sub 2} pellets loosens the bond between the contaminant and the substrate. (2) CO{sub 2} pellets shatter and sublimate into a gaseous state with large expansion ({approx}800 times). The expanding CO{sub 2} gas forms a layer between the contaminant and the substrate that acts as a spatula and peels off the contaminant. (3) Cooling of the contaminant assists in breaking its bond with the substrate. Thus, LLNL conducted feasibility testing to determine if CO{sub 2} pellet blasting could remove Pu contamination (e.g., uranium oxide) from uranium metal without abrading the metal matrix. This report contains a summary of events and the results of this test.« less

Integrated approaches for reducing sample size for measurements of trace elemental impurities in plutonium by ICP-OES and ICP-MS

DOE PAGES

Xu, Ning; Chamberlin, Rebecca M.; Thompson, Pam; ...

2017-10-07

This study has demonstrated that bulk plutonium chemical analysis can be performed at small scales (\\50 mg material) through three case studies. Analytical methods were developed for ICP-OES and ICP-MS instruments to measure trace impurities and gallium content in plutonium metals with comparable or improved detection limits, measurement accuracy and precision. In two case studies, the sample size has been reduced by 109, and in the third case study, by as much as 50009, so that the plutonium chemical analysis can be performed in a facility rated for lower-hazard and lower-security operations.

Integrated approaches for reducing sample size for measurements of trace elemental impurities in plutonium by ICP-OES and ICP-MS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Ning; Chamberlin, Rebecca M.; Thompson, Pam

This study has demonstrated that bulk plutonium chemical analysis can be performed at small scales (\\50 mg material) through three case studies. Analytical methods were developed for ICP-OES and ICP-MS instruments to measure trace impurities and gallium content in plutonium metals with comparable or improved detection limits, measurement accuracy and precision. In two case studies, the sample size has been reduced by 109, and in the third case study, by as much as 50009, so that the plutonium chemical analysis can be performed in a facility rated for lower-hazard and lower-security operations.

The Management of Silica in Los Alamos National Laboratory Tap Water - A Study of Silica Solubility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wohlberg, C.; Worland, V.P.; Kozubal, M.A.

1999-07-01

Well water at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has a silica (SiO{sub 2}) content of 60 to 100 mg/L, with 4 mg/L of magnesium, 13 mg/L calcium and lesser concentrations of other ions. On evaporation in cooling towers, when the silica concentration reaches 150 to 220 mg/L, silica deposits on heat transfer surfaces. When the high silica well water is used in the reprocessing of plutonium, silica remains in solution at the end of the process and creates a problem of removal from the effluent prior to discharge or evaporation. The work described in this Report is divided into twomore » major parts. The first part describes the behavior of silica when the water is evaporated at various conditions of pH and in the presence of different classes of anions: inorganic and organic. In the second part of this work it was found that precipitation (floccing) of silica was a function of solution pH and mole ratio of metal to silica.« less

Announced United States nuclear tests, July 1945 through December 1987

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1988-04-01

This document lists chronologically and alphabetically by event name all nuclear tests conducted and announced by the United States from July 1945 through December 1987, with the exception of the GMX experiments. The 24 GMX experiments, conducted at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) between December 1954 and February 1956, were /open quotes/equation-of-state/close quotes/ physics studies that used small chemical explosives and small quantities of plutonium. Several tests conducted during Operation Dominic involved missile launches from Johnston Atoll. Several of these missle launches were aborted, resulting in the destruction of the missile and nuclear device either on the pad or inmore » the air. Data on United States tests were obtained from and verified by the Department of Energy's three weapons laboratories--Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; and Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Additionally, data were obtained from public announcements issued by the Atomic Energy Commission and its successors, the Energy Research and Development Administation and the Department of Energy, respectively.« less

The IAEA neutron coincidence counting (INCC) and the DEMING least-squares fitting programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krick, M.S.; Harker, W.C.; Rinard, P.M.

1998-12-01

Two computer programs are described: (1) the INCC (IAEA or International Neutron Coincidence Counting) program and (2) the DEMING curve-fitting program. The INCC program is an IAEA version of the Los Alamos NCC (Neutron Coincidence Counting) code. The DEMING program is an upgrade of earlier Windows{reg_sign} and DOS codes with the same name. The versions described are INCC 3.00 and DEMING 1.11. The INCC and DEMING codes provide inspectors with the software support needed to perform calibration and verification measurements with all of the neutron coincidence counting systems used in IAEA inspections for the nondestructive assay of plutonium and uranium.

Annual Report for Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area 54, Area G Disposal Facility – Fiscal Year 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

French, Sean B.; Stauffer, Philip H.; Birdsell, Kay H.

As a condition to the disposal authorization statement issued to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) on March 17, 2010, a comprehensive performance assessment and composite analysis maintenance program must be implemented for the Technical Area 54, Area G disposal facility. Annual determinations of the adequacy of the performance assessment and composite analysis (PA/CA) are to be conducted under the maintenance program to ensure that the conclusions reached by those analyses continue to be valid. This report summarizes the results of the fiscal year (FY) 2015 annual review for Area G.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan for the TA-60-02 Salvage Warehouse, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Revision 3, January 2018

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burgin, Jillian Elizabeth

This Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) was developed in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq., as amended), and the Multi-Sector General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity (U.S. EPA, June 2015) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and using the industry specific permit requirements for Sector P-Land Transportation and Warehousing as a guide. The applicable stormwater discharge permit is EPA General Permit Registration Number NMR053915 (Los Alamos National Security (LANS) (U.S. EPA, June 2015). Contents of the Junemore » 4, 2015 Multi-sector General Permit can be viewed at: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015- 10/documents/msgp2015_finalpermit.pdf This SWPPP applies to discharges of stormwater from the operational areas of the TA-60-02 Salvage and Warehouse facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory (also referred to as LANL or the “Laboratory”) is owned by the Department of Energy (DOE), and is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). Throughout this document, the term “facility” refers to the TA-60-02 Salvage/ Warehouse and associated areas. The current permit expires at midnight on June 4, 2020. A copy of the facility NOI and LANS Delegation of Authority Letter are located in Appendix C of this SWPPP.« less

TRANSURANIC STUDIES STATUS AND PROBLEM STATEMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leuze, R E

1959-04-29

The purpose of the Transuranics Program is to develop separation processes for the transuranic elements, primarily those produced by long-term neutron irradiation of Pu/sup 239/. The program includes laboratory process development, pilot-plant process testing, processing of 10 kg of Pu/sup 239/ irradiated to greater than 99% burn-up for plutonium and americium-curium recovery, and processing the reirradiated plutonium and americium-curium fractions. The proposed method for processing highly irradiated plutonium is: (1) plutonium-aluminum alloy dissolution in HNO/sub 3/; (2) plutonium recovery by TBP extraction; (3) americium, curium, and rare-earth extraction by TBP from neutral nitrate solution; (4) partial rare-earth removal (primarily lanthanum)more » by americium-curium extraction into 100% TBP from 15M HNO/sub 3/; (5) additional rare-earth removal by extraction in 0.48M mono-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid from 12M HCl; and (6) americium-curium purification by chloride anion exchange. Processing through the 100% TBP, 15M HNO/sub 3/ cycle can be carried out in the Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Pilot Plant. New facilities are proposed 15M HNO/ sub 3/ cycle can be carried out in the Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Pilot Plant. New facilities are proposed for laboratory process development studies and the final processing of the transplutonic elements. (auth)« less

8. VIEW OF GLOVE BOXES USED IN THE ANION EXCHANGE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. VIEW OF GLOVE BOXES USED IN THE ANION EXCHANGE PROCESS. THE ANION EXCHANGE PROCESS PURIFIED AND CONCENTRATED PLUTONIUM-BEARING NITRIC ACID SOLUTIONS TO MAKE THEM ACCEPTABLE AS FEED FOR CONVERSION TO METAL. (6/20/60) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

8. VIEW OF FOUNDRY INDUCTION FURNACES, MODULE J. THE FOUNDRY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. VIEW OF FOUNDRY INDUCTION FURNACES, MODULE J. THE FOUNDRY CASTING PROCESS WAS CONDUCTED IN A VACUUM. PLUTONIUM METAL WAS MELTED IN ONE OF FOUR ELECTRIC INDUCTION FURNACES TO FORM INGOTS. - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Assessment of need for transport tubes when continuously monitoring for radioactive aerosols.

PubMed

Whicker, J J; Rodgers, J C; Lopez, R C

1999-09-01

Aerosol transport tubes are often used to draw aerosol from desirable sampling locations to nearby air sampling equipment that cannot be placed at that location. In many plutonium laboratories at Los Alamos National Laboratory, aerosol transport tubes are used to transport aerosol from the front of room ventilation exhaust registers to continuous air monitors (CAMs) that are mounted on nearby walls. Transport tubes are used because past guidance suggests that extraction of aerosol samples from exhaust locations provides the most sensitive and reliable detection under conditions where the rooms have unpredictable release locations and significant spatial variability in aerosol concentrations after releases, and where CAMs cannot be located in front of exhaust registers without blocking worker walkways. Despite designs to minimize particle loss in tubes, aerosol transport model predictions suggest losses occur lowering the sensitivity of CAMs to accidentally released plutonium aerosol. The goal of this study was to test the hypotheses that the reliability, speed, and sensitivity of aerosol detection would be equal whether the sample was extracted from the front of the exhaust register or from the wall location of CAMs. Polydisperse oil aerosols were released from multiple locations in two plutonium laboratories to simulate plutonium aerosol releases. Networked laser particle counters (LPCs) were positioned to simultaneously measure time-resolved aerosol concentrations at each exhaust register (representative of sampling with transport tubes) and at each wall-mounted CAM location (representative of sampling without transport tubes). Results showed no significant differences in detection reliability, speed, or sensitivity for LPCs positioned at exhaust locations when compared to LPCs positioned at the CAM wall location. Therefore, elimination of transport tubes would likely improve CAM performance.

Audit Report, "Fire Protection Deficiencies at Los Alamos National Laboratory"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2009-06-01

The Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos) maintains some of the Nation's most important national security assets, including nuclear materials. Many of Los Alamos' facilities are located in close proximity to one another, are occupied by large numbers of contract and Federal employees, and support activities ranging from nuclear weapons design to science-related activities. Safeguarding against fires, regardless of origin, is essential to protecting employees, surrounding communities, and national security assets. On June 1, 2006, Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS), became the managing and operating contractor for Los Alamos, under contract with the Department's National Nuclearmore » Security Administration (NNSA). In preparation for assuming its management responsibilities at Los Alamos, LANS conducted walk-downs of the Laboratory's facilities to identify pre-existing deficiencies that could give rise to liability, obligation, loss or damage. The walk-downs, which identified 812 pre-existing fire protection deficiencies, were conducted by subject matter professionals, including fire protection experts. While the Los Alamos Site Office has overall responsibility for the effectiveness of the fire protection program, LANS, as the Laboratory's operating contractor, has a major, day-to-day role in minimizing fire-related risks. The issue of fire protection at Los Alamos is more than theoretical. In May 2000, the 'Cerro Grande' fire burned about 43,000 acres, including 7,700 acres of Laboratory property. Due to the risk posed by fire to the Laboratory's facilities, workforce, and surrounding communities, we initiated this audit to determine whether pre-existing fire protection deficiencies had been addressed. Our review disclosed that LANS had not resolved many of the fire protection deficiencies that had been identified in early 2006: (1) Of the 296 pre-existing deficiencies we selected for audit, 174 (59 percent) had not been corrected; and, (2) A substantial portion of the uncorrected deficiencies, 86 (49 percent) were considered by the walk-down teams to be significant enough to warrant compensatory actions until the deficiency was corrected or was tracked to closure through implementation of corrective actions. Further, we found that 32 of the significant deficiencies had been closed by the previous Los Alamos contractor, prior to LANS assuming responsibility for operation of the Laboratory, even though the deficiencies had not been corrected. A fire protection expert provided technical support during the audit. As an example of uncorrected problems, LANS had not resolved, by performing periodic tests, a deficiency identified in 2006 regarding a kitchen hood fire suppression system in a facility located within the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Such systems are required to be tested twice a year by the National Fire Protection Association standard, a standard that had been adopted by Department of Energy under DOE Order 420.1B. Yet, in 2006, the LANS walk-down team recognized that this system had not been inspected since May 2004 and noted that deficient suppression systems could result in significantly high levels of property damage and loss. After we brought this issue to management's attention on February 6, 2009, LANS officials stated that the Laboratory would correct this deficiency. As with the problems involving the fire suppression system, we observed that LANS had not always corrected life safety deficiencies involving building exits at one of its primary facilities. This included providing a secondary emergency exit for a building with occupants on multiple floor levels. LANS had removed personnel from the third floor and improved the sprinkler system of the facility, but it had still not provided a secondary exit for personnel on the second floor by the time we completed our review. NNSA has since stated that this fire protection issue will be completely addressed by relocating personnel from the second floor. Perhaps most serious, our testing revealed that a number of deficiencies were formally closed even though actual corrective action had not been completed. Notably, we observed that action had not been taken to resolve a recommendation to replace a fire alarm panel found to be unreliable. After the walk-down was conducted but prior to contract transition, the former contractor closed the recommendation in its action tracking database even though the panel had not been replaced. The walk-down team had categorized the fire alarm system as requiring replacement since it had been modified many times, was old and obsolete, and had very limited available spare parts. In fact, the walk-down team concluded that the panel 'must be considered to be unreliable and should have a very high priority for replacement'.« less

Application of 129I/127I Ratios in Groundwater Studies Conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longmire, P.; Dale, M.; Granzow, K.; Yanicak, S. M.

2014-12-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is an operating nuclear site that has released treated effluents from three plutonium-processing facilities since the mid 1940s. The radioisotope 129I (T1/2 = 15.7 Myrs) derived from235U and 239Pu processing at LANL is locally detected in groundwater above background concentrations. This isotope provides a unique tracer for groundwater investigations conducted at LANL that helps to identify source releases linked to groundwater-flow paths in aquifers subject to binary and ternary mixing of natural- and industrial-derived waters containing chromate and other chemicals. Bromide, chlorate, chloride, nitrate, perchlorate, sulfate, and tritium were associated with multiple outfalls at LANL and, therefore, do not provide unique chemical signatures identifying a specific point of release or source. Natural and anthropogenic ratios of 129I/127I measured in groundwater samples collected at LANL were quantified using accelerator mass spectrometry at Purdue Rare Isotope Measurement Laboratory, Purdue University. Anthropogenic ratios of 129I/127I range from 1,531 X 10-15 to 10,323 X 10-15 within perched-intermediate groundwater present in volcanoclastic and basalt aquifers (210 - 216 m depth). Anthropogenic ratios of 129I/127I range from 359 X 10-15 to 4,350 X 10-15 within the regional aquifer (280 m depth) consisting of volcanoclastic sediments of variable hydraulic properties. Local background ratios of 129I/127I have a narrow range of 171 X 10-15 to 378 X 10-15 in the regional aquifer. Dissolved iodide measured in groundwater at LANL is stable dominantly as iodate. Background concentrations of dissolved iodate (0.1 to 33.2 nM) are less variable compared to anthropogenic iodate (8.0 to 246 nM) in groundwater at the site. Variability in concentrations of anthropogenic iodate is controlled by heterogeneous source releases of iodate over time and non-uniform mixing of groundwater in the different aquifers.

Plutonium inventories for stabilization and stabilized materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, A.K.

1996-05-01

The objective of the breakout session was to identify characteristics of materials containing plutonium, the need to stabilize these materials for storage, and plans to accomplish the stabilization activities. All current stabilization activities are driven by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 94-1 (May 26, 1994) and by the recently completed Plutonium ES&H Vulnerability Assessment (DOE-EH-0415). The Implementation Plan for accomplishing stabilization of plutonium-bearing residues in response to the Recommendation and the Assessment was published by DOE on February 28, 1995. This Implementation Plan (IP) commits to stabilizing problem materials within 3 years, and stabilizing all other materials withinmore » 8 years. The IP identifies approximately 20 metric tons of plutonium requiring stabilization and/or repackaging. A further breakdown shows this material to consist of 8.5 metric tons of plutonium metal and alloys, 5.5 metric tons of plutonium as oxide, and 6 metric tons of plutonium as residues. Stabilization of the metal and oxide categories containing greater than 50 weight percent plutonium is covered by DOE Standard {open_quotes}Criteria for Safe Storage of Plutonium Metals and Oxides{close_quotes} December, 1994 (DOE-STD-3013-94). This standard establishes criteria for safe storage of stabilized plutonium metals and oxides for up to 50 years. Each of the DOE sites and contractors with large plutonium inventories has either started or is preparing to start stabilization activities to meet these criteria.« less

Mortality among workers with chronic radiation sickness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shilnikova, N.S.; Koshurnikova, N.A.; Bolotnikova, M.G.

1996-07-01

This study is based on a registry containing medical and dosimetric data of the employees who began working at different plants of the Mayak nuclear complex between 1948 and 1958 who developed chronic radiation sickness. Mayak is the first nuclear weapons plutonium production enterprise built in Russia and includes nuclear reactors, a radiochemical plant for plutonium separation, and a plutonium production enterprise built in Russia and includes nuclear reactors, a radiochemical plant for plutonium separation, and a plutonium production plant.Workers whose employment began between 1948 and 1958 exhibited a 6-28% incidence of chronic radiation sickness at the different facilities. Theremore » were no cases of chronic radiation sickness among those who began working after 1958. Data on doses of external whole-body gamma-irradiation and mortality in workers with chronic radiation sickness are presented. 6 refs., 5 tabs.« less

GrayQb TM Single-Faced Version 2 (SF2) Hanford Plutonium Reclamation Facility (PRF) deployment report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Plummer, J. R.; Immel, D. M.; Serrato, M. G.

2015-11-18

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) in partnership with CH2M Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) deployed the GrayQb TM SF2 radiation imaging device at the Hanford Plutonium Reclamation Facility (PRF) to assist in the radiological characterization of the canyon. The deployment goal was to locate radiological contamination hot spots in the PRF canyon, where pencil tanks were removed and decontamination/debris removal operations are on-going, to support the CHPRC facility decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) effort. The PRF canyon D&D effort supports completion of the CHPRC Plutonium Finishing Plant Decommissioning Project. The GrayQb TM SF2 (Single Faced Version 2) is a non-destructive examinationmore » device developed by SRNL to generate radiation contour maps showing source locations and relative radiological levels present in the area under examination. The Hanford PRF GrayQbTM Deployment was sponsored by CH2M Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) through the DOE Richland Operations Office, Inter-Entity Work Order (IEWO), DOE-RL IEWO- M0SR900210.« less

Shielding calculations and verifications for the new Radiation Instrument Calibration Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

George, G. L.; Olsher, R. H.; Seagraves, D. T.

2002-01-01

MCNP-4C1 was used to perform the shielding design for the new Central Health Physics Calibration Facility (CHPCF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The problem of shielding the facility was subdivided into three separate components: (1) Transmission; (2) Skyshine; and (3) Maze Streaming/ Transmission. When possible, actual measurements were taken to verify calculation results. The comparison of calculation versus measurement results shows excellent agreement for neutron calculations. For photon comparisons, calculations resulted in conservative estimates of the Effective Dose Equivalent (EDE) compared to measured results. This disagreement in the photon measurements versus calculations is most likely due to several conservativemore » assumptions regarding shield density and composition. For example, reinforcing steel bars (Rebar) in the concrete shield walls were not included in the shield model.« less

Final safety analysis report for the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA), Phase 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1994-10-01

This document is the first volume of a 3 volume safety analysis report on the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA). The GTA program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is the major element of the national Neutral Particle Beam (NPB) program, which is supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative Office (SDIO). A principal goal of the national NPB program is to assess the feasibility of using hydrogen and deuterium neutral particle beams outside the Earth`s atmosphere. The main effort of the NPB program at Los Alamos concentrates on developing the GTA. The GTA is classified as a low-hazard facility, exceptmore » for the cryogenic-cooling system, which is classified as a moderate-hazard facility. This volume consists of an introduction, summary/conclusion, site description and assessment, description of facility, and description of operation.« less

JOWOG 22/2 - Actinide Chemical Technology (July 9-13, 2012)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jackson, Jay M.; Lopez, Jacquelyn C.; Wayne, David M.

2012-07-05

The Plutonium Science and Manufacturing Directorate provides world-class, safe, secure, and reliable special nuclear material research, process development, technology demonstration, and manufacturing capabilities that support the nation's defense, energy, and environmental needs. We safely and efficiently process plutonium, uranium, and other actinide materials to meet national program requirements, while expanding the scientific and engineering basis of nuclear weapons-based manufacturing, and while producing the next generation of nuclear engineers and scientists. Actinide Process Chemistry (NCO-2) safely and efficiently processes plutonium and other actinide compounds to meet the nation's nuclear defense program needs. All of our processing activities are done in amore » world class and highly regulated nuclear facility. NCO-2's plutonium processing activities consist of direct oxide reduction, metal chlorination, americium extraction, and electrorefining. In addition, NCO-2 uses hydrochloric and nitric acid dissolutions for both plutonium processing and reduction of hazardous components in the waste streams. Finally, NCO-2 is a key team member in the processing of plutonium oxide from disassembled pits and the subsequent stabilization of plutonium oxide for safe and stable long-term storage.« less

2. VIEW OF THE GLOVE BOX WHERE, ON SEPTEMBER 11, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. VIEW OF THE GLOVE BOX WHERE, ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1957, A FIRE STARTED. THE FIRE SPREAD TO THE REST OF THE BUILDING, RESULTING IN THE TRANSFER OF PLUTONIUM FOUNDRY, FABRICATION, AND ASSEMBLY OPERATIONS TO BUILDING 776/777. (9/16/57) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

2012 SARA Students Technical Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Briccetti, Angelo; Lorei, Nathan; Yonkings, David

The Service Academy Research Associates (SARA) program provides an opportunity for Midshipmen and Cadets from US Service Academies to participate in research at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Sandia National Laboratory for several weeks during the summer as part of their summer training assignments. During the summer of 2012, three Midshipmen were assigned to work with the XCP Division at LANL for approximately 5-6 weeks. As one of the nation's top national security science laboratories, LANL stretches across 36 square miles, has over 2,100 facilities, and employs over 9,000 individuals including a significant numbermore » of students and postdocs. LANL's mission is to 'apply science and technology to: ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the US nuclear deterrent, reduce global threats, and solve other emerging national security challenges.' While LANL officially operates under the US Department of Energy (DoE), fulfilling this mission requires mutual cooperation with the US Department of Defense (DoD) as well. LANL's high concentration of knowledge and experience provides interns a chance to perform research in many disciplines, and its connection with the DoD in both operation and personnel gives SARA students insight to career possibilities both during and after military service. SARA students have plenty of opportunity to enjoy hiking, camping, the Los Alamos YMCA, and many other outdoor activities in New Mexico while staying at the Buffalo Thunder Resort, located 20 miles east of the lab. XCP Division is the Computational Physics division of LANL's Weapons Department. Working with XCP Division requires individuals to be Q cleared by the DoE. This means it is significantly more convenient for SARA students to be assigned to XCP Division than their civilian counterparts as the DoD CNWDI clearance held by SARA students is easily transferred to the lab prior to the students arriving at the start of the summer. SARA students working with XCP Division were given a comprehensive introduction into nuclear engineering and physics, nuclear weapons, and radiation transport and detection via texts and lectures at various classification levels. Students also attended tours of several prominent facilities at LANL including TA-41 Ice House, TA-55 PF-4 plutonium facility, the Nicholas C. Metropolis Center for Modeling and Simulation, also known as the Secure Computing Center (SCC), and the Dual-Axis Radiological Hydro Test (DARHT) facility; in addition, SARA students accompanied by LANL staff traveled to Minot AFB in North Dakota for tours of the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing facilities. Students participated in a week long class on the Monte Carlo N Particle (MCNP) code to supplement their understanding of radiation transport simulations. SARA students were then tasked with using this knowledge to model radiation detectors and use MCNP to compare their models to experimental data and previously accepted models.« less

LITERATURE REVIEW FOR OXALATE OXIDATION PROCESSES AND PLUTONIUM OXALATE SOLUBILITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nash, C.

2012-02-03

A literature review of oxalate oxidation processes finds that manganese(II)-catalyzed nitric acid oxidation of oxalate in precipitate filtrate is a viable and well-documented process. The process has been operated on the large scale at Savannah River in the past, including oxidation of 20 tons of oxalic acid in F-Canyon. Research data under a variety of conditions show the process to be robust. This process is recommended for oxalate destruction in H-Canyon in the upcoming program to produce feed for the MOX facility. Prevention of plutonium oxalate precipitation in filtrate can be achieved by concentrated nitric acid/ferric nitrate sequestration of oxalate.more » Organic complexants do not appear practical to sequester plutonium. Testing is proposed to confirm the literature and calculation findings of this review at projected operating conditions for the upcoming campaign. H Canyon plans to commence conversion of plutonium metal to low-fired plutonium oxide in 2012 for eventual use in the Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) Facility. The flowsheet includes sequential operations of metal dissolution, ion exchange, elution, oxalate precipitation, filtration, and calcination. All processes beyond dissolution will occur in HB-Line. The filtration step produces an aqueous filtrate that may have as much as 4 M nitric acid and 0.15 M oxalate. The oxalate needs to be removed from the stream to prevent possible downstream precipitation of residual plutonium when the solution is processed in H Canyon. In addition, sending the oxalate to the waste tank farm is undesirable. This report addresses the processing options for destroying the oxalate in existing H Canyon equipment.« less

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan TA-60 Roads and Grounds Facility and Associated Sigma Mesa Staging Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandoval, Leonard Frank

This Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) is applicable to operations at the Technical Area -60 (TA-60) Roads and Grounds Facility and Associated Sigma Mesa Staging Area off Eniwetok Drive, in Los Alamos County, New Mexico.

SWEIS Yearbook-2012 Comparison of 2012 Data to Projections of the 2008 Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mahowald, Hallie B.; Wright, Marjorie Alys

2014-01-16

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) operations data for Calendar Year (CY) 2012 mostly fell within the 2008 Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) projections. Operation levels for one LANL facility exceeded the 2008 SWEIS capability projections—Radiochemistry Facility; however, none of the capability increases caused exceedances in radioactive air emissions, waste generation, or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge. Several facilities exceeded the2008 SWEIS levels for waste generation quantities; however, all were one-time, non-routine events that do not reflect the day-to-day operations of the Laboratory. In addition, total site-wide waste generation quantities were below SWEIS projections for allmore » waste types, reflecting the overall levels of operations at both the Key and Non-Key Facilities. Although gas and electricity consumption have remained within the 2008 SWEIS limits for utilities, water consumption exceeded the 2008 SWEIS projections by 27 million gallons in CY 2012.« less

Qualitative comparison of bremsstrahlung X-rays and 800 MeV protons for tomography of urania fuel pellets

DOE PAGES

Morris, Christopher L.; Bourke, Mark A.; Byler, Darrin D.; ...

2013-02-11

We present an assessment of x-rays and proton tomography as tools for studying the time dependence of the development of damage in fuel rods. Also, we show data taken with existing facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory that support this assessment. Data on surrogate fuel rods has been taken using the 800 MeV proton radiography (pRad) facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), and with a 450 keV bremsstrahlung X-ray tomography facility. The proton radiography pRad facility at LANSCE can provide good position resolution (<70 μm has been demonstrate, 20 μm seems feasible with minor changes) for tomographymore » on activated fuel rods. Bremsstrahlung x-rays may be able to provide better than 100 μm resolution but further development of sources, collimation and detectors is necessary for x-rays to deal with the background radiation for tomography of activated fuel rods.« less

Characterization of Offgas Generated During Calcination of Incinerator Ash Surrogates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wigent, H.L.; Vienna, J.D.; Darab, J.G.

1999-01-28

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), in cooperation with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Safe Sites of Colorado (SSOC), developed a recommended flowsheet for the processing of plutonium-bearing incinerator ash stored at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) (Lucy et al. 1998). This flowsheet involves a calcination pretreatment step, the purpose of which is to remove carbonaceous material from the incinerator ash. Removal of this material reduced the probability of process upsets, improved product quality, and increases ash waste loading. As part of the continued development of the recommended flowsheet, PNNL performed a series of tests tomore » characterize the offgas generated during the calcination process.« less

The physics design of accelerator-driven transmutation systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Venneri, F.

1995-10-01

Nuclear systems under study in the Los Alamos Accelerator-Driven Transmutation Technology program (ADTT) will allow the destruction of nuclear spent fuel and weapons-return plutonium, as well as the production of nuclear energy from the thorium cycle, without a long-lived radioactive waste stream. The subcritical systems proposed represent a radical departure from traditional nuclear concepts (reactors), yet the actual implementation of ADTT systems is based on modest extrapolations of existing technology. These systems strive to keep the best that the nuclear technology has developed over the years, within a sensible conservative design envelope and eventually manage to offer a safe, lessmore » expensive and more environmentally sound approach to nuclear power.« less

High-resolution real-time optical studies of radiological air sample filtration processes in an environmental continuous air monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, John C.; Wasiolek, Piotr T.; Schery, Stephen D.; Alcantara, Raul E.

1999-01-01

The need for a continuous air monitor capable of quick and accurate measurements of airborne radioactivity in close proximity to the work environment during waste management, site restoration, and D&D operations led to the Los Alamos National Laboratory development of an environmental continuous air monitor (ECAM). Monitoring the hostile work environment of waste recovery, for example, presents unique challenges for detector design for detectors previously used for the clean room conditions of the typical plutonium laboratory. The environmental and atmospheric conditions (dust, high wind, etc.) influence aerosol particle penetration into the ECAM sampling head as well as the build-up of deposits on the ECAM filter.

LAFD: TA-55 General Facility Familiarization Tour, Course #55261

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rutherford, Victor Stephen; Miller, Joshua; Mason, Robert Clifford

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) will conduct familiarization tours for personnel of the Los Alamos County Fire Department (LAFD) at the TA-55 General Facility. These familiarization tours are official LANL business; the purpose of these tours is to orient LAFD firefighters to the facility so that they can respond efficiently and quickly to a variety of emergency situations. This orientation includes, among other topics, ingress and egress of the area and buildings, layout and organization of the facility, evacuation procedures and assembly points, and areas of concern within the various buildings at the facility. LAFD firefighters have the skills andmore » abilities to perform firefighting operations and other emergency response tasks that cannot be provided by LANL personnel who have the required clearance level. This handout provides details of the information, along with maps and diagrams, to be presented during the familiarization tours. The handout will be distributed to the trainees at the time of the tour. A corresponding checklist will also be used as guidance during the familiarization tours to ensure that all required information is presented to LAFD personnel.« less

5. VIEW OF A GLOVE BOX FIREWALL DETAIL. THE FIREWALL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. VIEW OF A GLOVE BOX FIREWALL DETAIL. THE FIREWALL WAS A SAFETY FEATURE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF FIRE BETWEEN INTERCONNECTED GLOVE BOXES. PLUTONIUM IS PYROPHORIC, AND MAY IGNITE IN THE PRESENCE OF OXYGEN. (5/8/70) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

77 FR 1920 - Second Amended Notice of Intent To Modify the Scope of the Surplus Plutonium Disposition...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-12

... suitable for MOX fuel fabrication is disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico... Waste Processing Facility at SRS or disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. On... are safety (criticality) limits on how much plutonium can be sent to the Defense Waste Processing...

4. AERIAL VIEW, LOOKING SOUTHSOUTHWEST, OF BUILDING 371 GROUND FLOOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. AERIAL VIEW, LOOKING SOUTH-SOUTHWEST, OF BUILDING 371 GROUND FLOOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THE GROUND FLOOR, WHICH CONTAINS THE MAJORITY OF THE PLUTONIUM RECOVERY PROCESSING EQUIPMENT, IS DIVIDED INTO COMPARTMENTS BY FIREWALLS, AIRLOCKS, AND USE OF NEGATIVE AIR PRESSURE. (1/7/75) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Certification of Plutonium Standards for KAMS Neutron Multiplicity Counter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salaymeh, S.R.

2002-05-31

As part of the implementation of the PEIS record of decision in January of 1997, DOE will pursue two technologies to disposition fifty metric tons of its stockpile of plutonium. As a result of this and in order to expedite the closure of Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site in Colorado, DOE decided to use existing facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) for storing all material containing plutonium at KAMS. A neutron multiplicity counter was designed and built to carry out receipt verification measurement at the facility. Since the material covers a wide range and different levels of impurities, itmore » is essential that we obtain a set of working standards. An agreement was drafted to select the first drums to be these standards. A plan was developed for the certification of these standards using Rocky Flat's existing nondestructive assay equipment. This paper will discuss the types of materials to be shipped to SRS, number of standards to certify for each type of material, and the certification plan. It will also discuss the activities necessary to determine the nuclear content of these working standards to be used at SRS facilities in support of shipment and receipt of the Pu containing materials. Definition of instrument qualifications, measurement control processes, measurement methodologies, and calculations necessary to report the gram quantities and their uncertainties for plutonium, americium-241, uranium-235 (if present) and neptunium-237 (if present) will also be presented.« less

Dissolution of aerosol particles collected from nuclear facility plutonium production process

DOE PAGES

Xu, Ning; Martinez, Alexander; Schappert, Michael Francis; ...

2015-08-14

Here, a simple, robust analytical chemistry method has been developed to dissolve plutonium containing particles in a complex matrix. The aerosol particles collected on Marple cascade impactor substrates were shown to be dissolved completely with an acid mixture of 12 M HNO 3 and 0.1 M HF. A pressurized closed vessel acid digestion technique was utilized to heat the samples at 130 °C for 16 h to facilitate the digestion. The dissolution efficiency for plutonium particles was 99 %. The resulting particle digestate solution was suitable for trace elemental analysis and isotope composition determination, as well as radiochemistry measurements.

Safety features of subcritical fluid fueled systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, C.R.

1995-10-01

Accelerator-driven transmutation technology has been under study at Los Alamos for several years for application to nuclear waste treatment, tritium production, energy generation, and recently, to the disposition of excess weapons plutonium. Studies and evaluations performed to date at Los Alamos have led to a current focus on a fluid-fuel, fission system operating in a neutron source-supported subcritical mode, using molten salt reactor technology and accelerator-driven proton-neutron spallation. In this paper, the safety features and characteristics of such systems are explored from the perspective of the fundamental nuclear safety objectives that any reactor-type system should address. This exploration is qualitativemore » in nature and uses current vintage solid-fueled reactors as a baseline for comparison. Based on the safety perspectives presented, such systems should be capable of meeting the fundamental nuclear safety objectives. In addition, they should be able to provide the safety robustness desired for advanced reactors. However, the manner in which safety objectives and robustness are achieved is very different from that associated with conventional reactors. Also, there are a number of safety design and operational challenges that will have to be addressed for the safety potential of such systems to be credible.« less

Pion Inelastic Scattering to the First Three Excited States of Lithium-6.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

and Spectrometer system at the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility, differential cross sections were measured for n+ inelastic scattering to the...Professor: C. Fred Moore Using the Energetic Pion Channel and Spectrometer system at the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility, differential cross...due to the construction and subsequent operation of three meson production facilities: the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) in the United

New Developments in Proton Radiography at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE)

DOE PAGES

Morris, C. L.; Brown, E. N.; Agee, C.; ...

2015-12-30

An application of nuclear physics, a facility for using protons for flash radiography, was developed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). Protons have proven far superior to high energy x-rays for flash radiography because of their long mean free path, good position resolution, and low scatter background. Although this facility is primarily used for studying very fast phenomena such as high explosive driven experiments, it is finding increasing application to other fields, such as tomography of static objects, phase changes in materials and the dynamics of chemical reactions. The advantages of protons are discussed, data from some recentmore » experiments will be reviewed and concepts for new techniques are introduced.« less

Penetrating radiation: applications at Los Alamos National Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, Scott; Hunter, James; Morris, Christopher

2013-09-01

Los Alamos has used penetrating radiography extensively throughout its history dating back to the Manhattan Project where imaging dense, imploding objects was the subject of intense interest. This interest continues today as major facilities like DARHT1 have become the mainstay of the US Stockpile Stewardship Program2 and the cornerstone of nuclear weapons certification. Meanwhile, emerging threats to national security from cargo containers and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have invigorated inspection efforts using muon tomography, and compact x-ray radiography. Additionally, unusual environmental threats, like those from underwater oil spills and nuclear power plant accidents, have caused renewed interest in fielding radiography in severe operating conditions. We review the history of penetrating radiography at Los Alamos and survey technologies as presently applied to these important problems.

Los Alamos Canyon Ice Rink Parking Flood Plain Assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hathcock, Charles Dean; Keller, David Charles

2015-02-10

The project location is in Los Alamos Canyon east of the ice rink facility at the intersection of West and Omega roads (Figure 1). Forty eight parking spaces will be constructed on the north and south side of Omega Road, and a lighted walking path will be constructed to the ice rink. Some trees will be removed during this action. A guardrail of approximately 400 feet will be constructed along the north side of West Road to prevent unsafe parking in that area.

Selection of Russian Plutonium Beryllium Sources for Inclusion in the Nuclear Mateirals Information Program Archive

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Narlesky, Joshua E; Padilla, Dennis D; Watts, Joe

2009-01-01

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the former Soviet Union produced and exported Plutonium-Beryllium (PuBe) neutron sources to various Eastern European countries. The Russian sources consist of an intermetallic compound of plutonium and beryllium encapsulated in an inner welded, sealed capsule and consisting of a body and one or more covers. The amount of plutonium in the sources ranges from 0.002 g up to 15 g. A portion of the sources was originally exported to East Germany. A portion of these sources were acquired by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the late 1990s for destruction in the Offsite Source Recoverymore » Program. When the OSRP was canceled, the remaining 88 PuBe neutron sources were packaged and stored in a 55-gal drum at T A-55. This storage configuration is no longer acceptable for PuBe sources, and the sources must either be repackaged or disposed of. Repackaging would place the sources into Hagan container, and depending on the dose rates, some sources may be packaged individually increasing the footprint and cost of storage. In addition, each source will be subject to leak-checking every six months. Leaks have already been detected in some of the sources, and due to the age of these sources, it is likely that additional leaks may be detected over time, which will increase the overall complexity of handling and storage. Therefore, it was decided that the sources would be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) due to the cost and labor associated with continued storage at TA-55. However, the plutonium in the sources is of Russian origin and needs to be preserved for research purposes. Therefore, it is important that a representative sample of the sources retained and archived for future studies. This report describes the criteria used to obtain a representative sample of the sources. Nine Russian PuBe neutron sources have been selected out of a collection of 77 sources for inclusion in the NMIP archive. Selection criteria were developed so that the largest sources that are representative of the collection are included. One representative source was chosen for every 20 sources in the collection, and effort was made to preserve sources unique to the collection. In total, four representative sources and five unique sources were selected for the archive. The archive samples contain 40 grams of plutonium with an isotopic composition similar to that of weapon grade material and three grams of plutonium with an isotopic composition similar to that of reactor grade plutonium.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bostick, W.D.; Hoffmann, D.P.; Stevenson, R.J.

The category of sludges, filter cakes, and other waste processing residuals represent the largest volume of low-level mixed (hazardous and radioactive) wastes within the US Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Treatment of these wastes to minimize the mobility of contaminants, and to eliminate the presence of free water, is required under the Federal Facility Compliance Act agreements between DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency. In the text, we summarize the currently available data for several of the high priority mixed-waste sludge inventories within DOE. Los Alamos National Laboratory TA-50 Sludge and Rocky Flats Plant By-Pass Sludge are transuranic (TRU)-contaminated sludgesmore » that were isolated with the use of silica-based filter aids. The Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant West End Treatment Facility Sludge is predominantly calcium carbonate and biomass. The Oak Ridge K-25 Site Pond Waste is a large-volume waste stream, containing clay, silt, and other debris in addition to precipitated metal hydroxides. We formulate ``simulants`` for the waste streams described above, using cerium oxide as a surrogate for the uranium or plutonium present in the authentic material. Use of nonradiological surrogates greatly simplifies material handling requirements for initial treatability studies. The use of synthetic mixtures for initial treatability testing will facilitate compositional variation for use in conjunction with statistical design experiments; this approach may help to identify any ``operating window`` limitations. The initial treatability testing demonstrations utilizing these ``simulants`` will be based upon vitrification, although the materials are also amenable to testing grout-based and other stabilization procedures. After the feasibility of treatment and the initial evaluation of treatment performance has been demonstrated, performance must be verified using authentic samples of the candidate waste stream.« less

Application of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation for international safeguards

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barefield Ii, James E; Clegg, Samuel M; Lopez, Leon N

2010-01-01

Advanced methodologies and improvements to current measurements techniques are needed to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of international safeguards. This need was recognized and discussed at a Technical Meeting on 'The Application of Laser Spectrometry Techniques in IAEA Safeguards' held at IAEA headquarters (September 2006). One of the principal recommendations from that meeting was the need to pursue the development of novel complementary access instrumentation based on Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (UBS) for the detection of gaseous and solid signatures and indicators of nuclear fuel cycle processes and associated materials'. Pursuant to this recommendation the Department of Safeguards (SG) undermore » the Division of Technical Support (SGTS) convened the 'Experts and Users Advisory Meeting on Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Safeguards Applications' also held at IAEA headquarters (July 2008). This meeting was attended by 12 LlBS experts from the Czech Republic, the European Commission, France, the Republic of South Korea, the United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Canada, and Northern Ireland. Following a presentation of the needs of the IAEA inspectors, the LIBS experts agreed that needs as presented could be partially or fully fulfilled using LIBS instrumentation. Inspectors needs were grouped into the following broad categories: (1) Improvements to in-field measurements/environmental sampling; (2) Monitoring status of activities in Hot Cells; (3) Verify status of activity at a declared facility via process monitoring; and (4) Need for pre-screening of environmental samples before analysis. The primary tool employed by the IAEA to detect undeclared processes and activities at special nuclear material facilities and sites is environmental sampling. One of the objectives of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) Program Plan calls for the development of advanced tools and methodologies to detect and analyze undeclared processing or production of special nuclear material. Los Alamos National Laboratory is currently investigating potential uses of LIBS for safeguards applications, including (1) a user-friendly man-portable LIBS system to characterize samples in real to near-real time (typical analysis time are on the order of minutes) across a wide range of elements in the periodic table from hydrogen up to heavy elements like plutonium and uranium, (2) a LIBS system that can be deployed in harsh environments such as hot cells and glove boxes providing relative compositional analysis of process streams for example ratios like Cm/Up and Cm/U, (3) an inspector field deployable system that can be used to analyze the elemental composition of microscopic quantities of samples containing plutonium and uranium, and (4) a high resolution LIBS system that can be used to determine the isotopic composition of samples containing for example uranium, plutonium... etc. In this paper, we will describe our current development and performance testing results for LIBS instrumentation both in a fixed lab and measurements in field deployable configurations.« less

Area G Perimeter Surface-Soil Sampling Environmental Surveillance for Fiscal Year 1998 Hazardous and Solid Waste Group (ESH-19)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marquis Childs

1999-09-01

Material Disposal Area G (Area G) is at Technical Area 54 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Area G has been the principal facility for the disposal of low-level, solid-mixed, and transuranic waste since 1957. It is currently LANL's primary facility for radioactive solid waste burial and storage. As part of the annual environmental surveillance effort at Area G, surface soil samples are collected around the facility's perimeter to characterize possible radionuclide movement off the site through surface water runoff During 1998, 39 soil samples were collected and analyzed for percent moisture, tritium, plutonium-238 and 239, cesium-137 and americium-241. Tomore » assess radionuclide concentrations, the results from these samples are compared with baseline or background soil samples collected in an undisturbed area west of the active portion Area G. The 1998 results are also compared to the results from analogous samples collected during 1996 and 1997 to assess changes over this time in radionuclide activity concentrations in surface soils around the perimeter of Area G. The results indicate elevated levels of all the radionuclides assessed (except cesium-137) exist in Area G perimeter surface soils vs the baseline soils. The comparison of 1998 soil data to previous years (1996 and 1997) indicates no significant increase or decrease in radionuclide concentrations; an upward or downward trend in concentrations is not detectable at this time. These results are consistent with data comparisons done in previous years. Continued annual soil sampling will be necessary to realize a trend if one exists. The radionuclide levels found in the perimeter surface soils are above background but still considered relatively low. This perimeter surface soil data will be used for planning purposes at Area G, techniques to prevent sediment tm.nsport off-site are implemented in the areas where the highest radionuclide concentrations are indicated.« less

Final safety analysis report for the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA), Phase 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1994-10-01

This document is the third volume of a 3 volume safety analysis report on the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA). The GTA program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is the major element of the national Neutral Particle Beam (NPB) program, which is supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative Office (SDIO). A principal goal of the national NPB program is to assess the feasibility of using hydrogen and deuterium neutral particle beams outside the Earth`s atmosphere. The main effort of the NPB program at Los Alamos concentrates on developing the GTA. The GTA is classified as a low-hazard facility, exceptmore » for the cryogenic-cooling system, which is classified as a moderate-hazard facility. This volume consists of appendices C through U of the report« less

Proton Radiography at Los Alamos

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saunders, Alexander

2017-02-28

The proton radiography (pRad) facility at Los Alamos National Lab uses high energy protons to acquire multiple frame flash radiographic sequences at megahertz speeds: that is, it can make movies of the inside of explosions as they happen. The facility is primarily used to study the damage to and failure of metals subjected to the shock forces of high explosives as well as to study the detonation of the explosives themselves. Applications include improving our understanding of the underlying physical processes that drive the performance of the nuclear weapons in the United States stockpile and developing novel armor technologies inmore » collaboration with the Army Research Lab. The principle and techniques of pRad will be described, and examples of some recent results will be shown.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rutherford, Victor Stephen

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) will conduct familiarization tours for personnel of the Los Alamos County Fire Department (LAFD) at TA-16 high explosives (HE) facilities. These familiarization tours are official LANL business; the purpose of these tours is to orient LAFD firefighters to the facility so that they can respond efficiently and quickly to a variety of emergency situations. This orientation includes, among other topics, ingress and egress of the area and buildings, layout and organization of the facility, evacuation procedures and assembly points, and areas of concern within the various buildings at the facility. LAFD firefighters have the skillsmore » and abilities to perform firefighting operations and other emergency response tasks that cannot be provided by LANL personnel who have the required clearance. This handout provides details of the information, along with maps and diagrams, to be presented during the familiarization tours. The handout will be distributed to the trainees at the time of the tour. A corresponding checklist will also be used as guidance during the familiarization tours to ensure that all required information is presented to LAFD personnel.« less

LAFD: TA-55 RLUOB/CUB Facility Familiarization Tour, OJT #55265

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rutherford, Victor Stephen

2017-09-14

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) conducts familiarization tours for personnel of the Los Alamos County Fire Department (LAFD) at the RLUOB/CUB, technical area (TA)-55, 400/440, facility, Radiological Laboratory Utility Office Building (RLUOB)/Central Utility Building (CUB). These familiarization tours are official LANL business; the purpose of these tours is to orient LAFD firefighters to the facility so that they can respond efficiently and quickly to a variety of emergency situations. This orientation includes, among other topics, the ingress and egress of the area and buildings, layout and organization of the facility, evacuation procedures and assembly points, and areas of concern withinmore » the various buildings at the facility. LAFD firefighters have the skills and abilities to perform firefighting operations and other emergency response tasks that cannot be provided by other LANL personnel who have the required clearance level. This handout provides details of the information, along with maps and diagrams, to be presented during the familiarization tours. The handout is distributed to the trainees at the time of the tour; a corresponding checklist is also used as guidance during the familiarization tours to ensure that all required information is presented to LAFD personnel.« less

James L. Tuck Los Alamos ball lightning pioneer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baker, D.A.

1999-07-01

James Tuck was well known for starting the Project Sherwood group at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in 1952. This group was formed to study and develop concepts for controlled fusion energy. In his later years after retiring from Controlled Fusion Division, he continued research at Los Alamos on the topic of ball lightning. He traveled widely giving lectures on both observations of others and his own experimental efforts. He collected anecdotal observations obtained from those in his lecture audiences during his travels and from responses from newspaper articles where he asked for specific information from ball lightning observers. He finallymore » cut off this collection of data when the number of responses became overwhelming. The author's primary publication on ball lightning was a short laboratory report. He planned on publishing a book on the subject but this was never completed before his death. Tuck focused his experimental effort on attempting to duplicate the production of plasma balls claimed to be observed in US Navy submarines when a switch was opened under overload conditions with battery power. During lunch breaks he made use of a Los Alamos N-division battery bank facility to mock up a submarine power pack and switch gear. This non-funded effort was abruptly terminated when an explosion occurred in the facility. An overview of Tuck's research and views will be given. The flavor Jim's personality as well as a ball produced with his experimental apparatus will be shown using video chips.« less

Saving Water at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erickson, Andy

Los Alamos National Laboratory decreased its water usage by 26 percent in 2014, with about one-third of the reduction attributable to using reclaimed water to cool a supercomputing center. The Laboratory's goal during 2014 was to use only re-purposed water to support the mission at the Strategic Computing Complex. Using reclaimed water from the Sanitary Effluent Reclamation Facility, or SERF, substantially decreased water usage and supported the overall mission. SERF collects industrial wastewater and treats it for reuse. The reclamation facility contributed more than 27 million gallons of re-purposed water to the Laboratory's computing center, a secured supercomputing facility thatmore » supports the Laboratory’s national security mission and is one of the institution’s larger water users. In addition to the strategic water reuse program at SERF, the Laboratory reduced water use in 2014 by focusing conservation efforts on areas that use the most water, upgrading to water-conserving fixtures, and repairing leaks identified in a biennial survey.« less

Saving Water at Los Alamos National Laboratory

ScienceCinema

Erickson, Andy

2018-01-16

Los Alamos National Laboratory decreased its water usage by 26 percent in 2014, with about one-third of the reduction attributable to using reclaimed water to cool a supercomputing center. The Laboratory's goal during 2014 was to use only re-purposed water to support the mission at the Strategic Computing Complex. Using reclaimed water from the Sanitary Effluent Reclamation Facility, or SERF, substantially decreased water usage and supported the overall mission. SERF collects industrial wastewater and treats it for reuse. The reclamation facility contributed more than 27 million gallons of re-purposed water to the Laboratory's computing center, a secured supercomputing facility that supports the Laboratory’s national security mission and is one of the institution’s larger water users. In addition to the strategic water reuse program at SERF, the Laboratory reduced water use in 2014 by focusing conservation efforts on areas that use the most water, upgrading to water-conserving fixtures, and repairing leaks identified in a biennial survey.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan - TA-60 Material Recycling Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandoval, Leonard Frank

This Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) was developed in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq., as amended), and the Multi-Sector General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity (U.S. EPA, June 2015) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and using the industry specific permit requirements for Sector P-Land Transportation and Warehousing as a guide. This SWPPP applies to discharges of stormwater from the operational areas of the TA- 60 Material Recycling Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamosmore » National Laboratory (also referred to as LANL or the “Laboratory”) is owned by the Department of Energy (DOE), and is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). Throughout this document, the term “facility” refers to the TA-60 Material Recycling Facility. The current permit expires at midnight on June 4, 2020.« less

Low-level radioactive waste management: transitioning to off-site disposal at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorries, Alison M

2010-11-09

Facing the closure of nearly all on-site management and disposal capability for low-level radioactive waste (LLW), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is making ready to ship the majority of LLW off-site. In order to ship off-site, waste must meet the Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility's (TSDF) Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC). In preparation, LANL's waste management organization must ensure LANL waste generators characterize and package waste compliantly and waste characterization documentation is complete and accurate. Key challenges that must be addressed to successfully make the shift to off-site disposal of LLW include improving the detail, accuracy, and quality of process knowledgemore » (PK) and acceptable knowledge (AK) documentation, training waste generators and waste management staff on the higher standard of data quality and expectations, improved WAC compliance for off-site facilities, and enhanced quality assurance throughout the process. Certification of LANL generators will allow direct off-site shipping of LLW from their facilities.« less

20. VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF THE ADVANCED SIZE REDUCTION ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

20. VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF THE ADVANCED SIZE REDUCTION FACILITY USED TO CUT PLUTONIUM CONTAMINATED GLOVE BOXES AND MISCELLANEOUS LARGE EQUIPMENT DOWN TO AN EASILY PACKAGED SIZE FOR DISPOSAL. ROUTINE OPERATIONS WERE PERFORMED REMOTELY, USING HOISTS, MANIPULATOR ARMS, AND GLOVE PORTS TO REDUCE BOTH INTENSITY AND TIME OF RADIATION EXPOSURE TO THE OPERATOR. (11/6/86) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Fabrication, Central section of Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance: U.S. Programs in the Former Soviet Union

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-31

seeks to help Russia reconfigure its large - scale former BW-related facilities so that they can perform peaceful research issues such as infectious...opting instead for the construction of fast breeder reactors that could burn plutonium directly for energy production. The United States might not fund...this effort, as many in the United States argue that breeder reactors , which produce more plutonium than they consume, would undermine

Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance: U.S. Programs in the Former Soviet Union

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-26

large - scale former BW-related facilities so that they can perform peaceful research issues such as infectious diseases. The Global Threat Reduction...indicated that it may not pursue the MOX program to eliminate its plutonium, opting instead for the construction of fast breeder reactors that could...burn plutonium directly for energy production. The United States might not fund this effort, as many in the United States argue that breeder reactors

Improvement of INVS Measurement Uncertainty for Pu and U-Pu Nitrate Solution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swinhoe, Martyn Thomas; Menlove, Howard Olsen; Marlow, Johnna Boulds

2017-04-27

In the Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) and the Plutonium Conversion Development Facility (PCDF), a large amount of plutonium nitrate solution which is recovered from light water reactor (LWR) and advanced thermal reactor (ATR), FUGEN are being stored. Since the solution is designated as a direct use material, the periodical inventory verification and flow verification are being conducted by Japan Safeguard Government Office (JSGO) and International Atomic Agency (IAEA).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reilly, Sean Douglas; Smith, Paul Herrick; Jarvinen, Gordon D.

Understanding the water solubility of plutonium and uranium compounds and residues at TA-55 is necessary to provide a technical basis for appropriate criticality safety, safety basis and accountability controls. Individual compound solubility was determined using published solubility data and solution thermodynamic modeling. Residue solubility was estimated using a combination of published technical reports and process knowledge of constituent compounds. The scope of materials considered includes all compounds and residues at TA-55 as of March 2016 that contain Pu-239 or U-235 where any single item in the facility has more than 500 g of nuclear material. This analysis indicates that themore » following materials are not appreciably soluble in water: plutonium dioxide (IDC=C21), plutonium phosphate (IDC=C66), plutonium tetrafluoride (IDC=C80), plutonium filter residue (IDC=R26), plutonium hydroxide precipitate (IDC=R41), plutonium DOR salt (IDC=R42), plutonium incinerator ash (IDC=R47), uranium carbide (IDC=C13), uranium dioxide (IDC=C21), U 3O 8 (IDC=C88), and uranium filter residue (IDC=R26). This analysis also indicates that the following materials are soluble in water: plutonium chloride (IDC=C19) and uranium nitrate (IDC=C52). Equilibrium calculations suggest that PuOCl is water soluble under certain conditions, but some plutonium processing reports indicate that it is insoluble when present in electrorefining residues (R65). Plutonium molten salt extraction residues (IDC=R83) contain significant quantities of PuCl 3, and are expected to be soluble in water. The solubility of the following plutonium residues is indeterminate due to conflicting reports, insufficient process knowledge or process-dependent composition: calcium salt (IDC=R09), electrorefining salt (IDC=R65), salt (IDC=R71), silica (IDC=R73) and sweepings/screenings (IDC=R78). Solution thermodynamic modeling also indicates that fire suppression water buffered with a commercially-available phosphate buffer would significantly reduce the solubility of PuCl 3 by the precipitation of PuPO 4.« less

Tiger Team Assessment of the Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-11-01

The purpose of the safety and health assessment was to determine the effectiveness of representative safety and health programs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Within the safety and health programs at LANL, performance was assessed in the following technical areas: Organization and Administration, Quality Verification, Operations, Maintenance, Training and Certification, Auxiliary Systems, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Support, Packaging and Transportation, Nuclear Criticality Safety, Security/Safety Interface, Experimental Activities, Site/Facility Safety Review, Radiological Protection, Personnel Protection, Worker Safety and Health (OSHA) Compliance, Fire Protection, Aviation Safety, Explosives Safety, Natural Phenomena, and Medical Services.

List of DOE radioisotope customers with summary of radioisotope shipments FY 1978

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burlison, J.S.; Laidler, R.I.

1979-05-01

The purpose of the document is to list DOE's radioisotopes production and distribution activities by its facilities at Argonne National Laboratory; Pacific Northwest Laboratory; Brookhaven National Laboratory; Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory; Idaho Operations Office; Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory; Mound Facility; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Savannah River Laboratory; and UNC Nuclear Industries, Inc.

Proceedings of the 16th LAMPF Users-Group Meeting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradbury, J. N.; Ruminer, K.; Talley, B.

1983-04-01

The status and operation of the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility are discussed as well as prospects for future activities in U.S. nuclear science. Other topics covered include low energy strong interactions; parity violations in nuclei and other results from the pion spectrometer. The Triumpf kaon factory plans, and physics at the facility are also explored.

TA 55 Reinvestment Project II Phase C Update Project Status May 23, 2017

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giordano, Anthony P.

The TA-55 Reinvestment Project (TRP) II Phase C is a critical infrastructure project focused on improving safety and reliability of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) TA-55 Complex. The Project recapitalizes and revitalizes aging and obsolete facility and safety systems providing a sustainable nuclear facility for National Security Missions.

Verification study of an emerging fire suppression system

DOE PAGES

Cournoyer, Michael E.; Waked, R. Ryan; Granzow, Howard N.; ...

2016-01-01

Self-contained fire extinguishers are a robust, reliable and minimally invasive means of fire suppression for gloveboxes. Moreover, plutonium gloveboxes present harsh environmental conditions for polymer materials; these include radiation damage and chemical exposure, both of which tend to degrade the lifetime of engineered polymer components. Several studies have been conducted to determine the robustness of selfcontained fire extinguishers in plutonium gloveboxes in a nuclear facility, verification tests must be performed. These tests include activation and mass loss calorimeter tests. In addition, compatibility issues with chemical components of the self-contained fire extinguishers need to be addressed. Our study presents activation andmore » mass loss calorimeter test results. After extensive studies, no critical areas of concern have been identified for the plutonium glovebox application of Fire Foe™, except for glovebox operations that use large quantities of bulk plutonium or uranium metal such as metal casting and pyro-chemistry operations.« less

Verification study of an emerging fire suppression system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cournoyer, Michael E.; Waked, R. Ryan; Granzow, Howard N.

Self-contained fire extinguishers are a robust, reliable and minimally invasive means of fire suppression for gloveboxes. Moreover, plutonium gloveboxes present harsh environmental conditions for polymer materials; these include radiation damage and chemical exposure, both of which tend to degrade the lifetime of engineered polymer components. Several studies have been conducted to determine the robustness of selfcontained fire extinguishers in plutonium gloveboxes in a nuclear facility, verification tests must be performed. These tests include activation and mass loss calorimeter tests. In addition, compatibility issues with chemical components of the self-contained fire extinguishers need to be addressed. Our study presents activation andmore » mass loss calorimeter test results. After extensive studies, no critical areas of concern have been identified for the plutonium glovebox application of Fire Foe™, except for glovebox operations that use large quantities of bulk plutonium or uranium metal such as metal casting and pyro-chemistry operations.« less

Project management plan, Waste Receiving and Processing Facility, Module 1, Project W-026

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Starkey, J.G.

1993-05-01

The Hanford Waste Receiving and Processing Facility Module 1 Project (WRAP 1) has been established to support the retrieval and final disposal of approximately 400K grams of plutonium and quantities of hazardous components currently stored in drums at the Hanford Site.

Actinide Sputtering Induced by Fission with Ultra-cold Neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Tan; Venuti, Michael; Fellers, Deion; Martin, Sean; Morris, Chris; Makela, Mark

2017-09-01

Understanding the effects of actinide sputtering due to nuclear fission is important for a wide range of applications, including nuclear fuel storage, space science, and national defense. A new program at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center uses ultracold neutrons (UCN) to induce fission in actinides such as uranium and plutonium. By controlling the UCN energy, it is possible to induce fission at the sample surface within a well-defined depth. It is therefore an ideal tool for studying the effects of fission-induced sputtering as a function of interaction depth. Since the mechanism for fission-induced surface damage is not well understood, this work has the potential to deconvolve the various damage mechanisms. During the irradiation with UCN, NaI detectors are used to monitor the fission events and were calibrated by monitoring fission fragments with an organic scintillator. Alpha spectroscopy of the ejected actinide material is performed in an ion chamber to determine the amount of sputtered material. Actinide samples with various sample properties and surface conditions are irradiated and analyzed. In this talk, I will discuss our experimental setup and present the preliminary results from the testing of multiple samples. This work has been supported by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Seaborg Summer Research Fellowship.

Feasibility study of a gamma camera for monitoring nuclear materials in the PRIDE facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jo, Woo Jin; Kim, Hyun-Il; An, Su Jung; Lee, Chae Young; Song, Han-Kyeol; Chung, Yong Hyun; Shin, Hee-Sung; Ahn, Seong-Kyu; Park, Se-Hwan

2014-05-01

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been developing pyroprocessing technology, in which actinides are recovered together with plutonium. There is no pure plutonium stream in the process, so it has an advantage of proliferation resistance. Tracking and monitoring of nuclear materials through the pyroprocess can significantly improve the transparency of the operation and safeguards. An inactive engineering-scale integrated pyroprocess facility, which is the PyRoprocess Integrated inactive DEmonstration (PRIDE) facility, was constructed to demonstrate engineering-scale processes and the integration of each unit process. the PRIDE facility may be a good test bed to investigate the feasibility of a nuclear material monitoring system. In this study, we designed a gamma camera system for nuclear material monitoring in the PRIDE facility by using a Monte Carlo simulation, and we validated the feasibility of this system. Two scenarios, according to locations of the gamma camera, were simulated using GATE (GEANT4 Application for Tomographic Emission) version 6. A prototype gamma camera with a diverging-slat collimator was developed, and the simulated and experimented results agreed well with each other. These results indicate that a gamma camera to monitor the nuclear material in the PRIDE facility can be developed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

CHARBONEAU, S.L.

The Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) consists of a number of process and support buildings for handling plutonium. Building construction began in the late 1940's to meet national priorities and became operational in 1950 producing refined plutonium salts and metal for the United States nuclear weapons program. The primary mission of the PFP was to provide plutonium used as special nuclear material for fabrication into a nuclear device for the war effort. Subsequent to the end of World War II, the PFP's mission expanded to support the Cold War effort through plutonium production during the nuclear arms race. PFP has nowmore » completed its mission and is fully engaged in deactivation, decontamination and decommissioning (D&D). At this time the PFP buildings are planned to be reduced to ground level (slab-on-grade) and the site remediated to satisfy national, Department of Energy (DOE) and Washington state requirements. The D&D of a highly contaminated plutonium processing facility presents a plethora of challenges. PFP personnel approached the D&D mission with a can-do attitude. They went into D&D knowing they were facing a lot of challenges and unknowns. There were concerns about the configuration control associated with drawings of these old process facilities. There were unknowns regarding the location of electrical lines and process piping containing chemical residues such as strong acids and caustics. The gloveboxes were highly contaminated with plutonium and chemical residues. Most of the glovebox windows were opaque with splashed process chemicals that coated the windows or etched them, reducing visibility to near zero. Visibility into the glovebox was a serious worker concern. Additionally, all the gloves in the gloveboxes were degraded and unusable. Replacing gloves in gloveboxes was necessary to even begin glovebox cleanout. The sheer volume of breathing air needed was also an issue. These and other challenges and PFP's approach to overcome these challengers are described. Many of the challenges to the D&D work at PFP were met with innovative approaches based on new science and/or technology and many were also based on the creativity and motivation of the work force personnel.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Charboneau, S.; Klos, B.; Heineman, R.

The Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) consists of a number of process and support buildings for handling plutonium. Building construction began in the late 1940's to meet national priorities and became operational in 1950 producing refined plutonium salts and metal for the United States nuclear weapons program The primary mission of the PFP was to provide plutonium used as special nuclear material for fabrication into a nuclear device for the war effort. Subsequent to the end of World War II, the PFP's mission expanded to support the Cold War effort through plutonium production during the nuclear arms race. PFP has nowmore » completed its mission and is fully engaged in deactivation, decontamination and decommissioning (D and D). At this time the PFP buildings are planned to be reduced to ground level (slab-on-grade) and the site remediated to satisfy national, Department of Energy (DOE) and Washington state requirements. The D and D of a highly contaminated plutonium processing facility presents a plethora of challenges. PFP personnel approached the D and D mission with a can-do attitude. They went into D and D knowing they were facing a lot of challenges and unknowns. There were concerns about the configuration control associated with drawings of these old process facilities. There were unknowns regarding the location of electrical lines and the condition and contents of process piping containing chemical residues such as strong acids and caustics. The gloveboxes were highly contaminated with plutonium and chemical residues. Most of the glovebox windows were opaque with splashed process chemicals that coated the windows or etched them, reducing visibility to near zero. Visibility into the glovebox was a serious worker concern. Additionally, all the gloves in the gloveboxes were degraded and unusable. Replacing gloves in gloveboxes was necessary to even begin glovebox clean-out. The sheer volume of breathing air needed was also an issue. These and other challenges and PFP's approach to overcome these challengers are described. Many of the challenges to the D and D work at PFP were met with innovative approaches based on new science and/or technology and many were also based on the creativity and motivation of the work force personnel. (authors)« less

Plutonium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, David L.; Hecker, Siegfried S.; Jarvinen, Gordon D.; Neu, Mary P.

The element plutonium occupies a unique place in the history of chemistry, physics, technology, and international relations. After the initial discovery based on submicrogram amounts, it is now generated by transmutation of uranium in nuclear reactors on a large scale, and has been separated in ton quantities in large industrial facilities. The intense interest in plutonium resulted fromthe dual-use scenario of domestic power production and nuclear weapons - drawing energy from an atomic nucleus that can produce a factor of millions in energy output relative to chemical energy sources. Indeed, within 5 years of its original synthesis, the primary use of plutonium was for the release of nuclear energy in weapons of unprecedented power, and it seemed that the new element might lead the human race to the brink of self-annihilation. Instead, it has forced the human race to govern itself without resorting to nuclear war over the past 60 years. Plutonium evokes the entire gamut of human emotions, from good to evil, from hope to despair, from the salvation of humanity to its utter destruction. There is no other element in the periodic table that has had such a profound impact on the consciousness of mankind.

Excess Weapons Plutonium Immobilization in Russia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jardine, L.; Borisov, G.B.

2000-04-15

The joint goal of the Russian work is to establish a full-scale plutonium immobilization facility at a Russian industrial site by 2005. To achieve this requires that the necessary engineering and technical basis be developed in these Russian projects and the needed Russian approvals be obtained to conduct industrial-scale immobilization of plutonium-containing materials at a Russian industrial site by the 2005 date. This meeting and future work will provide the basis for joint decisions. Supporting R&D projects are being carried out at Russian Institutes that directly support the technical needs of Russian industrial sites to immobilize plutonium-containing materials. Special R&Dmore » on plutonium materials is also being carried out to support excess weapons disposition in Russia and the US, including nonproliferation studies of plutonium recovery from immobilization forms and accelerated radiation damage studies of the US-specified plutonium ceramic for immobilizing plutonium. This intriguing and extraordinary cooperation on certain aspects of the weapons plutonium problem is now progressing well and much work with plutonium has been completed in the past two years. Because much excellent and unique scientific and engineering technical work has now been completed in Russia in many aspects of plutonium immobilization, this meeting in St. Petersburg was both timely and necessary to summarize, review, and discuss these efforts among those who performed the actual work. The results of this meeting will help the US and Russia jointly define the future direction of the Russian plutonium immobilization program, and make it an even stronger and more integrated Russian program. The two objectives for the meeting were to: (1) Bring together the Russian organizations, experts, and managers performing the work into one place for four days to review and discuss their work with each other; and (2) Publish a meeting summary and a proceedings to compile reports of all the excellent Russian plutonium immobilization contract work. This proceedings document presents the wide extent of Russian immobilization activities, provides a reference for their work, and makes it available to others.« less

Human radiation studies: Remembering the early years. Oral history of Julie Langham Grilly, February 3, 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-09-01

Julie Langham Grilly was interviewed by representatives of the US DOE Office of Human Radiation Experiments (OHRE) being the widow of Dr. Wright Langham, an investigator of principal interest of the committee. Her extensive experience with research at LANL was also of interest to the committee. Following a brief biographical sketch, Ms. Grilly relates her early postwar experience and her knowledge of Wright Langham`s involvement in animal research at Los Alamos, radiolanthanum tests on monkeys, Eniwetok tissue examinations, research on tritium uptake in humans, plutonium injections, tritium injections, EDTA, and etc. In addition to illuminating her former husband as amore » researcher and as an individual, she also relates her remembrances of Louis Hempelman, Enrico Fermi, Oppenheimer, Edward Teller, and many others.« less

Development of a Si-PM based alpha camera for plutonium detection in nuclear fuel facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morishita, Yuki; Yamamoto, Seiichi; Izaki, Kenji; Kaneko, Junichi H.; Toi, Kohei; Tsubota, Youichi

2014-05-01

Alpha particles are monitored for detecting nuclear fuel material (i.e., plutonium and uranium) at nuclear fuel facilities. Currently, for monitoring the airborne contamination of nuclear fuel, only energy information measured by Si-semiconductor detectors is used to distinguish nuclear fuel material from radon daughters. In some cases, however, such distinguishing is difficult when the radon concentration is high. In addition, a Si-semiconductor detector is generally sensitive to noise. In this study, we developed a new alpha-particle imaging system by combining a Si-PM array, which is insensitive to noise, with a Ce-doped Gd3Al2Ga3O12(GAGG) scintillator, and evaluated our developed system's fundamental performance. The scintillator was 0.1-mm thick, and the light guide was 3.0 mm thick. An 241Am source was used for all the measurements. We evaluated the spatial resolution by taking an image of a resolution chart. A 1.6 lp/mm slit was clearly resolved, and the spatial resolution was estimated to be less than 0.6-mm FWHM. The energy resolution was 13% FWHM. A slight distortion was observed in the image, and the uniformity near its center was within ±24%. We conclude that our developed alpha-particle imaging system is promising for plutonium detection at nuclear fuel facilities.

Explosively driven two-shockwave tools with application to ejecta formation at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Proton Radiography Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buttler, William

2013-06-01

We present the development of an explosively driven physics tool to generate two mostly uniaxial shockwaves. The tool is being used to extend single shockwave ejecta models to a subsequent shockwave event separated by a time interval on the order of a few microseconds. We explore the possibility of varying the amplitude of both the first and second shockwaves, and we apply the tool in experimental geometries on Sn with a surface roughness of Ra = 0 . 8 μ m. We then evaluate the tool further at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Proton Radiography (pRad) Facility in an application to Sn with larger scale perturbations of wavelength 550 μ m, and various amplitudes that gave wave-number amplitude products of η0 2 π / λ = { 3 / 4 , 1 / 2 , 1 / 4 , 1 / 8 } , where the perturbation amplitude is η0, and the wave-number k = 2 π / λ . The pRad data and velocimetry imply it should be possible to develop a second shock ejecta model based on unstable Richtmyer-Meshkov physics. In collaboration with David Oro, Fesseha Mariam, Alexander Saunders, Malcolm Andrews, Frank Cherne, James Hammerberg. Robert Hixson, Christopher Morris, Russell Olson, Dean Preston, Joseph Stone, Dale Tupa, and Wendy Vogan-McNeil, Los Alamos National Laboratory,

ELECTRONICS UPGRADE TO THE SAVANNAH RIVER NATIONAL LABORATORY COULOMETER FOR PLUTONIUM AND NEPTUNIUM ASSAY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cordaro, J.; Holland, M.; Reeves, G.

The Savannah River Site (SRS) has the analytical measurement capability to perform high-precision plutonium concentration measurements by controlled-potential coulometry. State-of-the-art controlled-potential coulometers were designed and fabricated by the Savannah River National Laboratory and installed in the Analytical Laboratories process control laboratory. The Analytical Laboratories uses coulometry for routine accountability measurements of and for verification of standard preparations used to calibrate other plutonium measurement systems routinely applied to process control, nuclear safety, and other accountability applications. The SRNL Coulometer has a demonstrated measurement reliability of {approx}0.05% for 10 mg samples. The system has also been applied to the characterization of neptuniummore » standard solutions with a comparable reliability. The SRNL coulometer features: a patented current integration system; continuous electrical calibration versus Faraday's Constants and Ohm's Law; the control-potential adjustment technique for enhanced application of the Nernst Equation; a wide operating room temperature range; and a fully automated instrument control and data acquisition capability. Systems have been supplied to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Russia, Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and the New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL). The most recent vintage of electronics was based on early 1990's integrated circuits. Many of the components are no longer available. At the request of the IAEA and the Department of State, SRNL has completed an electronics upgrade of their controlled-potential coulometer design. Three systems have built with the new design, one for the IAEA which was installed at SAL in May 2011, one system for Los Alamos National Laboratory, (LANL) and one for the SRS Analytical Laboratory. The LANL and SRS systems are undergoing startup testing with installation scheduled for this summer.« less

Nitrate Waste Treatment Sampling and Analysis Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vigil-Holterman, Luciana R.; Martinez, Patrick Thomas; Garcia, Terrence Kerwin

2017-07-05

This plan is designed to outline the collection and analysis of nitrate salt-bearing waste samples required by the New Mexico Environment Department- Hazardous Waste Bureau in the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit).

Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Management Plan for Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hathcock, Charles Dean; Keller, David Charles; Thompson, Brent E.

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Management Plan (HMP) fulfills a commitment made to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the “Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility Mitigation Action Plan” (DOE 1996). The HMP received concurrence from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1999 (USFWS consultation numbers 2-22-98-I-336 and 2-22-95-I-108). This 2017 update retains the management guidelines from the 1999 HMP for listed species, and updates some descriptive information.

New facility for ion beam materials characterization and modification at Los Alamos

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tesmer, J.R.; Maggiore, C.J.; Parkin, D.M.

1988-01-01

The Ion Beam Materials Laboratory (IBML) is a new Los Alamos laboratory devoted to the characterization and modification of the near surfaces of materials. The primary instruments of the IBML are a tandem electrostatic accelerator, a National Electrostatics Corp. Model 9SDH, coupled with a Varian CF-3000 ion implanter. The unique organizational structure of the IBML as well as the operational characteristics of the 9SDH (after approximately 3000 h of operation) and the laboratories' research capabilities will be discussed. Examples of current research results will also be presented. 5 refs., 2 figs.

Understanding How Biomass Burning Impacts Climate Change

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aiken, Allison

2016-09-27

Biomass burning in Africa is creating a plume that spreads across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to Brazil. Allison Aiken, a research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, collects data about the black carbon aerosols within this plume and their impact on the environment to help improve global climate modeling. A leader in energy science, Los Alamos develops climate models in support of the Laboratory’s mission to strengthen the nation’s energy security. Allison’s work is part of FIDO, a field operations team funded by the Energy Department’s Office of Science’s ARM Climate Research Facility.

Designing high speed diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veliz Carrillo, Gerardo; Martinez, Adam; Mula, Swathi; Prestridge, Kathy; Extreme Fluids Team Team

2017-11-01

Timing and firing for shock-driven flows is complex because of jitter in the shock tube mechanical drivers. Consequently, experiments require dynamic triggering of diagnostics from pressure transducers. We explain the design process and criteria for setting up re-shock experiments at the Los Alamos Vertical Shock Tube facility, and the requirements for particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence measurements necessary for calculating Richtmeyer-Meshkov variable density turbulent statistics. Dynamic triggering of diagnostics allows for further investigation of the development of the Richtemeyer-Meshkov instability at both initial shock and re-shock. Thanks to the Los Alamos National Laboratory for funding our project.

Analysis of a nuclear accident: fission and activation product releases from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility as remote indicators of source identification, extent of release, and state of damaged spent nuclear fuel.

PubMed

Schwantes, Jon M; Orton, Christopher R; Clark, Richard A

2012-08-21

Researchers evaluated radionuclide measurements of environmental samples taken from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility and reported on the Tokyo Electric Power Co. Website following the 2011 tsunami-initiated catastrophe. This effort identified Units 1 and 3 as the major source of radioactive contamination to the surface soil near the facility. Radionuclide trends identified in the soils suggested that: (1) chemical volatility driven by temperature and reduction potential within the vented reactors' primary containment vessels dictated the extent of release of radiation; (2) all coolant had likely evaporated by the time of venting; and (3) physical migration through the fuel matrix and across the cladding wall were minimally effective at containing volatile species, suggesting damage to fuel bundles was extensive. Plutonium isotopic ratios and their distance from the source indicated that the damaged reactors were the major contributor of plutonium to surface soil at the source, decreasing rapidly with distance from the facility. Two independent evaluations estimated the fraction of the total plutonium inventory released to the environment relative to cesium from venting Units 1 and 3 to be ∼0.002-0.004%. This study suggests significant volatile radionuclides within the spent fuel at the time of venting, but not as yet observed and reported within environmental samples, as potential analytes of concern for future environmental surveys around the site. The majority of the reactor inventories of isotopes of less volatile elements like Pu, Nb, and Sr were likely contained within the damaged reactors during venting.

Nuclear Warheads: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program and the Life Extension Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-13

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board was created by Congress 1988 "as an independent oversight organization within the Executive Branch charged... nuclear facilities ." U.S. Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. “Who We Are,” at [http://www.dnfsb.gov/about/index.html]. involving CHE and plutonium...approach, if successful, would “reduce or eliminate the need for ESD controls.”42 Kent Fortenberry, Technical Director of the Defense Nuclear Facilities

Glass Development for Treatment of LANL Evaporator Bottoms Waste

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DE Smith; GF Piepel; GW Veazey

1998-11-20

Vitrification is an attractive treatment option for meeting the stabilization and final disposal requirements of many plutonium (Pu) bearing materials and wastes at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) TA-55 facility, Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), Hanford, and other Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared that vitrification is the "best demonstrated available technology" for high- level radioactive wastes (HLW) (Federal Register 1990) and has produced a handbook of vitriilcation technologies for treatment of hazardous and radioactive waste (US EPA, 1992). This technology has been demonstrated to convert Pu-containing materials (Kormanos, 1997) into durablemore » (Lutze, 1988) and accountable (Forsberg, 1995) waste. forms with reduced need for safeguarding (McCulhun, 1996). The composition of the Evaporator Bottoms Waste (EVB) at LANL, like that of many other I%-bearing materials, varies widely and is generally unpredictable. The goal of this study is to optimize the composition of glass for EVB waste at LANL, and present the basic techniques and tools for developing optimized glass compositions for other Pu-bearing materials in the complex. This report outlines an approach for glass formulation with fixed property restrictions, using glass property-composition databases. This approach is applicable to waste glass formulation for many variable waste streams and vitrification technologies.. Also reported are the preliminary property data for simulated evaporator bottom glasses, including glass viscosity and glass leach resistance using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP).« less

Final safety analysis report for the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA), Phase 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1994-10-01

This document is the second volume of a 3 volume safety analysis report on the Ground Test Accelerator (GTA). The GTA program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is the major element of the national Neutral Particle Beam (NPB) program, which is supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative Office (SDIO). A principal goal of the national NPB program is to assess the feasibility of using hydrogen and deuterium neutral particle beams outside the Earth`s atmosphere. The main effort of the NPB program at Los Alamos concentrates on developing the GTA. The GTA is classified as a low-hazard facility, exceptmore » for the cryogenic-cooling system, which is classified as a moderate-hazard facility. This volume consists of failure modes and effects analysis; accident analysis; operational safety requirements; quality assurance program; ES&H management program; environmental, safety, and health systems critical to safety; summary of waste-management program; environmental monitoring program; facility expansion, decontamination, and decommissioning; summary of emergency response plan; summary plan for employee training; summary plan for operating procedures; glossary; and appendices A and B.« less

Physics Division progress report, January 1, 1984-September 30, 1986

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keller, W.E.

1987-10-01

This report provides brief accounts of significant progress in development activities and research results achieved by Physics Division personnel during the period January 1, 1984, through September 31, 1986. These efforts are representative of the three main areas of experimental research and development in which the Physics Division serves Los Alamos National Laboratory's and the Nation's needs in defense and basic sciences: (1) defense physics, including the development of diagnostic methods for weapons tests, weapon-related high-energy-density physics, and programs supporting the Strategic Defense Initiative; (2) laser physics and applications, especially to high-density plasmas; and (3) fundamental research in nuclear andmore » particle physics, condensed-matter physics, and biophysics. Throughout the report, emphasis is placed on the design, construction, and application of a variety of advanced, often unique, instruments and instrument systems that maintain the Division's position at the leading edge of research and development in the specific fields germane to its mission. A sampling of experimental systems of particular interest would include the relativistic electron-beam accelerator and its applications to high-energy-density plasmas; pulsed-power facilities; directed energy weapon devices such as free-electron lasers and neutral-particle-beam accelerators; high-intensity ultraviolet and x-ray beam lines at the National Synchrotron Light Source (at Brookhaven National Laboratory); the Aurora KrF ultraviolet laser system for projected use as an inertial fusion driver; antiproton physics facility at CERN; and several beam developments at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility for studying nuclear, condensed-matter, and biological physics, highlighted by progress in establishing the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center.« less

Physics Flash August 2016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kippen, Karen Elizabeth

Physics Flash is the newsletter for the Physics Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This newsletter is for August 2016. The following topics are covered: "Accomplishments in the Trident Laser Facility", "David Meyerhofer elected as chair-elect APS Nominating Committee", "HAWC searches for gamma rays from dark matter", "Proton Radiography Facility commissions electromagnetic magnifier", and "Cosmic ray muon computed tomography of spent nuclear fuel in dry storage casks."

A Plutonium-Contaminated Wound, 1985, USA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doran M. Christensen, DO, REAC /TS Associate Director and Staff Physician Eugene H. Carbaugh, CHP, Staff Scientist, Internal Dosimetry Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

2012-02-02

A hand injury occurred at a U.S. facility in 1985 involving a pointed shaft (similar to a meat thermometer) that a worker was using to remove scrap solid plutonium from a plastic bottle. The worker punctured his right index finger on the palm side at the metacarpal-phalangeal joint. The wound was not through-and- through, although it was deep. The puncture wound resulted in deposition of ~48 kBq of alpha activity from the weapons-grade plutonium mixture with a nominal 12 to 1 Pu-alpha to {sup 241}Am-alpha ratio. This case clearly showed that DTPA was very effective for decorporation of plutonium andmore » americium. The case is a model for management of wounds contaminated with transuranics: (1) a team approach for dealing with all of the issues surrounding the incident, including the psychological, (2) early surgical intervention for foreign-body removal, (3) wound irrigation with DTPA solution, and (4) early and prolonged DTPA administration based upon bioassay and in vivo dosimetry.« less

Game Imaging Meets Nuclear Reality

ScienceCinema

Michel, Kelly; Watkins, Adam

2018-01-16

At Los Alamos National Laboratory, a team of artists and animators, nuclear engineers and computer scientists is teaming to provide 3-D models of nuclear facilities to train IAEA safeguards inspectors and others who need fast familiarity with specific nuclear sites.

A XAS study of the local environments of cations in (U, Ce)O 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Philippe; Ripert, Michel; Petit, Thierry; Reich, Tobias; Hennig, Christoph; D'Acapito, Francesco; Hazemann, Jean Louis; Proux, Olivier

2003-01-01

Mixed oxide (MOX) fuel is usually considered as a solid solution formed by uranium and plutonium dioxides. Nevertheless, some physico-chemical properties of (U 1- y, Pu y)O 2 samples manufactured under industrial conditions showed anomalies in the domain of plutonium contents ranging between 3 and 15 at.%. Cerium is commonly used as an inactive analogue of plutonium in preliminary studies on MOX fuels. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) measurements performed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) at the cerium and uranium edges on (U 1- y, Ce y)O 2 samples are presented and discussed. They confirmed on an atomic scale the formation of an ideal solid solution for cerium concentrations ranging between 0 and 50 at.%.

SHIELDING AND DETECTOR RESPONSE CALCULATIONS PERTAINING TO CATEGORY 1 QUANTITIES OF PLUTONIUM AND HAND-HELD PLASTIC SCINTILLATORS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Couture, A.

2013-06-07

Nuclear facilities sometimes use hand-held plastic scintillator detectors to detect attempts to divert special nuclear material in situations where portal monitors are impractical. MCNP calculations have been performed to determine the neutron and gamma radiation field arising from a Category I quantity of weapons-grade plutonium in various shielding configurations. The shields considered were composed of combinations of lead and high-density polyethylene such that the mass of the plutonium plus shield was 22.7 kilograms. Monte-Carlo techniques were also used to determine the detector response to each of the shielding configurations. The detector response calculations were verified using field measurements of high-,more » medium-, and low- energy gamma-ray sources as well as a Cf-252 neutron source.« less

Introduction to Pits and Weapons Systems (U)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kautz, D.

2012-07-02

A Nuclear Explosive Package includes the Primary, Secondary, Radiation Case and related components. This is the part of the weapon that produces nuclear yield and it converts mechanical energy into nuclear energy. The pit is composed of materials that allow mechanical energy to be converted to electromagnetic energy. Fabrication processes used are typical of any metal fabrication facility: casting, forming, machining and welding. Some of the materials used in pits include: Plutonium, Uranium, Stainless Steel, Beryllium, Titanium, and Aluminum. Gloveboxes are used for three reasons: (1) Protect workers and public from easily transported, finely divided plutonium oxides - (a) Plutoniummore » is very reactive and produces very fine particulate oxides, (b) While not the 'Most dangerous material in the world' of Manhattan Project lore, plutonium is hazardous to health of workers if not properly controlled; (2) Protect plutonium from reactive materials - (a) Plutonium is extremely reactive at ambient conditions with several components found in air: oxygen, water, hydrogen, (b) As with most reactive metals, reactions with these materials may be violent and difficult to control, (c) As with most fabricated metal products, corrosion may significantly affect the mechanical, chemical, and physical properties of the product; and (3) Provide shielding from radioactive decay products: {alpha}, {gamma}, and {eta} are commonly associated with plutonium decay, as well as highly radioactive materials such as {sup 241}Am and {sup 238}Pu.« less

TRAC-PF1/MOD1 pretest predictions of MIST experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyack, B.E.; Steiner, J.L.; Siebe, D.A.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is a participant in the Integral System Test (IST) program initiated in June 1983 to provide integral system test data on specific issues and phenomena relevant to post small-break loss-of-coolant accidents (SBLOCAs) in Babcock and Wilcox plant designs. The Multi-Loop Integral System Test (MIST) facility is the largest single component in the IST program. During Fiscal Year 1986, Los Alamos performed five MIST pretest analyses. The five experiments were chosen on the basis of their potential either to approach the facility limits or to challenge the predictive capability of the TRAC-PF1/MOD1 code. Three SBLOCA tests weremore » examined which included nominal test conditions, throttled auxiliary feedwater and asymmetric steam-generator cooldown, and reduced high-pressure-injection (HPI) capacity, respectively. Also analyzed were two ''feed-and-bleed'' cooling tests with reduced HPI and delayed HPI initiation. Results of the tests showed that the MIST facility limits would not be approached in the five tests considered. Early comparisons with preliminary test data indicate that the TRAC-PF1/MOD1 code is correctly calculating the dominant phenomena occurring in the MIST facility during the tests. Posttest analyses are planned to provide a quantitative assessment of the code's ability to predict MIST transients.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moore, Murray E.

The Los Alamos RP-SVS Radiation Protection Services group designed and constructed a drop tower facility for TA- 55 support work. The drop mechanism was supplied by the Lansmont company in Monterey CA. Los Alamos staffers Murray Moore and Yong Tao have noticed that the system is not dropping loads correctly, and they have photographed aspects of the PDT- 80 model system. The first 10 photos show the platen loaded with a cylindrical steel bar. The next 10 photos are of the roller-cam mechanism in the drop tower, and the last 2 photos indicate the amount of looseness in the platenmore » when it is being pulled by a person.« less

18. Process area room. Incinerator to the left. Filter boxes ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

18. Process area room. Incinerator to the left. Filter boxes on the right. Looking north towards change room. - Plutonium Finishing Plant, Waste Incinerator Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

Nondestructive Assay Data Integration with the SKB-50 Assemblies - FY16 Update

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tobin, Stephen Joseph; Fugate, Michael Lynn; Trellue, Holly Renee

2016-10-28

A project to research the application of non-destructive assay (NDA) techniques for spent fuel assemblies is underway at the Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (for which the Swedish acronym is Clab) in Oskarshamn, Sweden. The research goals of this project contain both safeguards and non-safeguards interests. These nondestructive assay (NDA) technologies are designed to strengthen the technical toolkit of safeguard inspectors and others to determine the following technical goals more accurately; Verify initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of facility declaration for spent fuel assemblies; Detect replaced or missing pins from a given spent fuel assembly tomore » confirm its integrity; and Estimate plutonium mass and related plutonium and uranium fissile mass parameters in spent fuel assemblies. Estimate heat content, and measure reactivity (multiplication).« less

OPEN AIR DEMOLITION OF FACILITIES HIGHLY CONTAMINATED WITH PLUTONIUM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LLOYD, E.R.

2007-05-31

The demolition of highly contaminated plutonium buildings usually is a long and expensive process that involves decontaminating the building to near free- release standards and then using conventional methods to remove the structure. It doesn't, however, have to be that way. Fluor has torn down buildings highly contaminated with plutonium without excessive decontamination. By removing the select source term and fixing the remaining contamination on the walls, ceilings, floors, and equipment surfaces; open-air demolition is not only feasible, but it can be done cheaper, better (safer), and faster. Open-air demolition techniques were used to demolish two highly contaminated buildings tomore » slab-on-grade. These facilities on the Department of Energy's Hanford Site were located in, or very near, compounds of operating nuclear facilities that housed hundreds of people working on a daily basis. To keep the facilities operating and the personnel safe, the projects had to be creative in demolishing the structures. Several key techniques were used to control contamination and keep it within the confines of the demolition area: spraying fixatives before demolition; applying fixative and misting with a fine spray of water as the buildings were being taken down; and demolishing the buildings in a controlled and methodical manner. In addition, detailed air-dispersion modeling was done to establish necessary building and meteorological conditions and to confirm the adequacy of the proposed methods. Both demolition projects were accomplished without any spread of contamination outside the modest buffer areas established for contamination control. Furthermore, personnel exposure to radiological and physical hazards was significantly reduced by using heavy equipment rather than ''hands on'' techniques.« less

Recycling

Science.gov Websites

Alamos National Laboratory Delivering science and technology to protect our nation and promote world stability Science & Innovation Collaboration Careers Community Environment Science & Innovation Facilities Science Pillars Research Library Science Briefs Science News Science Highlights Lab Organizations

7. Process areas room. Incinerator and glove boxes (hoods) to ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. Process areas room. Incinerator and glove boxes (hoods) to the right. Filter boxes to the left. Looking south. - Plutonium Finishing Plant, Waste Incinerator Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research - JASPER

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

Commonly known as JASPER the Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research facility is a two stage light gas gun used to study the behavior of plutonium and other materials under high pressures, temperatures, and strain rates.

SRP engineering and design history, Vol III, 200 F and H Areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Banick, C.J.

2000-04-17

This volume combines the record of events relating to the development of design for both the 200-F and H Areas. Chronologically, the definition of plant facilities was first established for the 200-F Area. The second area, 200-H, was projected initially to be a supplementary plutonium separations facility. This history explains the differences in character and capacity of the manufacturing facilities in both areas as production requirements and experience with separations processes advanced.

Development of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Cryogenic Pressure Loader

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ebey, Peter S.; Dole, James M.; Hoffer, James K.

2003-05-15

Targets for inertial fusion research and ignition at OMEGA, the National Ignition Facility, LMJ, and future facilities rely on beta-radiation-driven layering of spherical cryogenic DT ice layers contained within plastic or metal shells. Plastic shells will be permeation filled at room temperature then cooled to cryogenic temperatures before removal of the overpressure. The cryogenic pressure loader (CPL) was recently developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a testbed for studying the filling and layering of plastic target shells with DT. A technical description of the CPL is provided. The CPL consists of a cryostat, which contains a high-pressure permeation cell,more » and has optical access for investigating beta layering. The cryostat is housed within a tritium glovebox that contains manifolds for supplying high-pressure DT. The CPL shares some design elements with the cryogenic target handling system at the OMEGA facility to allow testing of tritium issues related to that system. The CPL has the capability to fill plastic targets by permeation to pressures up to 100 MPa and to cool them to 15 K. The CPL will accommodate a range of targets and may be modified for future experiments.« less

Type A Accident Investigation Board report on the January 17, 1996, electrical accident with injury in Technical Area 21 Tritium Science and Fabrication Facility Los Alamos National Laboratory. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-04-01

An electrical accident was investigated in which a crafts person received serious injuries as a result of coming into contact with a 13.2 kilovolt (kV) electrical cable in the basement of Building 209 in Technical Area 21 (TA-21-209) in the Tritium Science and Fabrication Facility (TSFF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In conducting its investigation, the Accident Investigation Board used various analytical techniques, including events and causal factor analysis, barrier analysis, change analysis, fault tree analysis, materials analysis, and root cause analysis. The board inspected the accident site, reviewed events surrounding the accident, conducted extensive interviews and document reviews,more » and performed causation analyses to determine the factors that contributed to the accident, including any management system deficiencies. Relevant management systems and factors that could have contributed to the accident were evaluated in accordance with the guiding principles of safety management identified by the Secretary of Energy in an October 1994 letter to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and subsequently to Congress.« less

Determination of filter pore size for use in HB line phase II production of plutonium oxide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shehee, T.; Crowder, M.; Rudisill, T.

2014-08-01

H-Canyon and HB-Line are tasked with the production of plutonium oxide (PuO 2) from a feed of plutonium (Pu) metal. The PuO 2 will provide feed material for the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. After dissolution of the Pu metal in H-Canyon, plans are to transfer the solution to HB-Line for purification by anion exchange. Anion exchange will be followed by plutonium(IV) oxalate precipitation, filtration, and calcination to form PuO 2. The filtrate solutions, remaining after precipitation, contain low levels of Pu ions, oxalate ions, and may include solids. These solutions are transferred to H-Canyon for disposition. To mitigatemore » the criticality concern of Pu solids in a Canyon tank, past processes have used oxalate destruction or have pre-filled the Canyon tank with a neutron poison. The installation of a filter on the process lines from the HB-Line filtrate tanks to H-Canyon Tank 9.6 is proposed to remove plutonium oxalate solids. This report describes SRNL’s efforts to determine the appropriate pore size for the filters needed to perform this function. Information provided in this report aids in developing the control strategies for solids in the process.« less

Options Assessment Report: Treatment of Nitrate Salt Waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robinson, Bruce Alan; Stevens, Patrice Ann

2015-12-17

This report documents the methodology used to select a method of treatment for the remediated nitrate salt (RNS) and unremediated nitrate salt (UNS) waste containers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The method selected should treat the containerized waste in a manner that renders the waste safe and suitable for transport and final disposal in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) repository, under specifications listed in the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria (DOE/CBFO, 2013). LANL recognizes that the results must be thoroughly vetted with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and that a modification to the LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permitmore » is a necessary step before implementation of this or any treatment option. Likewise, facility readiness and safety basis approvals must be received from the Department of Energy (DOE). This report presents LANL’s preferred option, and the documentation of the process for reaching the recommended treatment option for RNS and UNS waste, and is presented for consideration by NMED and DOE.« less

Measurement of 173Lu(n,γ) Cross Sections at DANCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roig, O.; Theroine, C.; Ebran, A.; Méot, V.; Bond, E. M.; Bredeweg, T. A.; Couture, A.; Haight, R. C.; Jandel, M.; Nortier, F. M.; O'Donnell, J. M.; Rundberg, R. S.; Taylor, W. A.; Ullmann, J. L.; Vieira, D. J.

2014-05-01

A highly gamma-radioactive target, 3.7 GBq, of 173Lu isotope was placed inside the DANCE array (Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments) at Los Alamos to study the radiative neutron capture on an unstable isotope. The 173Lu element was produced by naturalHf(p,xn) reactions following by beta-decays at the Isotope Production Facility (IPF). Measurements of radiative neutron capture cross section on 173Lu were achieved at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) spallation neutron source facility over the neutron energy range from thermal up to 1 keV. A special configuration was necessary to perform the experiment using the DANCE [1] array due to the high gamma activity of the target. We will report on the target production, the experiment and the results obtained for the radiative neutron capture on 173Lu. The radiative capture cross section was obtained for the first time on this unstable nucleus. Some resonances have been characterized. A comparison with a recent data evaluation is presented.

13. Elevations, 233S, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Works, General ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. Elevations, 233-S, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Works, General Electric Company, Dwg. No. H-2-7203, 1956. - Reduction-Oxidation Complex, Plutonium Concentration Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

Interactive Video: Why Trainers Are Tuning In.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broderick, Richard

1982-01-01

The uses of interactive video are explored through various case studies. They include cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for the Dallas American Heart Association, Ford Motor Company dealership training, employee training at the Los Angeles Plutonium Facility, and others. (CT)

A Clear Success for International Transport of Plutonium and MOX Fuels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blachet, L.; Jacot, P.; Bariteau, J.P.

2006-07-01

An Agreement between the United States and Russia to eliminate 68 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium provided the basis for the United States government and its agency, the Department of Energy (DOE), to enter into contracts with industry leaders to fabricate mixed oxide (MOX) fuels (a blend of uranium oxide and plutonium oxide) for use in existing domestic commercial reactors. DOE contracted with Duke, COGEMA, Stone and Webster (DCS), a limited liability company comprised of Duke Energy, COGEMA Inc. and Stone and Webster to design a Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) which would be built and operated atmore » the DOE Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. During this same time frame, DOE commissioned fabrication and irradiation of lead test assemblies in one of the Mission Reactors to assist in obtaining NRC approval for batch implementation of MOX fuel prior to the operations phase of the MFFF facility. On February 2001, DOE directed DCS to initiate a pre-decisional investigation to determine means to obtain lead assemblies including all international options for manufacturing MOX fuels. This lead to implementation of the EUROFAB project and work was initiated in earnest on EUROFAB by DCS on November 7, 2003. (authors)« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmack, Jon; Hayes, Steven; Walters, L. C.

This document explores startup fuel options for a proposed test/demonstration fast reactor. The fuel options considered are the metallic fuels U-Zr and U-Pu-Zr and the ceramic fuels UO 2 and UO 2-PuO 2 (MOX). Attributes of the candidate fuel choices considered were feedstock availability, fabrication feasibility, rough order of magnitude cost and schedule, and the existing irradiation performance database. The reactor-grade plutonium bearing fuels (U-Pu-Zr and MOX) were eliminated from consideration as the initial startup fuels because the availability and isotopics of domestic plutonium feedstock is uncertain. There are international sources of reactor grade plutonium feedstock but isotopics and availabilitymore » are also uncertain. Weapons grade plutonium is the only possible source of Pu feedstock in sufficient quantities needed to fuel a startup core. Currently, the available U.S. source of (excess) weapons-grade plutonium is designated for irradiation in commercial light water reactors (LWR) to a level that would preclude diversion. Weapons-grade plutonium also contains a significant concentration of gallium. Gallium presents a potential issue for both the fabrication of MOX fuel as well as possible performance issues for metallic fuel. Also, the construction of a fuel fabrication line for plutonium fuels, with or without a line to remove gallium, is expected to be considerably more expensive than for uranium fuels. In the case of U-Pu-Zr, a relatively small number of fuel pins have been irradiated to high burnup, and in no case has a full assembly been irradiated to high burnup without disassembly and re-constitution. For MOX fuel, the irradiation database from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is extensive. If a significant source of either weapons-grade or reactor-grade Pu became available (i.e., from an international source), a startup core based on Pu could be reconsidered.« less

Understanding How Biomass Burning Impacts Climate Change

ScienceCinema

Aiken, Allison

2018-06-12

Biomass burning in Africa is creating a plume that spreads across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to Brazil. Allison Aiken, a research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, collects data about the black carbon aerosols within this plume and their impact on the environment to help improve global climate modeling. A leader in energy science, Los Alamos develops climate models in support of the Laboratory’s mission to strengthen the nation’s energy security. Allison’s work is part of FIDO, a field operations team funded by the Energy Department’s Office of Science’s ARM Climate Research Facility.

Isotopic signatures: An important tool in today`s world

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rokop, D.J.; Efurd, D.W.; Benjamin, T.M.

1995-12-01

High-sensitivity/high-accuracy actinide measurement techniques developed to support weapons diagnostic capabilities at the Los Alamos National Laboratory are now being used for environmental monitoring. The measurement techniques used are Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS), Alpha Spectrometry(AS), and High Resolution Gamma Spectrometry(HRGS). These techniques are used to address a wide variety of actinide inventory issues: Environmental surveillance, site characterizations, food chain member determination, sedimentary records of activities, and treaty compliance concerns. As little as 10 femtograms of plutonium can be detected in samples and isotopic signatures determined on samples containing sub-100 femtogram amounts. Uranium, present in all environmental samples, can generally yieldmore » isotopic signatures of anthropogenic origin when present at the 40 picogam/gram level. Solid samples (soils, sediments, fauna, and tissue) can range from a few particles to several kilograms in size. Water samples can range from a few milliliters to as much as 200 liters.« less

Enrico Fermi - And the Revolutions of Modern Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Dan

1999-02-01

In 1938, at the age of 37, Enrico Fermi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. That same year he emigrated from Italy to the United States and, in the course of his experiments, discovered nuclear fission--a process which forms the basis of nuclear power and atomic bombs. Soon the brilliant physicist was involved in the top secret race to produce the deadliest weapon on Earth. He created the first self-sustaining chain reaction, devised new methods for purifying plutonium, and eventually participated in the first atomic test. This compelling biography traces Fermis education in Italy, his meteoric career in the scientific world, his escape from fascism to America, and the ingenious experiments he devised and conducted at the University of Rome, Columbia University, and the Los Alamos laboratory. The book also presents a mini-course in quantum and nuclear physics in an accessible, fast-paced narrative that invokes all the dizzying passion of Fermis brilliant discoveries.

Characterization of 618-11 solid waste burial ground, disposed waste, and description of the waste generating facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hladek, K.L.

1997-10-07

The 618-11 (Wye or 318-11) burial ground received transuranic (TRTJ) and mixed fission solid waste from March 9, 1962, through October 2, 1962. It was then closed for 11 months so additional burial facilities could be added. The burial ground was reopened on September 16, 1963, and continued operating until it was closed permanently on December 31, 1967. The burial ground received wastes from all of the 300 Area radioactive material handling facilities. The purpose of this document is to characterize the 618-11 solid waste burial ground by describing the site, burial practices, the disposed wastes, and the waste generatingmore » facilities. This document provides information showing that kilogram quantities of plutonium were disposed to the drum storage units and caissons, making them transuranic (TRU). Also, kilogram quantities of plutonium and other TRU wastes were disposed to the three trenches, which were previously thought to contain non-TRU wastes. The site burial facilities (trenches, caissons, and drum storage units) should be classified as TRU and the site plutonium inventory maintained at five kilograms. Other fissile wastes were also disposed to the site. Additionally, thousands of curies of mixed fission products were also disposed to the trenches, caissons, and drum storage units. Most of the fission products have decayed over several half-lives, and are at more tolerable levels. Of greater concern, because of their release potential, are TRU radionuclides, Pu-238, Pu-240, and Np-237. TRU radionuclides also included slightly enriched 0.95 and 1.25% U-231 from N-Reactor fuel, which add to the fissile content. The 618-11 burial ground is located approximately 100 meters due west of Washington Nuclear Plant No. 2. The burial ground consists of three trenches, approximately 900 feet long, 25 feet deep, and 50 feet wide, running east-west. The trenches constitute 75% of the site area. There are 50 drum storage units (five 55-gallon steel drums welded together) buried in three rows in the northeast comer. In addition, five eight-foot diameter caissons are located at the west end of the center row of the drum storage units. Initially, wastes disposed to the caissons and drum storage units were from the 325 and 327 building hot cells. Later, a small amount of remote-handled (RH) waste from the 309 building Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR) cells, and the newly built 324 building hot cells, was disposed at the site.« less

The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) begins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, S. R.

2018-02-01

S. R. Kulkarni on behalf of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) announces the first confirmed results from the project. ZTF is led by the California Institute of Technology, US and includes IPAC, US; Los Alamos National Laboratory, US; University of Maryland, US; University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, US; University of Washington, US; Oskar-Klein Center of the University of Stockholm, Sweden; DESY and Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany; Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel; and the University System of Taiwan, Taiwan.

Literature review for oxalate oxidation processes and plutonium oxalate solubility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nash, C. A.

2015-10-01

A literature review of oxalate oxidation processes finds that manganese(II)-catalyzed nitric acid oxidation of oxalate in precipitate filtrate is a viable and well-documented process. The process has been operated on the large scale at Savannah River in the past, including oxidation of 20 tons of oxalic acid in F-Canyon. Research data under a variety of conditions show the process to be robust. This process is recommended for oxalate destruction in H-Canyon in the upcoming program to produce feed for the MOX facility. Prevention of plutonium oxalate precipitation in filtrate can be achieved by concentrated nitric acid/ferric nitrate sequestration of oxalate.more » Organic complexants do not appear practical to sequester plutonium. Testing is proposed to confirm the literature and calculation findings of this review at projected operating conditions for the upcoming campaign.« less

7. VIEW OF AIRLOCK ENTRY. AIRLOCK DOUBLE DOORS WERE USED ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. VIEW OF AIRLOCK ENTRY. AIRLOCK DOUBLE DOORS WERE USED TO KEEP ATMOSPHERES CONFINED TO SPECIFIC AREAS. (6/29/78) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

General Employee Training Live, Course 15503

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gabel, Daniel Glen; Hughes, Heather

This training at Los Alamos National Laboratory contains the following sections: Introduction to the Laboratory, Institutional Quality Assurance, Facilities, Policies, Procedures, and Other Requirements, Safety Expectations, Worker Protection: Occupational Safety and Health, Industrial Hygiene and Safety, Lockout/Tagout, General Employee Radiological Training, Fire Protection, Security, Emergency Operations, Occupational Health, and Environment.

Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility

Science.gov Websites

4:17 How DARHT Works The weapons programs at Los Alamos have one principal mission: ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of nuclear weapons in our nation's enduring stockpile. One critical completed a successful two-axis, multiframe hydrotest. Two additional successful tests-one of which was

Roadmap to MaRIE May 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barnes, Cris William

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) hosted the Stewardship Science Academic Programs Symposium, which is designed to foster relationships among young scientists, sponsors and the National Nuclear Security Administration national laboratories. The event highlights much of the work done by prominent scientists and allows attendees to view the multiple on site facilities at LANL.

Chemical interaction matrix between reagents in a Purex based process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brahman, R.K.; Hennessy, W.P.; Paviet-Hartmann, P.

2008-07-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is the responsible entity for the disposal of the United States excess weapons grade plutonium. DOE selected a PUREX-based process to convert plutonium to low-enriched mixed oxide fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants. To initiate this process in the United States, a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) is under construction and will be operated by Shaw AREVA MOX Services at the Savannah River Site. This facility will be licensed and regulated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A PUREX process, similar to the one used at La Hague,more » France, will purify plutonium feedstock through solvent extraction. MFFF employs two major process operations to manufacture MOX fuel assemblies: (1) the Aqueous Polishing (AP) process to remove gallium and other impurities from plutonium feedstock and (2) the MOX fuel fabrication process (MP), which processes the oxides into pellets and manufactures the MOX fuel assemblies. The AP process consists of three major steps, dissolution, purification, and conversion, and is the center of the primary chemical processing. A study of process hazards controls has been initiated that will provide knowledge and protection against the chemical risks associated from mixing of reagents over the life time of the process. This paper presents a comprehensive chemical interaction matrix evaluation for the reagents used in the PUREX-based process. Chemical interaction matrix supplements the process conditions by providing a checklist of any potential inadvertent chemical reactions that may take place. It also identifies the chemical compatibility/incompatibility of the reagents if mixed by failure of operations or equipment within the process itself or mixed inadvertently by a technician in the laboratories. (aut0010ho.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robertson, Janeen Denise

In a mortality study of white males who had worked at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant between 1952 and 1979, an increased number of deaths from benign and unspecified intracranial neoplasms was found. A case-control study nested within this cohort investigated the hypothesis that an association existed between brain tumor death and exposure to either internally deposited plutonium or external ionizing radiation. There was no statistically significant association found between estimated radiation exposure from internally deposited plutonium and the development of brain tumors. Exposure by job or work area showed no significant difference between the cohort and the controlmore » groups. An update of the study found elevated risk estimates for (1) all lymphopoietic neoplasms, and (2) all causes of death in employees with body burdens greater than or equal to two nanocuries of plutonium. There was an excess of brain tumors for the entire cohort. Similar cohort studies conducted on worker populations from other plutonium handling facilities have not yet shown any elevated risks for brain tumors. Historically, the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant used large quantities of chemicals in their production operations. The use of solvents, particularly carbon tetrachloride, was unique to Rocky Flats. No investigation of the possible confounding effects of chemical exposures was done in the initial studies. The objectives of the present study are to (1) investigate the history of chemical use at the Rocky Flats facility; (2) locate and analyze chemical monitoring information in order to assess employee exposure to the chemicals that were used in the highest volume; and (3) determine the feasibility of establishing a chemical exposure assessment model that could be used in future epidemiology studies.« less

12. Architectural Floor Plans, 233S, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. Architectural Floor Plans, 233-S, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Atomic Products Operations, General Electric Company, Dwg. H-2-30464, 1956. - Reduction-Oxidation Complex, Plutonium Concentration Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

11. Architectural ELevations & Sections, 233S, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

11. Architectural ELevations & Sections, 233-S, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Atomic Products Operations, General Electric Company, Dwg. No. H-2-30465, 1956. - Reduction-Oxidation Complex, Plutonium Concentration Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

Los Alamos Neutron Science Center

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kippen, Karen Elizabeth

For more than 30 years the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) has provided the scientific underpinnings in nuclear physics and material science needed to ensure the safety and surety of the nuclear stockpile into the future. In addition to national security research, the LANSCE User Facility has a vibrant research program in fundamental science, providing the scientific community with intense sources of neutrons and protons to perform experiments supporting civilian research and the production of medical and research isotopes. Five major experimental facilities operate simultaneously. These facilities contribute to the stockpile stewardship program, produce radionuclides for medical testing, andmore » provide a venue for industrial users to irradiate and test electronics. In addition, they perform fundamental research in nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, materials science, and many other areas. The LANSCE User Program plays a key role in training the next generation of top scientists and in attracting the best graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) —the principal sponsor of LANSCE—works with the Office of Science and the Office of Nuclear Energy, which have synergistic long-term needs for the linear accelerator and the neutron science that is the heart of LANSCE.« less

Tested by Fire - How two recent Wildfires affected Accelerator Operations at LANL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spickermann, Thomas

2012-08-01

In a little more than a decade two large wild fires threatened Los Alamos and impacted accelerator operations at LANL. In 2000 the Cerro Grande Fire destroyed hundreds of homes, as well as structures and equipment at the DARHT facility. The DARHT accelerators were safe in a fire-proof building. In 2011 the Las Conchas Fire burned about 630 square kilometers (250 square miles) and came dangerously close to Los Alamos/LANL. LANSCE accelerator operations Lessons Learned during Las Conchas fire: (1) Develop a plan to efficiently shut down the accelerator on short notice; (2) Establish clear lines of communication in emergencymore » situations; and (3) Plan recovery and keep squirrels out.« less

Ernest Orlando Lawrence Awards Ceremony for 2011 Award Winners (Presentations, including remarks by Energy Secretary, Dr. Steven Chu)

ScienceCinema

Chu, Steven [U.S. Energy Secretary

2018-01-12

The winners for 2011 of the Department of Energy's Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award were recognized in a ceremony held May 21, 2012. Dr. Steven Chu and others spoke of the importance of the accomplishments and the prestigious history of the award. The recipients of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for 2011 are: Riccardo Betti (University of Rochester); Paul C. Canfield (Ames Laboratory); Mark B. Chadwick (Los Alamos National Laboratory); David E. Chavez (Los Alamos National Laboratory); Amit Goyal (Oak Ridge National Laboratory); Thomas P. Guilderson (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory); Lois Curfman McInnes (Argonne National Laboratory); Bernard Matthew Poelker (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility); and Barry F. Smith (Argonne National Laboratory).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petru, Ernest Frank

The Human Resources (HR) Division is a critical part of Los Alamos National Laboratory, an internationally recognized science and R&D facility with a specialized workforce of more than 10,000. The Laboratory’s mission is to solve national security challenges through scientific excellence. The HR Division partners with employees and managers to support the Laboratory in hiring, retaining, and motivating an exceptional workforce. The Laboratory is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with oversight by the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In 2006, NNSA awarded the contract for managing and operating the Laboratory to Los Alamos National Security, LLCmore » (LANS), and a for-profit consortium. This report expounds on performance excellence efforts, presenting a strategic plan and operations.« less

Ernest Orlando Lawrence Awards Ceremony for 2011 Award Winners (Presentations, including remarks by Energy Secretary, Dr. Steven Chu)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, Steven

The winners for 2011 of the Department of Energy's Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award were recognized in a ceremony held May 21, 2012. Dr. Steven Chu and others spoke of the importance of the accomplishments and the prestigious history of the award. The recipients of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for 2011 are: Riccardo Betti (University of Rochester); Paul C. Canfield (Ames Laboratory); Mark B. Chadwick (Los Alamos National Laboratory); David E. Chavez (Los Alamos National Laboratory); Amit Goyal (Oak Ridge National Laboratory); Thomas P. Guilderson (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory); Lois Curfman McInnes (Argonne National Laboratory); Bernard Matthew Poelker (Thomas Jeffersonmore » National Accelerator Facility); and Barry F. Smith (Argonne National Laboratory).« less

Additive manufacturing capabilities applied to inertial confinement confusion at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE PAGES

Cardenas, Tana; Schmidt, Derek William; Peterson, Dominic S.

2016-08-01

We describe the use at Los Alamos National Laboratory of additive manufacturing (AM) for a variety of jigs and coating, assembly, and radiography fixtures. Additive manufacturing has also been used to produce shipping containers of complex design that would be too costly to have fabricated using traditional techniques. The current goal for AM use in target fabrication is to increase target accuracy and rigidity. This has been realized by implementing AM into target stalk fabrication, allowing increased complexity to address target strength and the addition of features for alignment at facilities. As a result, we will describe the fabrication ofmore » these components and our plans to utilize AM in the future.« less

Estimation and characterization of decontamination and decommissioning solid waste expected from the Plutonium Finishing Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Millar, J.S.; Pottmeyer, J.A.; Stratton, T.J.

1995-01-01

Purpose of the study was to estimate the amounts of equipment and other materials that are candidates for removal and subsequent processing in a solid waste facility when the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant is decontaminated and decommissioned. (Building structure and soil are not covered.) Results indicate that {approximately}5,500 m{sup 3} of solid waste is expected to result from the decontamination and decommissioning of the Pu Finishing Plant. The breakdown of the volumes and percentages of waste by category is 1% dangerous solid waste, 71% low-level waste, 21% transuranic waste, 7% transuranic mixed waste.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Putnam, T.M.

This report presents the objectives, organization, policies, and essential rules and procedures that have been adopted by MP Division and that form the basis of the Health and Safety Program of the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF). The facility includes the beam-delivery systems for the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center and the Weapons Neutron Research Facility (LANSCE/WNR). The program is designed not only to assure the health and safety of all personnel, including users, in their work at LAMPF, and of MP-Division staff in their work on the LANSCE/WNR beam lines, but also to protect the facility (buildingsmore » and equipment) and the environment. 33 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Analysis of historical delta values for IAEA/LANL NDA training courses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geist, William; Santi, Peter; Swinhoe, Martyn

2009-01-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by providing training for IAEA inspectors in neutron and gamma-ray Nondestructive Assay (NDA) of nuclear material. Since 1980, all new IAEA inspectors attend this two week course at LANL gaining hands-on experience in the application of NDA techniques, procedures and analysis to measure plutonium and uranium nuclear material standards with well known pedigrees. As part of the course the inspectors conduct an inventory verification exercise. This exercise provides inspectors the opportunity to test their abilities in performing verification measurements using the various NDA techniques. For an inspector,more » the verification of an item is nominally based on whether the measured assay value agrees with the declared value to within three times the historical delta value. The historical delta value represents the average difference between measured and declared values from previous measurements taken on similar material with the same measurement technology. If the measurement falls outside a limit of three times the historical delta value, the declaration is not verified. This paper uses measurement data from five years of IAEA courses to calculate a historical delta for five non-destructive assay methods: Gamma-ray Enrichment, Gamma-ray Plutonium Isotopics, Passive Neutron Coincidence Counting, Active Neutron Coincidence Counting and the Neutron Coincidence Collar. These historical deltas provide information as to the precision and accuracy of these measurement techniques under realistic conditions.« less

10. Architectural Door Details & Plot Plan, 233S, U.S. Atomic ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. Architectural Door Details & Plot Plan, 233-S, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Hanford Atomic Products Operations, General Electric Company, Dwg. No. H-2-30469, 1956. - Reduction-Oxidation Complex, Plutonium Concentration Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

8. Front (east) side of incinerator and glove boxes. Ash ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. Front (east) side of incinerator and glove boxes. Ash canning hood to the left, combustion chamber in the middle, incinerator hood to the right. Looking west. - Plutonium Finishing Plant, Waste Incinerator Facility, 200 West Area, Richland, Benton County, WA

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan for the TA-03-38 Carpenter's Shop, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Revision 3, January 2018

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burgin, Jillian Elizabeth

This Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) was developed in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq., as amended), and the Multi-Sector General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity (U.S. EPA, June 2015) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and using the industry specific permit requirements for Sector A–Timber Products, Subsector A4 (Wood Products Facilities not elsewhere classified) as a guide. This SWPPP applies to discharges of stormwater from the operational areas of the TA-03-38 Carpenter’s Shop at Los Alamosmore » National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory (also referred to as LANL or the “Laboratory”) is owned by the Department of Energy (DOE), and is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). Throughout this document, the term “facility” refers to the TA-03-38 Carpenter’s Shop and associated areas. The current permit expires at midnight on June 4, 2020.« less

Nuclear thermal source transfer unit, post-blast soil sample drying system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiser, Ralph S.; Valencia, Matthew J

Los Alamos National Laboratory states that its mission is “To solve national security challenges through scientific excellence.” The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) programs exists to engage undergraduate students in STEM work by providing opportunity to work at DOE facilities. As an undergraduate mechanical engineering intern under the SULI program at Los Alamos during the fall semester of 2016, I had the opportunity to contribute to the mission of the Laboratory while developing skills in a STEM discipline. I worked with Technology Applications, an engineering group that supports non-proliferation, counter terrorism, and emergency response missions. This group specializes in toolmore » design, weapons engineering, rapid prototyping, and mission training. I assisted with two major projects during my appointment Los Alamos. The first was a thermal source transportation unit, intended to safely contain a nuclear thermal source during transit. The second was a soil drying unit for use in nuclear postblast field sample collection. These projects have given me invaluable experience working alongside a team of professional engineers. Skills developed include modeling, simulation, group design, product and system design, and product testing.« less

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan for the TA-03-22 Power and Steam Plant, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Revision 3, January 2018

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burgin, Jillian Elizabeth

This Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) was developed in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq., as amended), and the Multi-Sector General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity (U.S. EPA, June 2015) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and using the industry specific permit requirements for Sector O-Steam Electric Generating Facilities as a guide. This SWPPP applies to discharges of stormwater from the operational areas of the TA-03-22 Power and Steam Plant at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamosmore » National Laboratory (also referred to as LANL or the “Laboratory”) is owned by the Department of Energy (DOE), and is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). Throughout this document, the term “facility” refers to the TA-03-22 Power and Steam Plant and associated areas. The current permit expires at midnight on June 4, 2020.« less

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan - TA-60 Roads and Grounds Facility and Associated Sigma Mesa Staging Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandoval, Leonard Frank

This Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) was developed in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq., as amended), and the Multi-Sector General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity (U.S. EPA, June 2015) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and using the industry specific permit requirements for Sector P-Land Transportation and Warehousing as a guide. This SWPPP applies to discharges of stormwater from the operational areas of the TA-60 Roads and Grounds and Associated Sigma Mesa Staging Area at Losmore » Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory (also referred to as LANL or the “Laboratory”) is owned by the Department of Energy (DOE), and is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). Throughout this document, the term “facility” refers to the TA-60 Roads and Grounds and Associated Sigma Mesa Staging Area. The current permit expires at midnight on June 4, 2020.« less

Define and Quantify the Physics of Air Flow, Pressure Drop and Aerosol Collection in Nuclear Grade HEPA Filters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moore, Murray E.

Objective: Develop a set of peer-review and verified analytical methods to adjust HEPA filter performance to different flow rates, temperatures and altitudes. Experimental testing will measure HEPA filter flow rate, pressure drop and efficiency to verify the analytical approach. Nuclear facilities utilize HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters to purify air flow for workspace ventilation. However, the ASME AG-1 technical standard (Code on Nuclear Air and Gas Treatment) does not adequately describe air flow measurement units for HEPA filter systems. Specifically, the AG-1 standard does not differentiate between volumetric air flow in ACFM (actual cubic feet per minute)compared to massmore » flow measured in SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute). More importantly, the AG-1 standard has an overall deficiency for using HEPA filter devices at different air flow rates, temperatures, and altitudes. Technical Approach: The collection efficiency and pressure drops of 18 different HEPA filters will be measured over a range of flow rates, temperatures and altitudes. The experimental results will be compared to analytical scoping calculations. Three manufacturers have allocated six HEPA filters each for this effort. The 18 filters will be tested at two different flow rates, two different temperatures and two different altitudes. The 36 total tests will be conducted at two different facilities: the ATI Test facilities (Baltimore MD) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos NM). The Radiation Protection RP-SVS group at Los Alamos has an aerosol wind tunnel that was originally designed to evaluate small air samplers. In 2010, modifications were started to convert the wind tunnel for HEPA filter testing. (Extensive changes were necessary for the required aerosol generators, HEPA test fixtures, temperature control devices and measurement capabilities.) To this date, none of these modification activities have been funded through a specific DOE or NNSA program. This is expected to require six months of time, after receipt of funding. Benefits: US DOE facilities that use HEPA filters will benefit from access to the new operational measurement methods. Uncertainty and guesswork will be removed from HEPA filter operations.« less

Home Page of Richard Talaga

Science.gov Websites

facility at Los Alamos: experiment E225. The main objective was to detect the scattering of electron detect the transmutation of C12 to N12 mediated by means of the electron-neutrino. This was also ;oscillate" to tau or, perhaps electron-type neutrinos on their way from Fermilab. MINOS was not

Neutron total cross section measurement at WNR. [215 to 250 MeV experimental techniques

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lisowski, P.W.; Moore, M.S.; Morgan, G.L.

1979-01-01

The techniques involved in measuring fast-neutron total cross sections at the Weapons Neutron Facility (WNR) of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory are described. Results of total cross section measurements on natural carbon covering the range 2.5 to 250 MeV are presented. 16 references.

River Corridor Cleanup Contract Fiscal Year 2006 Detailed Work Plan: D4 Project/Reactor ISS Closure Projects Field Remediation Project Waste Operations Project End State and Final Closure Project Mission/General Support, Volume 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Project Integration

2005-09-26

The Hanford Site contains many surplus facilities and waste sites that remain from plutonium production activities. These contaminated facilities and sites must either be stabilized and maintained, or removed, to prevent the escape of potentially hazardous contaminants into the environment and exposure to workers and the public.

Fire hazard analysis for Plutonium Finishing Plant complex

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MCKINNIS, D.L.

1999-02-23

A fire hazards analysis (FHA) was performed for the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Complex at the Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford site. The scope of the FHA focuses on the nuclear facilities/structures in the Complex. The analysis was conducted in accordance with RLID 5480.7, [DOE Directive RLID 5480.7, 1/17/94] and DOE Order 5480.7A, ''Fire Protection'' [DOE Order 5480.7A, 2/17/93] and addresses each of the sixteen principle elements outlined in paragraph 9.a(3) of the Order. The elements are addressed in terms of the fire protection objectives stated in paragraph 4 of DOE 5480.7A. In addition, the FHA also complies with WHC-CM-4-41,more » Fire Protection Program Manual, Section 3.4 [1994] and WHC-SD-GN-FHA-30001, Rev. 0 [WHC, 1994]. Objectives of the FHA are to determine: (1) the fire hazards that expose the PFP facilities, or that are inherent in the building operations, (2) the adequacy of the fire safety features currently located in the PFP Complex, and (3) the degree of compliance of the facility with specific fire safety provisions in DOE orders, related engineering codes, and standards.« less

15. VIEW OF MODULE H, THE HIGH PRESSURE ASSEMBLY AREA. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

15. VIEW OF MODULE H, THE HIGH PRESSURE ASSEMBLY AREA. PROCESSES IN THIS MODULE OCCURRED UNDER HIGH PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES. (5/70) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

18. VIEW OF THE CEILING, THE PIPING TRANSPORTED CHEMICALS FROM ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

18. VIEW OF THE CEILING, THE PIPING TRANSPORTED CHEMICALS FROM A CHEMICAL PREPARATION ROOM ON THE SECOND FLOOR TO THE FIRST FLOOR PROCESS AREAS. (6/12/73) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

20. VIEW OF WASTE TREATMENT CONTROL ROOM IN BUILDING 374. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

20. VIEW OF WASTE TREATMENT CONTROL ROOM IN BUILDING 374. THE BUILDING 371/374 COMPLEX WAS DESIGNED TO EMPHASIZE AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED, REMOTELY OPERATED PROCESSES. (1/80) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Dealing With Russian Tactical Nuclear Weapons

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

the plants, facilities, and equipment necessary to safely secure and store weapons pits (the plutonium “triggers” at the center of a thermonuclear ... bomb , and hence the most critical piece) proffered by either party. Furthermore, the statute requires the IAEA to establish control over the pits until

Uranium and Thorium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finch, Warren I.

1978-01-01

The results of President Carter's policy on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons are expected to slow the growth rate in energy consumption, put the development of the breeder reactor in question, halt plans to reprocess and recycle uranium and plutonium, and expand facilities to supply enriched uranium. (Author/MA)

Proposed Methodology for Design of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Spike Anchors into Reinforced Concrete

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacFarlane, Eric Robert

The included methodology, calculations, and drawings support design of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) spike anchors for securing U-wrap CFRP onto reinforced concrete Tbeams. This content pertains to an installation in one of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s facilities. The anchors are part of a seismic rehabilitation to the subject facility. The information contained here is for information purposes only. The reader is encouraged to verify all equations, details, and methodology prior to usage in future projects. However, development of the content contained here complied with Los Alamos National Laboratory’s NQA-1 quality assurance program for nuclear structures. Furthermore, the formulations andmore » details came from the referenced published literature. This literature represents the current state of the art for FRP anchor design. Construction personnel tested the subject anchor design to the required demand level demonstrated in the calculation. The testing demonstrated the ability of the anchors noted to carry loads in excess of 15 kips in direct tension. The anchors were not tested to failure in part because of the hazards associated with testing large-capacity tensile systems to failure. The calculation, methodology, and drawing originator was Eric MacFarlane of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Office of Seismic Hazards and Risk Mitigation (OSHRM). The checker for all components was Mike Salmon of the LANL OSHRM. The independent reviewers of all components were Insung Kim and Loring Wyllie of Degenkolb Engineers. Note that Insung Kim contributed to the initial formulations in the calculations that pertained directly to his Doctoral research.« less

2013 Los Alamos National Laboratory Hazardous Waste Minimization Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salzman, Sonja L.; English, Charles J.

2015-08-24

Waste minimization and pollution prevention are inherent goals within the operating procedures of Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). The US Department of Energy (DOE) and LANS are required to submit an annual hazardous waste minimization report to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) in accordance with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. The report was prepared pursuant to the requirements of Section 2.9 of the LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. This report describes the hazardous waste minimization program (a component of the overall Waste Minimization/Pollution Prevention [WMin/PP] Program) administered by the Environmentalmore » Stewardship Group (ENV-ES). This report also supports the waste minimization and pollution prevention goals of the Environmental Programs Directorate (EP) organizations that are responsible for implementing remediation activities and describes its programs to incorporate waste reduction practices into remediation activities and procedures. LANS was very successful in fiscal year (FY) 2013 (October 1-September 30) in WMin/PP efforts. Staff funded four projects specifically related to reduction of waste with hazardous constituents, and LANS won four national awards for pollution prevention efforts from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In FY13, there was no hazardous, mixedtransuranic (MTRU), or mixed low-level (MLLW) remediation waste generated at the Laboratory. More hazardous waste, MTRU waste, and MLLW was generated in FY13 than in FY12, and the majority of the increase was related to MTRU processing or lab cleanouts. These accomplishments and analysis of the waste streams are discussed in much more detail within this report.« less

Analysis of plutonium isotope ratios including 238Pu/239Pu in individual U-Pu mixed oxide particles by means of a combination of alpha spectrometry and ICP-MS.

PubMed

Esaka, Fumitaka; Yasuda, Kenichiro; Suzuki, Daisuke; Miyamoto, Yutaka; Magara, Masaaki

2017-04-01

Isotope ratio analysis of individual uranium-plutonium (U-Pu) mixed oxide particles contained within environmental samples taken from nuclear facilities is proving to be increasingly important in the field of nuclear safeguards. However, isobaric interferences, such as 238 U with 238 Pu and 241 Am with 241 Pu, make it difficult to determine plutonium isotope ratios in mass spectrometric measurements. In the present study, the isotope ratios of 238 Pu/ 239 Pu, 240 Pu/ 239 Pu, 241 Pu/ 239 Pu, and 242 Pu/ 239 Pu were measured for individual Pu and U-Pu mixed oxide particles by a combination of alpha spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). As a consequence, we were able to determine the 240 Pu/ 239 Pu, 241 Pu/ 239 Pu, and 242 Pu/ 239 Pu isotope ratios with ICP-MS after particle dissolution and chemical separation of plutonium with UTEVA resins. Furthermore, 238 Pu/ 239 Pu isotope ratios were able to be calculated by using both the 238 Pu/( 239 Pu+ 240 Pu) activity ratios that had been measured through alpha spectrometry and the 240 Pu/ 239 Pu isotope ratios determined through ICP-MS. Therefore, the combined use of alpha spectrometry and ICP-MS is useful in determining plutonium isotope ratios, including 238 Pu/ 239 Pu, in individual U-Pu mixed oxide particles. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of the 240Pu/ 239Pu atomic ratio in soils from Palomares (Spain) by low-energy accelerator mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamizo, E.; García-León, M.; Synal, H.-A.; Suter, M.; Wacker, L.

2006-08-01

In 1966, the nuclear fuel of two thermonuclear bombs was released over the Spanish region of Palomares, due to a B52 bomber accident during a refuelling operation. Since then, much effort has been made to assess its impact to the different environmental compartments of this area in South-East Spain, mostly by measuring the 239+240Pu activity concentration and the 238Pu/239+240Pu activity ratio. Nevertheless, these measurements do not give enough information on the problem. In order to recognize unambiguously small traces of the weapon-grade plutonium released in the accident, the ratio of the two major isotopes of plutonium, 240Pu/239Pu, has to be determined. In this work, this ratio has been measured in low- and high-activity samples from Palomares by means of low-energy accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). That way, we will show the potential of the new generation of compact AMS facilities in terms of plutonium characterization at ultra-trace levels.

6. VIEW OF BUILDING 371 EXTERIOR WALL CONSTRUCTION DETAIL. BUILDING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. VIEW OF BUILDING 371 EXTERIOR WALL CONSTRUCTION DETAIL. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WAS HARDENED TO WITHSTAND THE FORCES IMPOSED BY A DESIGN-BASIS EARTHQUAKE OR TORNADO. (7/1/74) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

13. VIEW OF VACUUM CHAMBER AND WELDING EQUIPMENT IN MODULE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. VIEW OF VACUUM CHAMBER AND WELDING EQUIPMENT IN MODULE E. PARTS WERE WELDED UNDER A VACUUM TO PREVENT CORROSION. (11/6/73) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

18. VIEW OF THE SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING 707. AIR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

18. VIEW OF THE SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING 707. AIR EXHAUST FANS ARE USED TO MAINTAIN PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS WITHIN THE BUILDING. (5/70) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

2. VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST AT BUILDING 444 UNDER CONSTRUCTION. BUILDING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST AT BUILDING 444 UNDER CONSTRUCTION. BUILDING 444 WAS THE PRIMARY NON-PLUTONIUM MANUFACTURING FACILITY AT THE ROCKY FLATS PLANT. MANUFACTURING PROCESSES COMPLETED IN THIS BUILDING WERE USED TO FABRICATE WEAPONS COMPONENTS AND ASSEMBLIES FOR A VARIETY OF MATERIALS, INCLUDING DEPLETED URANIUM, BERYLLIUM, STAINLESS STEEL, ALUMINUM, AND VANADIUM. (4/25/52) - Rocky Flats Plant, Non-Nuclear Production Facility, South of Cottonwood Avenue, west of Seventh Avenue & east of Building 460, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF BUILDING 774, THE ORIGINAL LIQUID ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF BUILDING 774, THE ORIGINAL LIQUID PROCESS WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY. THE PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS STORAGE TANKS AND ASSOCIATED PLUTONIUM-CONTAMINATED SOLUTIONS. THE GLOVE BOX IS USED BY OPERATORS TO MANUALLY OPERATE PUMPS AND VALVES THAT REQUIRE PERIODIC ADJUSTMENT. OTHER VALVES IN THE ROOM WERE INFREQUENTLY ADJUSTED, AND ARE SEALED IN PLASTIC WRAP - Rocky Flats Plant, Waste Treatment Facility, Adjacent to bldg 771C, in northern portion of protected area, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Using the K-25 C TD Common File System: A guide to CFSI (CFS Interface)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1989-12-01

A CFS (Common File System) is a large, centralized file management and storage facility based on software developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This manual is a guide to use of the CFS available to users of the Cray UNICOS system at Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singledecker, Amalia

Lockout/tagout (LO/TO) is used to disable machinery or equipment and to control potentially hazardous energy while service or maintenance is being performed. This course, Lockout/Tagout for FODs & RLMs Self-Study (30140), is designed to introduce facility operations directors (FODs) and responsible line managers (RLMs) to changes in the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) procedure for the lockout and tagout of hazardous energy.

75 FR 49022 - San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad-Petition for a Declaratory Order

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-12

... SLRG, Alcon intends to transfer sealed containers or bags of contaminated dirt from trucks originating at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to railcars. SLRG would then transport the dirt from... jurisdiction over the facility. See 49 U.S.C. 10501(c)(2)(B), 10908-10910. First, SLRG argues that the dirt...

Meteorology Assessment of Historic Rainfall for Los Alamos During September 2013

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bruggeman, David Alan; Dewart, Jean Marie

2016-02-12

DOE Order 420.1, Facility Safety, requires that site natural phenomena hazards be evaluated every 10 years to support the design of nuclear facilities. The evaluation requires calculating return period rainfall to determine roof loading requirements and flooding potential based on our on-site rainfall measurements. The return period rainfall calculations are done based on statistical techniques and not site-specific meteorology. This and future studies analyze the meteorological factors that produce the significant rainfall events. These studies provide the meteorology context of the return period rainfall events.

Airplanes, Combat and Maintenance Crews, and Air Bases. The World War II and Early Cold War Architectural Legacy of Holloman Air Force Base (ca. 1942-1962)

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-11-01

to develop and build an atomic bomb. The project was under the direction of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer , a former student at the Los Alamos Ranch...of AAF Facilities (1942- 1943 ) 39 Victory in Sight and the Atomic Age: Consolidation and Disposition of Facilities ( 1943 - 1945 ) 42 Cold War ( 1945 ...Sight and the Atomic Age ( 1943 - 1945 ) 61 Cold War Inception (July 1945 -January 1953) 63 Nuclear Escalation (January 1953-November 1963) 72 Detente

Balanced program plan. Analysis for biomedical and environmental research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1976-06-01

Major issues associated with the use of nuclear power are health hazards of exposure to radioactive materials; sources of radiation exposure; reactor accidents; sabotage of nuclear facilities; diversion of fissile material and its use for extortion; and the presence of plutonium in the environment. Fission fuel cycle technology is discussed with regard to milling, UF/sub 6/ production, uranium enrichment, plutonium fuel fabrication, power production, fuel processing, waste management, and fuel and waste transportation. The following problem areas of fuel cycle technology are briefly discussed: characterization, measurement, and monitoring; transport processes; health effects; ecological processes and effects; and integrated assessment. Estimatedmore » program unit costs are summarized by King-Muir Category. (HLW)« less

LIBS Spectral Data for a Mixed Actinide Fuel Pellet Containing Uranium, Plutonium, Neptunium and Americium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Judge, Elizabeth J.; Berg, John M.; Le, Loan A.

2012-06-18

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to analyze a mixed actinide fuel pellet containing 75% UO{sub 2}/20% PuO{sub 2}/3% AmO{sub 2}/2% NpO{sub 2}. The preliminary data shown here is the first report of LIBS analysis of a mixed actinide fuel pellet, to the authors knowledge. The LIBS spectral data was acquired in a plutonium facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory where the sample was contained within a glove box. The initial installation of the glove box was not intended for complete ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) transmission, therefore the LIBS spectrum is truncated in the UV andmore » NIR regions due to the optical transmission of the window port and filters that were installed. The optical collection of the emission from the LIBS plasma will be optimized in the future. However, the preliminary LIBS data acquired is worth reporting due to the uniqueness of the sample and spectral data. The analysis of several actinides in the presence of each other is an important feature of this analysis since traditional methods must chemically separate uranium, plutonium, neptunium, and americium prior to analysis. Due to the historic nature of the sample fuel pellet analyzed, the provided sample composition of 75% UO{sub 2}/20% PuO{sub 2}/3% AmO{sub 2}/2% NpO{sub 2} cannot be confirm without further analytical processing. Uranium, plutonium, and americium emission lines were abundant and easily assigned while neptunium was more difficult to identify. There may be several reasons for this observation, other than knowing the exact sample composition of the fuel pellet. First, the atomic emission wavelength resources for neptunium are limited and such techniques as hollow cathode discharge lamp have different dynamics than the plasma used in LIBS which results in different emission spectra. Secondly, due to the complex sample of four actinide elements, which all have very dense electronic energy levels, there may be reactions and interactions occurring within the plasma, such as collisional energy transfer, that might be a factor in the reduction in neptunium emission lines. Neptunium has to be analyzed alone using LIBS to further understand the dynamics that may be occurring in the plasma of the mixed actinide fuel pellet sample. The LIBS data suggests that the emission spectrum for the mixed actinide fuel pellet is not simply the sum of the emission spectra of the pure samples but is dependent on the species present in the plasma and the interactions and reactions that occur within the plasma. Finally, many of the neptunium lines are in the near infrared region which is drastically reduced in intensity by the current optical setup and possibly the sensitivity of the emission detector in the spectral region. Once the optics are replaced and the optical collection system is modified and optimized, the probability of observing emission lines for neptunium might be increased significantly. The mixed actinide fuel pellet was analyzed under the experimental conditions listed in Table 1. The LIBS spectra of the fuel pellet are shown in Figures 1-49. The spectra are labeled with the observed wavelength and atomic species (both neutral (I) and ionic (II)). Table 2 is a complete list of the observed and literature based emission wavelengths. The literature wavelengths have references including NIST Atomic Spectra Database (NIST), B.A. Palmer et al. 'An Atlas of Uranium Emission Intensities in a Hollow Cathode Discharge' taken at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), R.L. Kurucz 1995 Atomic Line Data from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), J. Blaise et al. 'The Atomic Spectrum of Plutonium' from Argonne National Laboratory (BFG), and M. Fred and F.S. Tomkins, 'Preliminary Term Analysis of Am I and Am II Spectra' (FT). The dash (-) shown under Ionic State indicates that the ionic state of the transition was not available. In the spectra, the dash (-) is replaced with a question mark (?). Peaks that are not assigned are most likely real features and not noise but cannot be confidently assigned to a transition without further investigation. Several peaks have multiple assignments due to limited resolution of the spectrometer used (20,000, {lambda}/{Delta}{lambda}) and without the availability, at this point in time, of pure PuO{sub 2}, AmO{sub 2}, and NpO{sub 2} to confirm the identity of the peaks. A different spectrometer was used in the plutonium facility to collect the mixed actinide fuel pellet data (Echelle 3000) than the DUO{sub 2}, ThO{sub 2} and uranium ore previously reported [6-8] (Echelle 4000) which accounts for the slight shift in the observed wavelength of the uranium emission lines.« less

16. VIEW OF THE STATIONARY OPERATING ENGINEER CONTROL PANEL INSTALLATION. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

16. VIEW OF THE STATIONARY OPERATING ENGINEER CONTROL PANEL INSTALLATION. THE PANEL CONTROLS AIR-HANDLING EQUIPMENT AND AIR PRESSURE WITHIN THE BUILDING. (10/6/69) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

13. VIEW OF THE HYDROFLUORINATOR AFTER INSTALLATION. SUPPLEMENTAL SHIELDING, WHICH ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. VIEW OF THE HYDROFLUORINATOR AFTER INSTALLATION. SUPPLEMENTAL SHIELDING, WHICH MOVES ALONG TRACKS IN THE FLOOR AND CEILING PROTECTS WORKERS FROM NEUTRON RADIATION EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROCESS. (4/29/65) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Storm Water Quality in Los Alamos Canyon following the Cerro Grande Fire

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

M. Johansen; B. Enz; B. Gallaher

In May 2000, the Cerro Grande Fire burned about 7400 acres of forest on the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and about 10,000 acres in watersheds above LANL on Santa Fe National Forest lands. The resulting burned landscapes raised concerns of increased storm water runoff and transport of contaminants by runoff in the canyons traversing LANL. On June 2 and 3, 2000, rain fell in the Los Alamos Canyon watershed generating storm water runoff in the canyon bottom. This event was important in that it was the first significant runoff on LANL following the fire and occurred in a canyonmore » containing known legacy waste sites. Samples from this runoff were analyzed for radionuclide, metal, inorganic, and organic constituents. Results show radionuclide concentrations at or below previous (pre-fire) maximum levels at locations on LANL and downstream. However, greater concentrations of some fallout-associated radionuclides (cesium-137 and strontium-90) were seen arriving on LANL from upstream areas compared to pre-fire conditions. Tests indicate most of the radionuclides in the samples were bound to sediments, not dissolved in water. Most radionuclide concentrations in sediments were below LANL Screening Action Levels, with cesium-137 and strontium-90 as exceptions. Most radionuclide concentrations in samples taken at LANL's downstream boundary were greater than those taken upstream, indicating the presence of contributing sources on LANL. For comparison purposes, doses were calculated on a mrem per liter of unfiltered water basis for 11 radionuclides commonly associated with atmospheric fallout and with LANL operations. The maximum dose was 0.094 mrem per liter unfiltered water and was largely associated with plutonium-239/240. In contrast, all filtered samples had total doses less than 0.001 mrem per liter. Compared to past data, potential doses were not increased by the fire during this initial runoff event. Of the 25 metals tested for, seven were above pre-fire levels, including copper, lead, manganese, selenium, strontium, uranium, and zinc. However, dissolved metal concentrations did not exceed State livestock and wildlife standards. Of the 18 general chemistry parameters tested, eight exceeded historic norms, including calcium, potassium, total phosphorus, cyanide, and magnesium.« less

Prompt fission neutron spectra from fission induced by 1 to 8 MeV neutrons on U235 and Pu239 using the double time-of-flight technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda, S.; Haight, R. C.; Nelson, R. O.; Devlin, M.; O'Donnell, J. M.; Chatillon, A.; Granier, T.; Bélier, G.; Taieb, J.; Kawano, T.; Talou, P.

2011-03-01

Prompt fission neutron spectra from U235 and Pu239 were measured for incident neutron energies from 1 to 200 MeV at the Weapons Neutron Research facility (WNR) of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, and the experimental data were analyzed with the Los Alamos model for the incident neutron energies of 1-8 MeV. A CEA multiple-foil fission chamber containing deposits of 100 mg U235 and 90 mg Pu239 detected fission events. Outgoing neutrons were detected by the Fast Neutron-Induced γ-Ray Observer array of 20 liquid organic scintillators. A double time-of-flight technique was used to deduce the neutron incident energies from the spallation target and the outgoing energies from the fission chamber. These data were used for testing the Los Alamos model, and the total kinetic energy parameters were optimized to obtain a best fit to the data. The prompt fission neutron spectra were also compared with the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF/B-VII.0). We calculate average energies from both experimental and calculated fission neutron spectra.

APPLICATION OF VACUUM SALT DISTILLATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE REMOVAL OF FLUORIDE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pierce, R.; Pak, D.

2011-08-10

Vacuum distillation of chloride salts from plutonium oxide (PuO{sub 2}) and simulant PuO{sub 2} has been previously demonstrated at Department of Energy (DOE) sites using kilogram quantities of chloride salt. The apparatus for vacuum distillation contains a zone heated using a furnace and a zone actively cooled using either recirculated water or compressed air. During a vacuum distillation operation, a sample boat containing the feed material is placed into the apparatus while it is cool, and the system is sealed. The system is evacuated using a vacuum pump. Once a sufficient vacuum is attained, heating begins. Volatile salts distill frommore » the heated zone to the cooled zone where they condense, leaving behind the non-volatile materials in the feed boat. The application of vacuum salt distillation (VSD) is of interest to the HB-Line Facility and the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Both facilities are involved in efforts to disposition excess fissile materials. Many of these materials contain chloride and fluoride salt concentrations which make them unsuitable for dissolution without prior removal of the chloride and fluoride salts. Between September 2009 and January 2011, the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and HB-Line designed, developed, tested, and successfully deployed a system for the distillation of chloride salts. Subsequent efforts are attempting to adapt the technology for the removal of fluoride. Fluoride salts of interest are less-volatile than the corresponding chloride salts. Consequently, an alternate approach is required for the removal of fluoride without significantly increasing the operating temperature. HB-Line Engineering requested SRNL to evaluate and demonstrate the feasibility of an alternate approach using both non-radioactive simulants and plutonium-bearing materials. Whereas the earlier developments targeted the removal of sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl), the current activities are concerned with the removal of the halide ions associated with plutonium trifluoride (PuF{sub 3}), plutonium tetrafluoride (PuF{sub 4}), calcium fluoride (CaF{sub 2}), and calcium chloride (CaCl{sub 2}). This report discusses non-radioactive testing of small-scale and pilot-scale systems and radioactive testing of a small-scale system. Experiments focused on demonstrating the chemistry for halide removal and addressing the primary engineering questions associated with a change in the process chemistry.« less

Analysis of Precipitation (Rain and Snow) Levels and Straight-line Wind Speeds in Support of the 10-year Natural Phenomena Hazards Review for Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kelly, Elizabeth J.; Dewart, Jean Marie; Deola, Regina

This report provides site-specific return level analyses for rain, snow, and straight-line wind extreme events. These analyses are in support of the 10-year review plan for the assessment of meteorological natural phenomena hazards at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). These analyses follow guidance from Department of Energy, DOE Standard, Natural Phenomena Hazards Analysis and Design Criteria for DOE Facilities (DOE-STD-1020-2012), Nuclear Regulatory Commission Standard Review Plan (NUREG-0800, 2007) and ANSI/ ANS-2.3-2011, Estimating Tornado, Hurricane, and Extreme Straight-Line Wind Characteristics at Nuclear Facility Sites. LANL precipitation and snow level data have been collected since 1910, although not all years are complete.more » In this report the results from the more recent data (1990–2014) are compared to those of past analyses and a 2004 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration report. Given the many differences in the data sets used in these different analyses, the lack of statistically significant differences in return level estimates increases confidence in the data and in the modeling and analysis approach.« less

Electrical Engineering in Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silva, Michael James

The field of electrical engineering plays a significant role in particle accelerator design and operations. Los Alamos National Laboratories LANSCE facility utilizes the electrical energy concepts of power distribution, plasma generation, radio frequency energy, electrostatic acceleration, signals and diagnostics. The culmination of these fields produces a machine of incredible potential with uses such as isotope production, neutron spallation, neutron imaging and particle analysis. The key isotope produced in LANSCE isotope production facility is Strontium-82 which is utilized for medical uses such as cancer treatment and positron emission tomography also known as PET scans. Neutron spallation is one of the verymore » few methods used to produce neutrons for scientific research the other methods are natural decay of transuranic elements from nuclear reactors. Accelerator produce neutrons by accelerating charged particles into neutron dense elements such as tungsten imparting a neutral particle with kinetic energy, this has the benefit of producing a large number of neutrons as well as minimizing the waste generated. Utilizing the accelerator scientist can gain an understanding of how various particles behave and interact with matter to better understand the natural laws of physics and the universe around us.« less

Characterization of representative materials in support of safe, long term storage of surplus plutonium in DOE-STD-3013 containers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Paul H; Narlesky, Joshua E; Worl, Laura A

2010-01-01

The Surveillance and Monitoring Program (SMP) is a joint LANL/SRS effort funded by DOE/EM to provide the technical basis for the safe, long-term storage (up to 50 years) of over 6 metric tons of plutonium stored in over 5000 DOE-STD-3013 containers at various facilities around the DOE complex. The majority of this material is plutonium that is surplus to the nuclear weapons program, and much of it is destined for conversion to mixed oxide fuel for use in US nuclear power plants. The form of the plutonium ranges from relatively pure metal and oxide to very impure oxide. The performancemore » of the 3013 containers has been shown to depend on moisture content and on the levels, types and chemical forms of the impurities. The oxide materials that present the greatest challenge to the storage container are those that contain chloride salts. The chlorides (NaCl, KCl, CaCl{sub 2}, and MgCl{sub 2}) range from less than half of the impurities present to nearly all the impurities. Other common impurities include oxides and other compounds of calcium, magnesium, iron, and nickel. Over the past 15 years the program has collected a large body of experimental data on over 60 samples of plutonium chosen to represent the broader population of materials in storage. This paper will summarize the characterization data, including the origin and process history, particle size, surface area, density, calorimetry, chemical analysis, moisture analysis, prompt gamma, gas generation and corrosion behavior.« less

2016 Los Alamos National Laboratory Hazardous Waste Minimization Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salzman, Sonja L.; English, Charles Joe

Waste minimization and pollution prevention are goals within the operating procedures of Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). The US Department of Energy (DOE), inclusive of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Office of Environmental Management, and LANS are required to submit an annual hazardous waste minimization report to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) in accordance with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. The report was prepared pursuant to the requirements of Section 2.9 of the LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. This report describes the hazardous waste minimization program, whichmore » is a component of the overall Pollution Prevention (P2) Program, administered by the Environmental Stewardship Group (EPC-ES). This report also supports the waste minimization and P2 goals of the Associate Directorate of Environmental Management (ADEM) organizations that are responsible for implementing remediation activities and describes its programs to incorporate waste reduction practices into remediation activities and procedures. This report includes data for all waste shipped offsite from LANL during fiscal year (FY) 2016 (October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016). LANS was active during FY2016 in waste minimization and P2 efforts. Multiple projects were funded that specifically related to reduction of hazardous waste. In FY2016, there was no hazardous, mixed-transuranic (MTRU), or mixed low-level (MLLW) remediation waste shipped offsite from the Laboratory. More non-remediation hazardous waste and MLLW was shipped offsite from the Laboratory in FY2016 compared to FY2015. Non-remediation MTRU waste was not shipped offsite during FY2016. These accomplishments and analysis of the waste streams are discussed in much more detail within this report.« less

Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Management Plan for Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keller, David Charles; Hathcock, Charles Dean

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Management Plan (HMP) fulfills a commitment made to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the “Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility Mitigation Action Plan” (DOE 1996). The HMP received concurrence from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1999 (USFWS consultation numbers 2-22-98-I-336 and 2-22-95-I-108). This 2015 update retains the management guidelines from the 1999 HMP for listed species, updates some descriptive information, and adds the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) and Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) which were federally listedmore » in 2014 (Keller 2015: USFWS consultation number 02ENNM00- 2015-I-0538).« less

Experimental signatures of suprathermal ion distribution in inertial confinement fusion implosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagan, Grigory; Svyatskiy, Daniil; Rinderknecht, Hans; Rosenberg, Michael; Zylstra, Alex; Huang, Cheng-Kun; McDevitt, Christopher

2015-11-01

The distribution function of suprathermal ions is found to be self-similar under conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion hot-spots. By utilizing this feature, interference between the hydro-instabilities and kinetic effects is for the first time assessed quantitatively to find that the instabilities substantially aggravate the fusion reactivity reduction. The ion tail depletion is also shown to lower the experimentally inferred ion temperature, a novel kinetic effect that may explain the discrepancy between the exploding pusher experiments and rad-hydro simulations and contribute to the observation that temperature inferred from DD reaction products is lower than from DT at National Ignition Facility. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Dept. of Energy by the Los Alamos National Security, LLC, Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396.

Structural Geology of the Northwestern Portion of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico: Implications for Seismic Surface Rupture Potential from TA-3 to TA-55

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jamie N. Gardner: Alexis Lavine; Giday WoldeGabriel; Donathon Krier

1999-03-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory lies at the western boundary of the Rio Grande rift, a major tectonic feature of the North American Continent. Three major faults locally constitute the modem rift boundary, and each of these is potentially seismogenic. In this study we have gathered structural geologic data for the northwestern portion of Los Alamos National Laboratory through high-precision geologic mapping, conventional geologic mapping, stratigraphic studies, drilling, petrologic studies, and stereographic aerial photograph analyses. Our study area encompasses TA-55 and TA-3, where potential for seismic surface rupture is of interest, and is bounded on the north and south by themore » townsite of Los Alamos and Twomile Canyon, respectively. The study area includes parts of two of the potentially active rift boundary faults--the Pajarito and Rendija Canyon faults-that form a large graben that we name the Diamond Drive graben. The graben embraces the western part of the townsite of Los Alamos, and its southern end is in the TA-3 area where it is defined by east-southeast-trending cross faults. The cross faults are small, but they accommodate interactions between the two major fault zones and gentle tilting of structural blocks to the north into the graben. North of Los Alamos townsite, the Rendija Canyon fault is a large normal fault with about 120 feet of down-to-the-west displacement over the last 1.22 million years. South from Los Alamos townsite, the Rendija Canyon fault splays to the southwest into a broad zone of deformation. The zone of deformation is about 2,000 feet wide where it crosses Los Alamos Canyon and cuts through the Los Alamos County Landfill. Farther southwest, the fault zone is about 3,000 feet wide at the southeastern corner of TA-3 in upper Mortandad Canyon and about 5,000 feet wide in Twomile Canyon. Net down-to-the-west displacement across the entire fault zone over the last 1.22 million years decreases to the south as the fault zone broadens as follows: about 100 feet at Los Alamos Canyon, about 50 feet at upper Mortandad Canyon, and less than 30 feet at Twomile Canyon. These relations lead us to infer that the Rendija Canyon fault probably dies out just south of Twomile Canyon. In detail, the surface deformation expressed within the fault zones can be large, fairly simple normal faults, broad zones of smaller faults, largely unfaulted monocline, and faulted monocline. Our study indicates that the seismic surface rupture hazard, associated with the faults in the study area, is localized. South of the county landfill and Los Alamos Canyon, displacements on individual faults become very small, less than about 10 feet in the last 1.22 million years. Such small displacements imply that these little faults do not have much continuity along strike and in a worst-case scenario present a mean probabilistic fault displacement hazard of less than 0.67 inches in 10,000 years (Olig et al., 1998). We encourage, however, site-specific fault investigations for new construction in certain zones of our study area and that facility siting on potentially active faults be avoided.« less

Application of Compton-suppressed self-induced XRF to spent nuclear fuel measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Se-Hwan; Jo, Kwang Ho; Lee, Seung Kyu; Seo, Hee; Lee, Chaehun; Won, Byung-Hee; Ahn, Seong-Kyu; Ku, Jeong-Hoe

2017-11-01

Self-induced X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a technique by which plutonium (Pu) content in spent nuclear fuel can be directly quantified. In the present work, this method successfully measured the plutonium/uranium (Pu/U) peak ratio of a pressurized water reactor (PWR)'s spent nuclear fuel at the Korea atomic energy research institute (KAERI)'s post irradiation examination facility (PIEF). In order to reduce the Compton background in the low-energy X-ray region, the Compton suppression system additionally was implemented. By use of this system, the spectrum's background level was reduced by a factor of approximately 2. This work shows that Compton-suppressed selfinduced XRF can be effectively applied to Pu accounting in spent nuclear fuel.

JPRS Report, Proliferation Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-07

Ruta Skatikaite; RESPUBLIKA, 19 May 93] ................................................................................ 20 Radioactive Beryllium...nuclear fuel will be transported around 2000 to a reprocessing facility in [Yi] IAEA surveillance cameras are said to take four photos Tokai, Ibaraki...Comparing these two methods, the method of extracting May 93 pp 342-346. plutonium is similar to carrying a backpack to transport goods, while

12. VIEW OF THE INSPECTION MODULE (MODULE D). THE GLOVE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. VIEW OF THE INSPECTION MODULE (MODULE D). THE GLOVE BOX IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE PHOTOGRAPH CONTAINS A DRILL PRESS; OTHER GLOVE BOXES ARE USED FOR PARTS INSPECTION. (5/70) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

The Nature of Scatter at the DARHT Facility and Suggestions for Improved Modeling of DARHT Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morneau, Rachel Anne; Klasky, Marc Louis

The U.S. Stockpile Stewardship Program [1] is designed to sustain and evaluate the nuclear weapons stockpile while foregoing underground nuclear tests. The maintenance of a smaller, aging U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without underground testing requires complex computer calculations [14]. These calculations in turn need to be verified and benchmarked [14]. A wide range of research facilities have been used to test and evaluate nuclear weapons while respecting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) [2]. Some of these facilities include the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories, and the Dual Axismore » Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This research will focus largely on DARHT (although some information from Cygnus and the Los Alamos Microtron may be used in this research) by modeling it and comparing to experimental data. DARHT is an electron accelerator that employs high-energy flash x-ray sources for imaging hydro-tests. This research proposes to address some of the issues crucial to understanding DARHT Axis II and the analysis of the radiographic images produced. Primarily, the nature of scatter at DARHT will be modeled and verified with experimental data. It will then be shown that certain design decisions can be made to optimize the scatter field for hydrotest experiments. Spectral effects will be briefly explored to determine if there is any considerable effect on the density reconstruction caused by changes in the energy spectrum caused by target changes. Finally, a generalized scatter model will be made using results from MCNP that can be convolved with the direct transmission of an object to simulate the scatter of that object at the detector plane. The region in which with this scatter model is appropriate will be explored.« less

MaRIE X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Pre-Conceptual Design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carlsten, Bruce E.; Barnes, Cris W.; Bishofberger, Kip A.

2011-01-01

The proposed Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes (MaRIE) facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory will include a 50-keV X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL), a significant extension from planned and existing XFEL facilities. To prevent an unacceptably large energy spread arsing from energy diffusion, the electron beam energy should not exceed 20 GeV, which puts a significant constraint on the beam emittance. A 100-pC baseline design is presented along with advanced technology options to increase the photon flux and to decrease the spectral bandwidth through pre-bunching the electron beam.

Special Analysis: 2016-001 Analysis of the Potential Under-Reporting of Am-241 Inventory for Nitrate Salt Waste at Area G

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, Shaoping; Stauffer, Philip H.; Birdsell, Kay Hanson

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) generates radioactive waste as a result of various activities. Operational waste is generated from a wide variety of research and development activities including nuclear weapons development, energy production, and medical research. Environmental restoration (ER), and decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) waste is generated as contaminated sites and facilities at LANL undergo cleanup or remediation. The majority of this waste is low-level radioactive waste (LLW) and is disposed of at the Technical Area 54 (TA-54), Area G disposal facility.

APPLICATION OF VACUUM SALT DISTILLATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE REMOVAL OF FLUORIDE AND CHLORIDE FROM LEGACY FISSILE MATERIALS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pierce, R.; Peters, T.

2011-11-01

Between September 2009 and January 2011, the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and the Savannah River Site (SRS) HB-Line Facility designed, developed, tested, and successfully deployed a production-scale system for the distillation of sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl) from plutonium oxide (PuO{sub 2}). Subsequent efforts adapted the vacuum salt distillation (VSD) technology for the removal of chloride and fluoride from less-volatile halide salts at the same process temperature and vacuum. Calcium chloride (CaCl{sub 2}), calcium fluoride (CaF{sub 2}), and plutonium fluoride (PuF{sub 3}) were of particular concern. To enable the use of the same operating conditions for themore » distillation process, SRNL employed in situ exchange reactions to convert the less-volatile halide salts to compounds that facilitated the distillation of halide without removal of plutonium. SRNL demonstrated the removal of halide from CaCl{sub 2}, CaF{sub 2} and PuF{sub 3} below 1000 C using VSD technology.« less

Radioactive waste management and plutonium recovery within the context of the development of nuclear energy in Russia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kushnikov, V.

1996-05-01

The Russian strategy for radioactive waste and plutonium management is based on the concept of the closed fuel cycle that has been adopted in Russia, and, to a great degree, falls under the jurisdiction of the existing Russian nuclear energy structures. From its very beginning, Russian atomic energy policy was based on finding the most effective method of developing the new fuel direction with the maximum possible utilization of the energy potential from the fission of heavy atoms and the achievement of fuel self-sufficiency through the recycling of secondary fuel. Although there can be no doubt about the importance ofmore » economic considerations (for the future), concerns for the safety of the environment are currently of the utmost importance. In this context, spent NPP fuel can be viewed as a waste to be buried only if there is persuasive evidence that such an approach is both economically and environmentally sound. The production of I GW of energy per year is accompanied by the accumulation of up to 800-1000 kg of highly radioactive fission products and approximately 250 kg of plutonium. Currently, spent fuel from the VVER 100 and the RBNK reactors contains approximately 25 tons of plutonium. There is an additional 30 tons of fuel-grade plutonium in the form of purified oxide, separated from spent fuels used in VVER440 reactors and other power production facilities, as well as approximately 100 tons of weapons-grade plutonium from dismantled warheads. The spent fuel accumulates significant amounts of small actinoids - neptunium americium, and curium. Science and technology have not yet found technical solutions for safe and secure burial of non-reprocessed spent fuel with such a broad range of products, which are typically highly radioactive and will continue to pose a threat for hundreds of thousands of years.« less

Supplement Analysis for the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory -- Recovery and Storage of Strontium-90 Fueled Radioisotope Thermal Electric Generators at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

N /A

2004-01-22

This Supplement Analysis (SA) has been prepared to determine if the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations of Los Alamos National Laboratory (SWEIS) (DOE/EIS-0238) adequately addresses the environmental effects of recovery and storage for disposal of six strontium-90 (Sr-90) fueled radioisotope thermal electric generators (RTGs) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Technical Area (TA)-54, Area G, or if the SWEIS needs to be supplemented. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) proposed to recover and store six Sr-90 RTGs from the commercial sector as part of its Offsite-Source Recovery Project (OSRP). The OSRP focuses on the proactive recovery andmore » storage of unwanted radioactive sealed sources exceeding the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) limits for Class C low-level waste (also known as Greater than Class C waste, or GTCC). In response to the events of September 11, 2001, NRC conducted a risk-based evaluation of potential vulnerabilities to terrorist threats involving NRC-licensed nuclear facilities and materials. NRC's evaluation concluded that possession of unwanted radioactive sealed sources with no disposal outlet presents a potential vulnerability (NRC 2002). In a November 25, 2003 letter to the manager of the NNSA's Los Alamos Site Office, the NRC Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response identified recovery of several Sr-90 RTGs as the highest priority and requested that DOE take whatever actions necessary to recovery these sources as soon as possible. This SA specifically compares key impact assessment parameters of this proposal to the offsite source recovery program evaluated in the SWEIS and a subsequent SA that evaluated a change to the approach of a portion of the recovery program. It also provides an explanation of any differences between the Proposed Action and activities described in the previous SWEIS and SA analyses.« less

Cygnus Performance in Subcritical Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

G. Corrow, M. Hansen, D. Henderson, S. Lutz, C. Mitton, et al.

2008-02-01

The Cygnus Dual Beam Radiographic Facility consists of two identical radiographic sources with the following specifications: 4-rad dose at 1 m, 1-mm spot size, 50-ns pulse length, 2.25-MeV endpoint energy. The facility is located in an underground tunnel complex at the Nevada Test Site. Here SubCritical Experiments (SCEs) are performed to study the dynamic properties of plutonium. The Cygnus sources were developed as a primary diagnostic for these tests. Since SCEs are single-shot, high-value events - reliability and reproducibility are key issues. Enhanced reliability involves minimization of failure modes through design, inspection, and testing. Many unique hardware and operational featuresmore » were incorporated into Cygnus to insure reliability. Enhanced reproducibility involves normalization of shot-to-shot output also through design, inspection, and testing. The first SCE to utilize Cygnus, Armando, was executed on May 25, 2004. A year later, April - May 2005, calibrations using a plutonium step wedge were performed. The results from this series were used for more precise interpretation of the Armando data. In the period February - May 2007 Cygnus was fielded on Thermos, which is a series of small-sample plutonium shots using a one-dimensional geometry. Pulsed power research generally dictates frequent change in hardware configuration. Conversely, SCE applications have typically required constant machine settings. Therefore, while operating during the past four years we have accumulated a large database for evaluation of machine performance under highly consistent operating conditions. Through analysis of this database Cygnus reliability and reproducibility on Armando, Step Wedge, and Thermos is presented.« less

Accumulation, organ distribution, and excretion kinetics of ²⁴¹Am in Mayak Production Association workers.

PubMed

Suslova, Klara G; Sokolova, Alexandra B; Efimov, Alexander V; Miller, Scott C

2013-03-01

Americium-241 (²⁴¹Am) is the second most significant radiation hazard after ²³⁹Pu at some of the Mayak Production Association facilities. This study summarizes current data on the accumulation, distribution, and excretion of americium compared with plutonium in different organs from former Mayak PA workers. Americium and plutonium were measured in autopsy and bioassay samples and correlated with the presence or absence of chronic disease and with biological transportability of the aerosols encountered at different workplaces. The relative accumulation of ²⁴¹Am was found to be increasing in the workers over time. This is likely from ²⁴¹Pu that increases with time in reprocessed fuel and from the increased concentrations of ²⁴¹Am and ²⁴¹Pu in inhaled alpha-active aerosols. While differences were observed in lung retention with exposures to different industrial compounds with different transportabilities (i.e., dioxide and nitrates), there were no significant differences in lung retention between americium and plutonium within each transportability group. In the non-pulmonary organs, the highest ratios of ²⁴¹Am/²⁴¹Am + SPu were observed in the skeleton. The relative ratios of americium in the skeleton versus liver were significantly greater than for plutonium. The relative amounts of americium and plutonium found in the skeleton compared with the liver were even greater in workers with documented chronic liver diseases. Excretion rates of ²⁴¹Am in ‘‘healthy’’ workers were estimated using bioassay and autopsy data. The data suggest that impaired liver function leads to reduced hepatic ²⁴¹Am retention, leading to increased ²⁴¹Am excretion.

Why SRS Matters - K Area

ScienceCinema

Hunt, Paul; Lawson, Janice

2018-06-22

A video series presenting an overview of the Savannah River Site (SRS) mission and operations. Each episode features a specific area/operation and how it contributes to help make the world safer. This episode features K Area's mission and operations. K area is the former production reactor that's been re-purposed to serve as a plutonium processing and storage facility.

9. VIEW, LOOKING WEST, OF GLOVE BOXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

9. VIEW, LOOKING WEST, OF GLOVE BOXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ANION EXCHANGE PROCESS IN ROOM 149. THE GLOVE BOXES ON THE LEFT CONTAIN MIXER STIRRERS THAT AID IN THE DISSOLUTION PROCESS THAT OCCURRED PRIOR TO ANION EXCHANGE. (6/20/60) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery & Fabrication Facility, North-central section of plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

3. VIEW OF CHAINVEYOR. AN ENCLOSED CHAIN CONVEYOR CONNECTED GLOVE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. VIEW OF CHAINVEYOR. AN ENCLOSED CHAIN CONVEYOR CONNECTED GLOVE BOXES WITHIN AND BETWEEN MODULAR WORK AREAS. LEADED GLOVES WERE AFFIXED TO PORTS ALONG THE CHAINVEYOR PATHWAY TO ALLOW OPERATOR ACCESS. (1/25/93) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

LANL: Weapons Infrastructure Briefing to Naval Reactors, July 18, 2017

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chadwick, Frances

Presentation slides address: The Laboratory infrastructure supports hundreds of high hazard, complex operations daily; LANL’s unique science and engineering infrastructure is critical to delivering on our mission; LANL FY17 Budget & Workforce; Direct-Funded Infrastructure Accounts; LANL Org Chart; Weapons Infrastructure Program Office; The Laboratory’s infrastructure relies on both Direct and Indirect funding; NA-50’s Operating, Maintenance & Recapitalization funding is critical to the execution of the mission; Los Alamos is currently executing several concurrent Line Item projects; Maintenance @ LANL; NA-50 is helping us to address D&D needs; We are executing a CHAMP Pilot Project at LANL; G2 = Main Toolmore » for Program Management; MDI: Future Investments are centered on facilities with a high Mission Dependency Index; Los Alamos hosted first “Deep Dive” in November 2016; Safety, Infrastructure & Operations is one of the most important programs at LANL, and is foundational for our mission success.« less

Floristic composition and plant succession on near-surface radioactive-waste-disposal facilities in the Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tierney, G.D.; Foxx, T.S.

1982-03-01

Since 1946, low-level radioactive waste has been buried in shallow landfills within the confines of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Five of these sites were studied for plant composition and successional patterns by reconnaissance and vegetation mapping. The data show a slow rate of recovery for all sites, regardless of age, in both the pinon-juniper and ponderosa pine communities. The sites are not comparable in succession or composition because of location and previous land use. The two oldest sites have the highest species diversity and the only mature trees. All sites allowed to revegetate naturally tend to be colonized bymore » the same species that originally surrounded the sites. Sites on historic fields are colonized by the old field flora, whereas those in areas disturbed only by grazing are revegetated by the local native flora.« less

International workshop on cold neutron sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Russell, G.J.; West, C.D.

1991-08-01

The first meeting devoted to cold neutron sources was held at the Los Alamos National Laboratory on March 5--8, 1990. Cosponsored by Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, the meeting was organized as an International Workshop on Cold Neutron Sources and brought together experts in the field of cold-neutron-source design for reactors and spallation sources. Eighty-four people from seven countries attended. Because the meeting was the first of its kind in over forty years, much time was spent acquainting participants with past and planned activities at reactor and spallation facilities worldwide. As a result, the meeting had more ofmore » a conference flavor than one of a workshop. The general topics covered at the workshop included: Criteria for cold source design; neutronic predictions and performance; energy deposition and removal; engineering design, fabrication, and operation; material properties; radiation damage; instrumentation; safety; existing cold sources; and future cold sources.« less

Laser detonator development for test-firing applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Munger, A. C.; Thomas, K. A.; Kennedy, J. E.

2004-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory has historically fielded two types of electro-explosive detonators. The exploding-bridgewire detonator (EBW) has an exploding wire as the initiating element, a low-density transfer charge and a high-density output pellet. The slapper detonator, or exploding-foil initiator (EFI), utilizes an exploding foil to drive a flying plate element into a high-density output pellet. The last twenty years has seen various research and development activities from many laboratories and manufacturing facilities around the world to develop laser-driven analogs of these devices, but to our knowledge none of those is in general use. Los Alamos is currently committed to designmore » and manufacture a laser analog to the long-standing, generic, general-purpose SE-1 EBW detonator, which is intended to provide increased safety in large-scale test-firing operations. This paper will discuss the major design parameters of this laser detonator and present some preliminary testing results.« less

Milliwatt Generator Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latimer, T. W.; Rinehart, G. H.

1992-05-01

This report covers progress on the Milliwatt Generator Project from April 1986 through March 1988. Activities included fuel processing and characterization, production of heat sources, fabrication of pressure-burst test units, compatibility studies, impact testing, and examination of surveillance units. The major task of the Los Alamos Milliwatt Generator Project is to fabricate MC2893A heat sources (4.0 W) for MC2730A radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG's) and MC3599 heat sources (4.5 W) for MC3500 RTG's. The MWG Project interfaces with the following contractors: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque (designer); E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (Inc.), Savannah River Plant (fuel); Monsanto Research Corporation, Mound Facility (metal hardware); and General Electric Company, Neutron Devices Department (RTG's). In addition to MWG fabrication activities, Los Alamos is involved in (1) fabrication of pressure-burst test units, (2) compatibility testing and evaluation, (3) examination of surveillance units, and (4) impact testing and subsequent examination of compatibility and surveillance units.

DANCE : Device for Measurement of (n.g.) Reactions on radioactive Species /

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chamberlin, E. P.; Dragowsky, M.; Fowler, Malcolm M.

2001-01-01

DANCE (Device for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments) is a 4{pi} 162 element BaF{sub 2} array under development at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It is designed to provide high granularity, fast timing and high photon detection efficiency. It will be located at the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center where neutrons are produced using 800 MeV proton induced spallation reactions on heavy element production targets. Using the pulsed high neutron fluence available at this facility combined with time of flight techniques it will be possible to make neutron capture measurements in the neutron energy range from eV to 100's of keV onmore » rare and radioactive target material at the milligram and below level. These measurements will provide critically needed data for the interpretation of the astrophysical s-process 'branching point' nuclei as well as information for reactions needed in understanding transmutation processes of radioactive species.« less

The Los Alamos Laser Acceleration of Particles Workshop and beginning of the advanced accelerator concepts field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, C.

2012-12-01

The first Advanced Acceleration of Particles-AAC-Workshop (actually named Laser Acceleration of Particles Workshop) was held at Los Alamos in January 1982. The workshop lasted a week and divided all the acceleration techniques into four categories: near field, far field, media, and vacuum. Basic theorems of particle acceleration were postulated (later proven) and specific experiments based on the four categories were formulated. This landmark workshop led to the formation of the advanced accelerator R&D program in the HEP office of the DOE that supports advanced accelerator research to this day. Two major new user facilities at Argonne and Brookhaven and several more directed experimental efforts were built to explore the advanced particle acceleration schemes. It is not an exaggeration to say that the intellectual breadth and excitement provided by the many groups who entered this new field provided the needed vitality to then recently formed APS Division of Beams and the new online journal Physical Review Special Topics-Accelerators and Beams. On this 30th anniversary of the AAC Workshops, it is worthwhile to look back at the legacy of the first Workshop at Los Alamos and the fine groundwork it laid for the field of advanced accelerator concepts that continues to flourish to this day.

Facility effluent monitoring plan for the plutonium uranium extraction facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiegand, D.L.

A facility effluent monitoring plan is required by the US Department of Energy in DOE Order 5400.1 for any operations that involve hazardous materials and radioactive substances that could impact employee or public safety or the environment. This document is prepared using the specific guidelines identified in A Guide for Preparing Hanford Site Facility Effluent Monitoring Plans, WHC-EP-0438-01. This facility effluent monitoring plan assesses effluent monitoring systems and evaluates whether they are adequate to ensure the public health and safety as specified in applicable federal, state, and local requirements. This facility effluent monitoring plan shall ensure long-range integrity of themore » effluent monitoring systems by requiring an update whenever a new process or operation introduces new hazardous materials or significant radioactive materials. This document must be reviewed annually even if there are no operational changes, and it must be updated at a minimum of every three years.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dighe, Kalpak Arvind

Several 40+ hour data records obtained in Oct 2010 from the Los Alamos Portable Pulser Facility (LAPP) Operational clocks show variations of {approx} 27 nsec. Several 16+ hour data records obtained in Aug 2010 from non-operational clocks like those used operationally from 2005 to the present show variations of {approx} 35 nsec. SLRE variability is xxx +/- yyy sec (std dev). SLRE occasionally show unusual events such as those discussed by Pongratz. We will continue to study and monitor.

Little Boy replication: justification and construction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malenfant, R.E.

A reconstruction of the Little Boy weapon allowed experiments to evaluate yield, leakage measurements for comparison with calculations, and phenomenological measurements to evaluate various in-situ dosimeters. The reconstructed weapon was operated at sustained delayed critical at the Los Alamos Critical Assembly Facility. The present experiments provide a wealth of information to benchmark calculations and demonstrate that the 1965 measurements on the Ichiban assembly (a spherical mockup of Little Boy) were in error.

Management Academy LANL Business Systems: Property Management, Course #31036

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shepherd, Michael J.; Rinke, Helen Mae; Hanson, Todd

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is responsible for the efficient economical management of all government property in its stewardship. This training explains the role LANL managers have in managing, controlling, and disposing of government property. The Laboratory's goal is good asset management. By properly managing property across the facility, Laboratory managers can help ASM improve government property utilization and extend asset life, while reducing asset-related operating costs and expenditures.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Research (AIDS)

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-15

Alamos, New Mexico . The Technical Working Group for HIV Isolation and Characterization, Vaccine Development Unit, Global Program on AIDS, World Health...remaining virus isolation positive. RVA 5 - IHIV-2 infection of rhesus macaques’- This study was initiated at another facility, the New Mexico Primate... Mexico were part of a previous titration study with SIVc 25 1 , a virus isolate which was proposed for use in future MMCARR vaccine and pathogenesis

How DARHT Works - the World's Most Powerful X-ray Machine

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-01

The Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory is an essential scientific tool that supports Stockpile Stewardship at the Laboratory. The World's most powerful x-ray machine, it's used to take high-speed images of mock nuclear devices - data that is used to confirm and modify advanced computer codes in assuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

Estimating Radiological Doses to Predators Foraging in a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

L.Soholt; G.Gonzales; P.Fresquez

2003-03-01

Since 1957, Los Alamos National Laboratory has operated Area G as its low-level, solid radioactive waste management and disposal area. Although the waste management area is developed, plants, small mammals, and avian and mammalian predators still occupy the less disturbed and revegetated portions of the land. For almost a decade, we have monitored the concentrations of selected radionuclides in soils, plants, and small mammals at Area G. The radionuclides tritium, plutonium-238, and plutonium-239 are regularly found at levels above regional background in all three media. Based on radionuclide concentrations in mice collected from 1994 to 1999, we calculated doses tomore » higher trophic levels (owl, hawk, kestrel, and coyote) that forage on the waste management area. These predators play important functions in the regional ecosystems and are an important part of local Native American traditional tales that identify the uniqueness of their culture. The estimated doses are compared to Department of Energy's interim limit of 0.1 rad/day for the protection of terrestrial wildlife. We used exposure parameters that were derived from the literature for each receptor, including Environmental Protection Agency's exposure factors handbook. Estimated doses to predators ranged from 9E-06 to 2E-04 rad/day, assuming that they forage entirely on the waste management area. These doses are greater than those calculated for predators foraging exclusively in reference areas, but are still well below the interim dose limit. We believe that these calculated doses represent upper-bound estimates of exposure for local predators because the larger predators forage over areas that are much greater than the 63-acre waste management area. Based on these results, we concluded that predators foraging on this area do not face a hazard from radiological exposure under current site conditions.« less

Materials @ LANL: Solutions for National Security Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teter, David

2012-10-01

Materials science activities impact many programmatic missions at LANL including nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, renewable energy, global security and nonproliferation. An overview of the LANL materials science strategy and examples of materials science programs will be presented. Major materials leadership areas are in materials dynamics, actinides and correlated electron materials, materials in radiation extremes, energetic materials, integrated nanomaterials and complex functional materials. Los Alamos is also planning a large-scale, signature science facility called MaRIE (Matter Radiation Interactions in Extremes) to address in-situ characterization of materials in dynamic and radiation environments using multiple high energy probes. An overview of this facility will also be presented.

Tritium and plutonium in waters from the Bering and Chukchi Seas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landa, E.R.; Beals, D.M.; Halverson, J.E.; Michel, R.L.; Cefus, G.R.

1999-01-01

During the summer of 1993, seawater in the Bering and Chukchi Seas was sampled on a joint Russian-American cruise [BERPAC] of the RV Okean to determine concentrations of tritium, 239Pu and 240Pu. Concentrations of tritium were determined by electrolytic enrichment and liquid scintilation counting. Tritium levels ranged up to 420 mBq L-1 showed no evidence of inputs other than those attribute atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. Plutonium was recovered from water samples by ferric hydroxide precipitation, and concentrations were determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. 239+240Pu concentrations ranged from <1 to 5.5 [mu]Bq L-1. These concentrations are lower than those measured in water samples from other parts of the ocean during the mid-1960's to the late 1980's. The 240Pu:239Pu ratios, although associated with large uncertainties, suggest that most of the plutonium is derived from world-wide fallout. As points of comparison, the highest concentrations of tritium and plutonium observed here were about five orders of magnitude lower than the maximum permissible concentrations allowed in water released to the off-site environs from licensed nuclear facilities in the United States. This study and others sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Office of Naval Research's Arctic Nuclear Waste Assessment Program are providing data for the assessment of potential radiological impacts in the Arctic regions associated with nuclear waste disposal by the former Soviet Union.

Routine inspection effort required for verification of a nuclear material production cutoff convention

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dougherty, D.; Fainberg, A.; Sanborn, J.

On 27 September 1993, President Clinton proposed {open_quotes}... a multilateral convention prohibiting the production of highly enriched uranium or plutonium for nuclear explosives purposes or outside of international safeguards.{close_quotes} The UN General Assembly subsequently adopted a resolution recommending negotiation of a non-discriminatory, multilateral, and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty (hereinafter referred to as {open_quotes}the Cutoff Convention{close_quotes}) banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. The matter is now on the agenda of the Conference on Disarmament, although not yet under negotiation. This accord would, in effect, place all fissile material (defined as highly enriched uranium and plutonium) produced aftermore » entry into force (EIF) of the accord under international safeguards. {open_quotes}Production{close_quotes} would mean separation of the material in question from radioactive fission products, as in spent fuel reprocessing, or enrichment of uranium above the 20% level, which defines highly enriched uranium (HEU). Facilities where such production could occur would be safeguarded to verify that either such production is not occurring or that all material produced at these facilities is maintained under safeguards.« less

Gamma-ray imaging assay of cells 3-5 of the east cell line in the 235-F plutonium fuel form facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brand, A. D.; Aucott, T. J.; Diprete, D. P.

In August and September, 2016, scientists from the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) took a series of gamma-ray imaging measurements through the cell windows in front of Cells 3-5 on the east line of the Plutonium Fuel Form (PuFF) Facility using an electrically cooled, high-purity germanium detector. A Germanium Gamma Ray Imager (GeGI) was utilized since it allowed for the location from which the radiation was being emitted to be identified by incoming gamma-ray energy. This measurement technique provided a tool which allowed for the relative concentration of Pu-238 to be mapped throughout each cell. The mapping and new assaymore » data were then used to update the model used in an assay discussed in a 2014 report (SRNL-STI-2014-00629) and to calculate a more accurate value for the holdup in each of the cells [1]. Note that the mapping and new assay data did not replace the previous assay data in the model. Rather, the mapping and new assay data provided additional details on source distribution, which supplemented the previous assay data.« less

Conceptual designs of NDA instruments for the NRTA system at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, T.K.; Klosterbuer, S.F.; Menlove, H.O.

The authors are studying conceptual designs of selected nondestructive assay (NDA) instruments for the near-real-time accounting system at the rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL). The JNFL RRP is a large-scale commercial reprocessing facility for spent fuel from boiling-water and pressurized-water reactors. The facility comprises two major components: the main process area to separate and produce purified plutonium nitrate and uranyl nitrate from irradiated reactor spent fuels, and the co-denitration process area to combine and convert the plutonium nitrate and uranyl nitrate into mixed oxide (MOX). The selected NDA instruments for conceptual design studies are themore » MOX-product canister counter, holdup measurement systems for calcination and reduction furnaces and for blenders in the co-denitration process, the isotope dilution gamma-ray spectrometer for the spent fuel dissolver solution, and unattended verification systems. For more effective and practical safeguards and material control and accounting at RRP, the authors are also studying the conceptual design for the UO{sub 3} large-barrel counter. This paper discusses the state-of-the-art NDA conceptual design and research and development activities for the above instruments.« less

The North Korean nuclear dilemma.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hecker, Siegfried S.

2004-01-01

The current nuclear crisis, the second one in ten years, erupted when North Korea expelled international nuclear inspectors in December 2002, then withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), and claimed to be building more nuclear weapons with the plutonium extracted from the spent fuel rods heretofore stored under international inspection. These actions were triggered by a disagreement over U.S. assertions that North Korea had violated the Agreed Framework (which froze the plutonium path to nuclear weapons to end the first crisis in 1994) by clandestinely developing uranium enrichment capabilities providing an alternative path to nuclear weapons. With Stanford Universitymore » Professor John Lewis and three other Americans, I was allowed to visit the Yongbyon Nuclear Center on Jan. 8, 2004. We toured the 5 MWe reactor, the 50 MWe reactor construction site, the spent fuel pool storage building, and the radiochemical laboratory. We concluded that North Korea has restarted its 5 MWe reactor (which produces roughly 6 kg of plutonium annually), it removed the 8000 spent fuel rods that were previously stored under IAEA safeguards from the spent fuel pool, and that it most likely extracted the 25 to 30 kg of plutonium contained in these fuel rods. Although North Korean officials showed us what they claimed was their plutonium metal product from this reprocessing campaign, we were not able to conclude definitively that it was in fact plutonium metal and that it came from the most recent reprocessing campaign. Nevertheless, our North Korean hosts demonstrated that they had the capability, the facility and requisite capacity, and the technical expertise to produce plutonium metal. On the basis of our visit, we were not able to address the issue of whether or not North Korea had a 'deterrent' as claimed - that is, we were not able to conclude that North Korea can build a nuclear device and that it can integrate nuclear devices into suitable delivery systems. However, based on the capabilities we saw, we must assume that North Korea has the capability to produce a crude nuclear device. On the matter of uranium enrichment programs, our host categorically denied that North Korea has a uranium enrichment program - he said, 'we have no program, no equipment, and no technical expertise for uranium enrichment.' The denials were not convincing at the time and since then have proven to be quite hollow by the revelations of A.Q. Khan's nuclear black market activities. There is no easy solution to the nuclear crisis in North Korea. A military strike to eliminate the nuclear facilities was never very attractive and now has been overcome by events. The principal threat is posed by a stockpile of nuclear weapons and weapons-grade plutonium. We have no way of finding where either may be hidden. A diplomatic solution remains the only path forward, but it has proven elusive. All sides have proclaimed a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula as the end goal. The U.S. Government has chosen to negotiate with North Korea by means of the six-party talks. It has very clearly outlined its position of insisting on complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement of all North Korean nuclear programs. North Korea has offered several versions of 're-freezing' its plutonium program while still denying a uranium enrichment program. It has insisted on simultaneous and reciprocal steps to a final solution. Regardless of which diplomatic path is chosen, the scientific challenges of eliminating the North Korean nuclear weapons programs (and its associated infrastructure) in a safe, secure, and verifiable manner are immense. The North Korean program is considerably more complex and developed than the fledgling Iraqi program of 1991 and Libyan program of 2004. It is more along the lines, but more complex than that of South Africa in the early 1990s. Actions taken or not taken by the North Koreans at their nuclear facilities during the course of the ongoing diplomatic discussions are key to whether or not the nuclear program can be eliminated safely and securely, and they will greatly influence the price tag for such operations. Moreover, they will determine whether or not one can verify complete elimination. Hence, cooperation of the North Koreans now and during the dismantlement and elimination stages is crucial. Technical discussions among specialists, perhaps within the framework of the working groups of the six-party talks, could be very productive in setting the stage for an effective, verifiable elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.« less

List of DOE radioisotope customers with summary of radioisotope shipments, FY 1980

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burlison, J.S.

1981-08-01

The sixteenth edition of the radioisotope customer list was prepared at the request of the Office of Health and Environmental Research, Office of energy Research, Department of Energy (DOE). This document lists DOE's radioisotope production and distribution activities by its facilities at Argonne National Laboratory; Pacific Northwest Laboratory; Brookhaven National Laboraory; Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory; Idaho Operations Office; Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory; Mound Facility; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Savannah River Laboratory; and UNC Nuclear Industries, Inc. The information is divided into five sections: (1) isotope suppliers, facility, contracts and isotopes or services supplied; (2) alphabetical list of customers, and isotopesmore » purchased; (3) alphabetical list of isotopes cross-referenced to customer numbers; (4) geographical location of radioisotope customers; and (5) radioisotope sales and transfers-FY 1980.« less

List of DOE radioisotope customers with summary of radioisotope shipments, FY 1979

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burlison, J.S.

1980-06-01

The fifteenth edition of the radioisotope customer list was prepared at the request of the Division of Financial Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Department of Energy (DOE). This document lists DOE's radioisotope production and distribution activities by its facilities at Argonne National Laboratory; Pacific Northwest Laboratory; Brookhaven National Laboratory; Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory; Idaho Operations Office; Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory; Mound Facility; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Rocky Flats Area Office; Savannah River Laboratory; and UNC Nuclear Industries, Inc. The information is divided into five sections: Isotope suppliers, facility, contracts and isotopes or services supplied; alphabetical list ofmore » customers, and isotopes purchased; alphabetical list of isotopes cross-referenced to customer numbers; geographical location of radioisotope customers; and radioisotope sales and transfers-FY 1979.« less

List of DOE radioisotope customers with summary of radioisotope shipments, FY 1981

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burlison, J.S.

1982-09-01

The seventeenth edition of the radioisotope customer list was prepared at the request of the Office of Health and Environmental Research, Office of Energy Research, Department of Energy (DOE). This document lists DOE's radioisotope production and distribution activities by its facilities at Argonne National Laboratory: Pacific Northwest Laboratory; Brookhaven National Laboratory; Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory; Idaho Operations Office; Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory; Mound Facility; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Savannah River Laboratory; and UNC Nuclear Industries, Inc. The information is divided into five sections: (1) isotope suppliers, facility, contracts and isotopes or services supplied; (2) alphabetical list of customers, and isotopesmore » purchased; (3) alphabetical list of isotopes cross-referenced to customer numbers; (4) geographical location of radioisotope customers; and (5) radioisotope sales and transfers-FY 1980.« less

Experimental Physical Sciences Vistas: MaRIE (draft)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shlachter, Jack

To achieve breakthrough scientific discoveries in the 21st century, a convergence and integration of world-leading experimental facilities and capabilities with theory, modeling, and simulation is necessary. In this issue of Experimental Physical Sciences Vistas, I am excited to present our plans for Los Alamos National Laboratory's future flagship experimental facility, MaRIE (Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes). MaRIE is a facility that will provide transformational understanding of matter in extreme conditions required to reduce or resolve key weapons performance uncertainties, develop the materials needed for advanced energy systems, and transform our ability to create materials by design. Our unique role in materialsmore » science starting with the Manhattan Project has positioned us well to develop a contemporary materials strategy pushing the frontiers of controlled functionality - the design and tailoring of a material for the unique demands of a specific application. Controlled functionality requires improvement in understanding of the structure and properties of materials in order to synthesize and process materials with unique characteristics. In the nuclear weapons program today, improving data and models to increase confidence in the stockpile can take years from concept to new knowledge. Our goal with MaRIE is to accelerate this process by enhancing predictive capability - the ability to compute a priori the observables of an experiment or test and pertinent confidence intervals using verified and validated simulation tools. It is a science-based approach that includes the use of advanced experimental tools, theoretical models, and multi-physics codes, simultaneously dealing with multiple aspects of physical operation of a system that are needed to develop an increasingly mature predictive capability. This same approach is needed to accelerate improvements to other systems such as nuclear reactors. MaRIE will be valuable to many national security science challenges. Our first issue of Vistas focused on our current national user facilities (the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center [LANSCE], the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory-Pulsed Field Facility, and the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies) and the vitality they bring to our Laboratory. These facilities are a magnet for students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff members from all over the world. This, in turn, allows us to continue to develop and maintain our strong staff across the relevant disciplines and conduct world-class discovery science. The second issue of Vistas was devoted entirely to the Laboratory's materials strategy - one of the three strategic science thrusts for the Laboratory. This strategy has helped focus our thinking for MaRIE. We believe there is a bright future in cutting-edge experimental materials research, and that a 21st-century facility with unique capability is necessary to fulfill this goal. The Laboratory has spent the last several years defining MaRIE, and this issue of Vistas presents our current vision of that facility. MaRIE will leverage LANSCE and our other user facilities, as well as our internal and external materials community for decades to come, giving Los Alamos a unique competitive advantage, advancing materials science for the Laboratory's missions and attracting and recruiting scientists of international stature. MaRIE will give the international materials research community a suite of tools capable of meeting a broad range of outstanding grand challenges.« less

CSER-98-002: Criticality analysis for the storage of special nuclear material sources and standards in the WRAP facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

GOLDBERG, H.J.

1999-05-18

The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility will store uranium and transuranic (TRU) sources and standards for certification that WRAP meets the requirements of the Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). In addition, WRAP must meet internal requirements for testing and validation of measuring instruments for nondestructive assay (NDA). In order to be certified for WIPP, WRAP will participate in the NDA Performance Demonstration Program (PDP). This program is a blind test of the NDA capabilities for TRU waste. It is intended to ensure that the NDA capabilities of this facility satisfy the requirementsmore » of the quality assurance program plan for the WIPP. The PDP standards have been provided by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for this program. These standards will be used in the WRAP facility.« less

Video Analysis in Multi-Intelligence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Key, Everett Kiusan; Van Buren, Kendra Lu; Warren, Will

This is a project which was performed by a graduated high school student at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of the Multi-intelligence (MINT) project is to determine the state of a facility from multiple data streams. The data streams are indirect observations. The researcher is using DARHT (Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility) as a proof of concept. In summary, videos from the DARHT facility contain a rich amount of information. Distribution of car activity can inform us about the state of the facility. Counting large vehicles shows promise as another feature for identifying the state of operations. Signalmore » processing techniques are limited by the low resolution and compression of the videos. We are working on integrating these features with features obtained from other data streams to contribute to the MINT project. Future work can pursue other observations, such as when the gate is functioning or non-functioning.« less

Results of PBX 9501 and PBX 9502 Round-Robin Quasi-Static Tension Tests from JOWOG-9/39 Focused Exchange.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thompson, D. G.

2002-01-01

A round-robin study was conducted with the participation of three laboratory facilities: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), BWXT Pantex Plant (PX), and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The study involved the machining and quasi-static tension testing of two plastic-bonded high explosive (PBX) composites, PBX 9501 and PBX 9502. Nine tensile specimens for each type of PBX were to be machined at each of the three facilities; 3 of these specimens were to be sent to each of the participating materials testing facilities for tensile testing. The resultant data was analyzed to look for trends associated with specimen machining location and/ormore » trends associated with materials testing location. The analysis provides interesting insights into the variability and statistical nature of mechanical properties testing on PBX composites. Caution is warranted when results are compared/exchanged between testing facilities.« less

Methodology for worker neutron exposure evaluation in the PDCF facility design.

PubMed

Scherpelz, R I; Traub, R J; Pryor, K H

2004-01-01

A project headed by Washington Group International is meant to design the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility (PDCF) to convert the plutonium pits from excessed nuclear weapons into plutonium oxide for ultimate disposition. Battelle staff are performing the shielding calculations that will determine appropriate shielding so that the facility workers will not exceed target exposure levels. The target exposure levels for workers in the facility are 5 mSv y(-1) for the whole body and 100 mSv y(-1) for the extremity, which presents a significant challenge to the designers of a facility that will process tons of radioactive material. The design effort depended on shielding calculations to determine appropriate thickness and composition for glove box walls, and concrete wall thicknesses for storage vaults. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) staff used ORIGEN-S and SOURCES to generate gamma and neutron source terms, and Monte Carlo (computer code for) neutron photon (transport) (MCNP-4C) to calculate the radiation transport in the facility. The shielding calculations were performed by a team of four scientists, so it was necessary to develop a consistent methodology. There was also a requirement for the study to be cost-effective, so efficient methods of evaluation were required. The calculations were subject to rigorous scrutiny by internal and external reviewers, so acceptability was a major feature of the methodology. Some of the issues addressed in the development of the methodology included selecting appropriate dose factors, developing a method for handling extremity doses, adopting an efficient method for evaluating effective dose equivalent in a non-uniform radiation field, modelling the reinforcing steel in concrete, and modularising the geometry descriptions for efficiency. The relative importance of the neutron dose equivalent compared with the gamma dose equivalent varied substantially depending on the specific shielding conditions and lessons were learned from this effect. This paper addresses these issues and the resulting methodology.

Development of Novel Method for Rapid Extract of Radionuclides from Solution Using Polymer Ligand Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rim, Jung H.

Accurate and fast determination of the activity of radionuclides in a sample is critical for nuclear forensics and emergency response. Radioanalytical techniques are well established for radionuclides measurement, however, they are slow and labor intensive, requiring extensive radiochemical separations and purification prior to analysis. With these limitations of current methods, there is great interest for a new technique to rapidly process samples. This dissertation describes a new analyte extraction medium called Polymer Ligand Film (PLF) developed to rapidly extract radionuclides. Polymer Ligand Film is a polymer medium with ligands incorporated in its matrix that selectively and rapidly extract analytes from a solution. The main focus of the new technique is to shorten and simplify the procedure necessary to chemically isolate radionuclides for determination by alpha spectrometry or beta counting. Five different ligands were tested for plutonium extraction: bis(2-ethylhexyl) methanediphosphonic acid (H2DEH[MDP]), di(2-ethyl hexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP), trialkyl methylammonium chloride (Aliquat-336), 4,4'(5')-di-t-butylcyclohexano 18-crown-6 (DtBuCH18C6), and 2-ethylhexyl 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid (HEH[EHP]). The ligands that were effective for plutonium extraction further studied for uranium extraction. The plutonium recovery by PLFs has shown dependency on nitric acid concentration and ligand to total mass ratio. H2DEH[MDP] PLFs performed best with 1:10 and 1:20 ratio PLFs. 50.44% and 47.61% of plutonium were extracted on the surface of PLFs with 1M nitric acid for 1:10 and 1:20 PLF, respectively. HDEHP PLF provided the best combination of alpha spectroscopy resolution and plutonium recovery with 1:5 PLF when used with 0.1M nitric acid. The overall analyte recovery was lower than electrodeposited samples, which typically has recovery above 80%. However, PLF is designed to be a rapid field deployable screening technique and consistency is more important than recovery. PLFs were also tested using blind quality control samples and the activities were accurately measured. It is important to point out that PLFs were consistently susceptible to analytes penetrating and depositing below the surface. The internal radiation within the body of PLF is mostly contained and did not cause excessive self-attenuation and peak broadening in alpha spectroscopy. The analyte penetration issue was beneficial in the destructive analysis. H2DEH[MDP] PLF was tested with environmental samples to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of the PLF in relevant environments. The extraction system was very effective in extracting plutonium from environmental water collected from Mortandad Canyon at Los Alamos National Laboratory with minimal sample processing. Soil samples were tougher to process than the water samples. Analytes were first leached from the soil matrixes using nitric acid before processing with PLF. This approach had a limitation in extracting plutonium using PLF. The soil samples from Mortandad Canyon, which are about 1% iron by weight, were effectively processed with the PLF system. Even with certain limitations of the PLF extraction system, this technique was able to considerably decrease the sample analysis time. The entire environmental sample was analyzed within one to two days. The decrease in time can be attributed to the fact that PLF is replacing column chromatography and electrodeposition with a single step for preparing alpha spectrometry samples. The two-step process of column chromatography and electrodeposition takes a couple days to a week to complete depending on the sample. The decrease in time and the simplified procedure make this technique a unique solution for application to nuclear forensics and emergency response. A large number of samples can be quickly analyzed and selective samples can be further analyzed with more sensitive techniques based on the initial data. The deployment of a PLF system as a screening method will greatly reduce a total analysis time required to gain meaningful isotopic data for the nuclear forensics application. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Residual Stresses and Other Properties of Teardrops

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stroud, Mary Ann; Veirs, Douglas Kirk; Berg, John M.

The Department of Energy’s 3013 Standard for packaging plutonium-bearing materials for storage up to fifty years specifies a minimum of two individually welded, nested containers herein referred to as the 3013 outer and the 3013 inner.1 Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a potential failure mechanism for 3013 inner containers.2,3 The bagless transfer container (BTC), a 3013 inner container used by Hanford and Savanna River Site (SRS) made from 304L stainless steel (SS), poses the greatest concern for SCC.4,5 The Surveillance and Monitoring Program (SMP) use stressed metal samples known as teardrops as screening tools in SCC studies to evaluate factorsmore » that could result in cracks in the 3013 containers.6,7 This report provides background information on the teardrops used in the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) SMP studies including method of construction, composition and variability. In addition, the report discusses measurements of residual stresses in teardrops and compares the results with residual stresses in BTCs reported previously.4 Factors affecting residual stresses, including teardrop dimensions and surface finish, are also discussed.« less

Federal enclaves: The community culture of Department of Energy cities Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Patrick Kerry

During the Second World War, the United States Government funded the research of nuclear fusion to create the first atomic weapons. To accomplish this task, the Manhattan Engineering District recruited scientists and engineers to remote sites in New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington. During the five decades of the Cold War, the congressionally created Atomic Energy Commission, and later the Department of Energy (DOE), funded and operated numerous facilities throughout the United States. The mission of the facilities was to design and stockpile atomic weapons and to further the understanding of nuclear energy. This dissertation examines the influences of the United States federal government on three communities associated with these facilities, Los Alamos, New Mexico, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Livermore, California. As isolated secret cities, these environments each created complex community structures. This work identifies how, unlike other community settings, the influences of the federal government, both directly and indirectly, created distinctive patterns of behavior within the residents of each city. Examining these behaviors within the framework of the dissertation's chapters provides the necessary context to understand fully the community culture of these Department of Energy cities. This work addresses contemporary community settings in new ways. It approaches the topic broadly by examining five specific areas of community interaction: social, political, business and economic, educational, and ethical. Through the use of oral history methodology and techniques, the researcher captured significant information from respondents. This approach provides valuable insights to the behavior and interaction of the individual populations while revealing important insights all aspects of each town's community culture.

Little Boy replication: justification and construction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malenfant, R.E.

A reconstruction of the Little Boy weapon allowed experiments to evaluate yield, leakage measurements for comparison with calculations, and phenomenological measurements to evaluate various in-situ dosimeters. The reconstructed weapon was operated at sustained delayed critical at the Los Alamos Critical Assembly Facility. The present experiments provide a wealth of information to benchmark calculations and demonstrate that the 1965 measurements on the Ichiban assembly (a spherical mockup of Little Boy) were in error. 5 references, 2 figures.

Optical Analysis And Alignment Applications Using The Infrared Smartt Interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V. K.; Bolen, P. D.; Liberman, I.; Seery, B. D.

1981-12-01

The possiblility of using the infrared Smartt interferometer for optical analysis and alignment of infrared laser systems has been discussed previously. In this paper, optical analysis of the Gigawatt Test Facility at Los Alamos, as well as a deformable mirror manufactured by Rocketdyne, are discussed as examples of the technique. The possibility of optically characterizing, as well as aligning, pulsed high energy laser systems like Helios and Antares is discussed in some detail.

Optical analysis and alignment applications using the infrared Smartt interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V. K.; Bolen, P. D.; Liberman, I.; Seery, B. D.

The possibility of using the infrared Smartt interferometer for optical analysis and alignment of infrared laser systems has been discussed previously. In this paper, optical analysis of the Gigawatt Test Facility at Los Alamos, as well as a deformable mirror manufactured by Rocketdyne, are discussed as examples of the technique. The possibility of optically characterizing, as well as aligning, pulsed high energy laser systems like Helios and Antares is discussed in some detail.

Removal of the Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor - 13031

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herzog, C. Brad; Guercia, Rudolph; LaCome, Matt

2013-07-01

The 309 Facility housed the Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR), an operating test reactor in the 300 Area at Hanford, Washington. The reactor first went critical in 1960 and was originally used for experiments under the Hanford Site Plutonium Fuels Utilization Program. The facility was decontaminated and decommissioned in 1988-1989, and the facility was deactivated in 1994. The 309 facility was added to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) response actions as established in an Interim Record of Decision (IROD) and Action Memorandum (AM). The IROD directs a remedial action for the 309 facility, associated waste sites, associatedmore » underground piping and contaminated soils resulting from past unplanned releases. The AM directs a removal action through physical demolition of the facility, including removal of the reactor. Both CERCLA actions are implemented in accordance with U.S. EPA approved Remedial Action Work Plan, and the Remedial Design Report / Remedial Action Report associated with the Hanford 300-FF-2 Operable Unit. The selected method for remedy was to conventionally demolish above grade structures including the easily distinguished containment vessel dome, remove the PRTR and a minimum of 300 mm (12 in) of shielding as a single 560 Ton unit, and conventionally demolish the below grade structure. Initial sample core drilling in the Bio-Shield for radiological surveys showed evidence that the Bio-Shield was of sound structure. Core drills for the separation process of the PRTR from the 309 structure began at the deck level and revealed substantial thermal degradation of at least the top 1.2 m (4LF) of Bio-Shield structure. The degraded structure combined with the original materials used in the Bio-Shield would not allow for a stable structure to be extracted. The water used in the core drilling process proved to erode the sand mixture of the Bio-Shield leaving the steel aggregate to act as ball bearings against the core drill bit. A redesign is being completed to extract the 309 PRTR and entire Bio-Shield structure together as one monolith weighing 1100 Ton by cutting structural concrete supports. In addition, the PRTR has hundreds of contaminated process tubes and pipes that have to be severed to allow for a uniformly flush fit with a lower lifting frame. Thirty-two 50 mm (2 in) core drills must be connected with thirty-two wire saw cuts to allow for lifting columns to be inserted. Then eight primary saw cuts must be completed to severe the PRTR from the 309 Facility. Once the weight of the PRTR is transferred to the lifting frame, then the PRTR may be lifted out of the facility. The critical lift will be executed using four 450 Ton strand jacks mounted on a 9 m (30 LF) tall mobile lifting frame that will allow the PRTR to be transported by eight 600 mm (24 in) Slide Shoes. The PRTR will then be placed on a twenty-four line, double wide, self powered Goldhofer for transfer to the onsite CERCLA Disposal Cell (ERDF Facility), approximately 33 km (20 miles) away. (authors)« less

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Spallation Neutron Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowicki, Suzanne F.; Wender, Stephen A.; Mocko, Michael

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) provides the scientific community with intense sources of neutrons, which can be used to perform experiments supporting civilian and national security research. These measurements include nuclear physics experiments for the defense program, basic science, and the radiation effect programs. This paper focuses on the radiation effects program, which involves mostly accelerated testing of semiconductor parts. When cosmic rays strike the earth's atmosphere, they cause nuclear reactions with elements in the air and produce a wide range of energetic particles. Because neutrons are uncharged, they can reach aircraft altitudes and sea level. These neutrons are thought to be the most important threat to semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. The best way to determine the failure rate due to these neutrons is to measure the failure rate in a neutron source that has the same spectrum as those produced by cosmic rays. Los Alamos has a high-energy and a low-energy neutron source for semiconductor testing. Both are driven by the 800-MeV proton beam from the LANSCE accelerator. The high-energy neutron source at the Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facility uses a bare target that is designed to produce fast neutrons with energies from 100 keV to almost 800 MeV. The measured neutron energy distribution from WNR is very similar to that of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrons in the atmosphere. However, the flux provided at the WNR facility is typically 5×107 times more intense than the flux of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrons. This intense neutron flux allows testing at greatly accelerated rates. An irradiation test of less than an hour is equivalent to many years of neutron exposure due to cosmic-ray neutrons. The low-energy neutron source is located at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center. It is based on a moderated source that provides useful neutrons from subthermal energies to ∼100 keV. The characteristics of these sources, and ongoing industry program are described in this paper.

Technical viability and development needs for waste forms and facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pegg, I.; Gould, T.

1996-05-01

The objective of this breakout session was to provide a forum to discuss technical issues relating to plutonium-bearing waste forms and their disposal facilities. Specific topics for discussion included the technical viability and development needs associated with the waste forms and/or disposal facilities. The expected end result of the session was an in-depth (so far as the limited time would allow) discussion of key issues by the session participants. The session chairs expressed allowance for, and encouragement of, alternative points of view, as well as encouragement for discussion of any relevant topics not addressed in the paper presentations. It wasmore » not the intent of this session to recommend or advocate any one technology over another.« less

Industrial research for transmutation scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camarcat, Noel; Garzenne, Claude; Le Mer, Joël; Leroyer, Hadrien; Desroches, Estelle; Delbecq, Jean-Michel

2011-04-01

This article presents the results of research scenarios for americium transmutation in a 22nd century French nuclear fleet, using sodium fast breeder reactors. We benchmark the americium transmutation benefits and drawbacks with a reference case consisting of a hypothetical 60 GWe fleet of pure plutonium breeders. The fluxes in the various parts of the cycle (reactors, fabrication plants, reprocessing plants and underground disposals) are calculated using EDF's suite of codes, comparable in capabilities to those of other research facilities. We study underground thermal heat load reduction due to americium partitioning and repository area minimization. We endeavor to estimate the increased technical complexity of surface facilities to handle the americium fluxes in special fuel fabrication plants, americium fast burners, special reprocessing shops, handling equipments and transport casks between those facilities.

Environmental assessment for effluent reduction, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-09-11

The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to eliminate industrial effluent from 27 outfalls at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Proposed Action includes both simple and extensive plumbing modifications, which would result in the elimination of industrial effluent being released to the environment through 27 outfalls. The industrial effluent currently going to about half of the 27 outfalls under consideration would be rerouted to LANL`s sanitary sewer system. Industrial effluent from other outfalls would be eliminated by replacing once-through cooling water systems with recirculation systems, or, in a few instances, operational changes would result in no generation of industrial effluent.more » After the industrial effluents have been discontinued, the affected outfalls would be removed from the NPDES Permit. The pipes from the source building or structure to the discharge point for the outfalls may be plugged, or excavated and removed. Other outfalls would remain intact and would continue to discharge stormwater. The No Action alternative, which would maintain the status quo for LANL`s outfalls, was also analyzed. An alternative in which industrial effluent would be treated at the source facilities was considered but dismissed from further analysis because it would not reasonably meet the DOE`s purpose for action, and its potential environmental effects were bounded by the analysis of the Proposed Action and the No Action alternatives.« less

A Report to Congress on Long-Term Stewardship. Volume II, Site Summaries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

2001-01-01

During World War II and the Cold War, the Federal government developed and operated a vast network of industrial facilities for the research, production, and testing of nuclear weapons, as well as for other scientific and engineering research. These processes left a legacy of radioactive and chemical waste, environmental contamination, and hazardous facilities and materials at well over a 100 sites in 30 States and one U.S. Territory. Hundreds of thousand of acres of residually contaminated soils, contaminated groundwater, surface water and sediment contamination, and contaminated buildings are present at many sites across the country. These sites range in sizemore » from less than one acre, containing only a single facility, to large sites spanning over 100,000 acres with huge uranium enrichment plants and plutonium processing canyons. Since 1989, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) program has made significant progress in addressing this environmental legacy. Millions of cubic meters of waste have been removed, stabilized, or disposed of, resulting in significant risk and cost reduction. In addition, DOE began disposing of transuranic (i.e., plutonium-contaminated) waste in the nation’s first deep geologic repository – the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. DOE is now carrying out its long-term stewardship obligations at dozens of sites, including smaller sites where DOE has completed cleanup work for the entire site and many larger sites where DOE has remediated portions of the site.« less

Transuranic Contamination in Sediment and Groundwater at the U.S. DOE Hanford Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cantrell, Kirk J.

2009-08-20

A review of transuranic radionuclide contamination in sediments and groundwater at the DOE’s Hanford Site was conducted. The review focused primarily on plutonium-239/240 and americium-241; however, other transuranic nuclides were discussed as well, including neptunium-237, plutonium-238, and plutonium-241. The scope of the review included liquid process wastes intentionally disposed to constructed waste disposal facilities such as trenches and cribs, burial grounds, and unplanned releases to the ground surface. The review did not include liquid wastes disposed to tanks or solid wastes disposed to burial grounds. It is estimated that over 11,800 Ci of plutonium-239, 28,700 Ci of americium-241, and 55more » Ci of neptunium-237 have been disposed as liquid waste to the near surface environment at the Hanford Site. Despite the very large quantities of transuranic contaminants disposed to the vadose zone at Hanford, only minuscule amounts have entered the groundwater. Currently, no wells onsite exceed the DOE derived concentration guide for plutonium-239/240 (30 pCi/L) or any other transuranic contaminant in filtered samples. The DOE derived concentration guide was exceeded by a small fraction in unfiltered samples from one well (299-E28-23) in recent years (35.4 and 40.4 pCi/L in FY 2006). The primary reason that disposal of these large quantities of transuranic radionuclides directly to the vadose zone at the Hanford Site has not resulted in widespread groundwater contamination is that under the typical oxidizing and neutral to slightly alkaline pH conditions of the Hanford vadose zone, transuranic radionuclides (plutonium and americium in particular) have a very low solubility and high affinity for surface adsorption to mineral surfaces common within the Hanford vadose zone. Other important factors are the fact that the vadose zone is typically very thick (hundreds of feet) and the net infiltration rate is very low due to the desert climate. In some cases where transuranic radionuclides have been co-disposed with acidic liquid waste, transport through the vadose zone for considerable distances has occurred. For example, at the 216-Z-9 Crib, plutonium-239 and americium-241 have moved to depths in excess of 36 m (118 ft) bgs. Acidic conditions increase the solubility of these contaminants and reduce adsorption to mineral surfaces. Subsequent neutralization of the acidity by naturally occurring calcite in the vadose zone (particularly in the Cold Creek unit) appears to have effectively stopped further migration. The vast majority of transuranic contaminants disposed to the vadose zone on the Hanford Site (10,200 Ci [86%] of plutonium-239; 27,900 Ci [97%] of americium-241; and 41.8 Ci [78%] of neptunium-237) were disposed in sites within the PFP Closure Zone. This closure zone is located within the 200 West Area (see Figures 1.1 and 3.1). Other closure zones with notably high quantities of transuranic contaminant disposal include the T Farm Zone with 408 Ci (3.5%) plutonium-239, the PUREX Zone with 330 Ci (2.8%) plutonium-239, 200-W Ponds Zone with 324 Ci (2.8%) plutonium-239, B Farm Zone with 183 Ci (1.6%) plutonium-239, and the REDOX Zone with 164 Ci (1.4%) plutonium 239. Characterization studies for most of the sites reviewed in the document are generally limited. The most prevalent characterization methods used were geophysical logging methods. Characterization of a number of sites included laboratory analysis of borehole sediment samples specifically for radionuclides and other contaminants, and geologic and hydrologic properties. In some instances, more detailed research level studies were conducted. Results of these studies were summarized in the document.« less

Next Generation Safeguards Initiative research to determine the Pu mass in spent fuel assemblies: Purpose, approach, constraints, implementation, and calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobin, S. J.; Menlove, H. O.; Swinhoe, M. T.; Schear, M. A.

2011-10-01

The Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) of the U.S. Department of Energy has funded a multi-lab/multi-university collaboration to quantify the plutonium mass in spent nuclear fuel assemblies and to detect the diversion of pins from them. The goal of this research effort is to quantify the capability of various non-destructive assay (NDA) technologies as well as to train a future generation of safeguards practitioners. This research is "technology driven" in the sense that we will quantify the capabilities of a wide range of safeguards technologies of interest to regulators and policy makers; a key benefit to this approach is that the techniques are being tested in a unified manner. When the results of the Monte Carlo modeling are evaluated and integrated, practical constraints are part of defining the potential context in which a given technology might be applied. This paper organizes the commercial spent fuel safeguard needs into four facility types in order to identify any constraints on the NDA system design. These four facility types are the following: future reprocessing plants, current reprocessing plants, once-through spent fuel repositories, and any other sites that store individual spent fuel assemblies (reactor sites are the most common facility type in this category). Dry storage is not of interest since individual assemblies are not accessible. This paper will overview the purpose and approach of the NGSI spent fuel effort and describe the constraints inherent in commercial fuel facilities. It will conclude by discussing implementation and calibration of measurement systems. This report will also provide some motivation for considering a couple of other safeguards concepts (base measurement and fingerprinting) that might meet the safeguards need but not require the determination of plutonium mass.

Cross sections for proton-induced reactions on natSb up to 68 MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosby, M. A.; Birnbaum, E. R.; Nortier, F. M.; Engle, J. W.

2017-12-01

Nuclear excitation functions for proton induced reactions on antimony targets have been measured up to 68 MeV using stacked foil activation techniques at the Crocker Laboratory of the University of California at Davis. Measurements made are expected to be useful in production of therapeutic radionuclides 119Sb (via production of its parents 119mTe and 119gTe) and 117mSn. This work extends the energy coverage of available data upwards by approximately 30 MeV into a range relevant to medium-energy radionuclide production facilities like the Isotope Production Facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico and the Brookhaven Linear Isotope Producer in Upton, New York.

Natural radionuclide and plutonium content in Black Sea bottom sediments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strezov, A.; Stoilova, T.; Yordanova, I.

1996-01-01

The content of uranium, thorium, radium, lead, polonium, and plutonium in bottom sediments and algae from two locations at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast have been determined. Some parent:progeny ratios for evaluation of the geochemical behavior of the nuclides have been estimated as well. The extractable and total uranium and thorium are determined by two separate radiochemical procedures to differentiate the more soluble chemical forms of the elements and to estimate the potential hazard for the biosphere and for humans. No distinct seasonal variation as well as no significant change in total and extractable uranium (also for {sup 226}Ra) contentmore » is observed. The same is valid for extractable thorium while the total thorium content in the first two seasons is slightly higher. Our data show that {sup 210}Po content is accumulated more in the sediments than {sup 210}Pb, and the evaluated disequilibria suggest that the two radionuclides belong to more recent sediment layers deposited in the slime samples compared to the silt ones for the different seasons. The obtained values for plutonium are in the lower limits of the data cited in literature, which is quite clear as there are no plutonium discharge facilities at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The obtained values for the activity ratio {sup 238}Pu: {sup 239+240}Pu are higher for Bjala sediments compared to those of Kaliakra. The ratio values are out of the variation range for the global contamination with weapon tests fallout plutonium which is probably due to Chernobyl accident contribution. The dependence of natural radionuclide content on the sediment type as well as the variation of nuclide accumulation for two types of algae in two sampling locations for five consecutive seasons is evaluated. No serious contamination with natural radionuclides in the algae is observed. 38 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.« less

Design of the Next Generation Target at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center, LANSCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferres, Laurent

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) supports scientific research in many diverse fields such as biology, chemistry, and nuclear science. The Laboratory was established in 1943 during the Second World War to develop nuclear weapons. Today, LANL is one of the largest laboratories dedicated to nuclear defense and operates an 800 MeV proton linear accelerator for basic and applied research including: production of high- and low-energy neutrons beams, isotope production for medical applications and proton radiography. This accelerator is located at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). The work performed involved the redesign of the target for the low-energy neutronmore » source at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center, which is one of the facilities built around the accelerator. The redesign of the target involves modeling various arrangements of the moderator-reflector-shield for the next generation neutron production target. This is done using Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX), and ROOT analysis framework, a C++ based-software, to analyze the results.« less

Studies of fission fragment properties at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tovesson, Fredrik; Mayorov, Dmitriy; Duke, Dana; Manning, Brett; Geppert-Kleinrath, Verena

2017-09-01

Nuclear data related to the fission process are needed for a wide variety of research areas, including fundamental science, nuclear energy and non-proliferation. While some of the relevant data have been measured to the required accuracies there are still many aspects of fission that need further investigation. One such aspect is how Total Kinetic Energy (TKE), fragment yields, angular distributions and other fission observables depend on excitation energy of the fissioning system. Another question is the correlation between mass, charge and energy of fission fragments. At the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) we are studying neutron-induced fission at incident energies from thermal up to hundreds of MeV using the Lujan Center and Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facilities. Advanced instruments such as SPIDER (time-of-flight and kinetic energy spectrometer), the NIFFTE Time Projection Chamber (TPC), and Frisch grid Ionization Chambers (FGIC) are used to investigate the properties of fission fragments, and some important results for the major actinides have been obtained.

Prompt γ rays and neutrons from fission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwan, E.; Wu, C. Y.; Chyzh, A.; Gostic, J.; Henderson, R.; Haight, R. C.; Lee, H. Y.; O'Donnell, J. M.; Perdue, B. A.; Taddeucci, T. N.

2011-10-01

Nuclear data are needed to test the accuracy of calculations from nuclear reaction codes. Information on the prompt γ-ray distributions from fission is sparse and only a handful of published experiments data that measured the prompt γ-ray distribution above incident neutron energies of 1 MeV can be found. In addition, improvement on the accuracy and shape of neutron spectrum from the fission of actinides been requested by the nuclear data community. An investigation on the shapes of the neutron and γ-ray distributions from the spontaneous fission of 252Cf and the neutron-induced fission of 235U was undertaken using the Chi-Nu detector array at the Weapons Neutron Research Facility of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Preliminary results will be presented. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and the Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

Real-time alpha monitoring of a radioactive liquid waste stream at Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, J.D.; Whitley, C.R.; Rawool-Sullivan, M.

1995-12-31

This poster display concerns the development, installation, and testing of a real-time radioactive liquid waste monitor at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The detector system was designed for the LANL Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility so that influent to the plant could be monitored in real time. By knowing the activity of the influent, plant operators can better monitor treatment, better segregate waste (potentially), and monitor the regulatory compliance of users of the LANL Radioactive Liquid Waste Collection System. The detector system uses long-range alpha detection technology, which is a nonintrusive method of characterization that determines alpha activity on themore » liquid surface by measuring the ionization of ambient air. Extensive testing has been performed to ensure long-term use with a minimal amount of maintenance. The final design was a simple cost-effective alpha monitor that could be modified for monitoring influent waste streams at various points in the LANL Radioactive Liquid Waste Collection System.« less

Studies of fission fragment properties at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE)

DOE PAGES

Tovesson, Fredrik; Mayorov, Dmitriy; Duke, Dana; ...

2017-09-13

Nuclear data related to the fission process are needed for a wide variety of research areas, including fundamental science, nuclear energy and non-proliferation. While some of the relevant data have been measured to the required accuracies there are still many aspects of fission that need further investigation. One such aspect is how Total Kinetic Energy (TKE), fragment yields, angular distributions and other fission observables depend on excitation energy of the fissioning system. Another question is the correlation between mass, charge and energy of fission fragments. At the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) we are studying neutron-induced fission at incidentmore » energies from thermal up to hundreds of MeV using the Lujan Center and Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facilities. Advanced instruments such as SPIDER (time-of-flight and kinetic energy spectrometer), the NIFFTE Time Projection Chamber (TPC), and Frisch grid Ionization Chambers (FGIC) are used to investigate the properties of fission fragments, and some important results for the major actinides have been obtained.« less

Studies of fission fragment properties at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tovesson, Fredrik; Mayorov, Dmitriy; Duke, Dana

Nuclear data related to the fission process are needed for a wide variety of research areas, including fundamental science, nuclear energy and non-proliferation. While some of the relevant data have been measured to the required accuracies there are still many aspects of fission that need further investigation. One such aspect is how Total Kinetic Energy (TKE), fragment yields, angular distributions and other fission observables depend on excitation energy of the fissioning system. Another question is the correlation between mass, charge and energy of fission fragments. At the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) we are studying neutron-induced fission at incidentmore » energies from thermal up to hundreds of MeV using the Lujan Center and Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facilities. Advanced instruments such as SPIDER (time-of-flight and kinetic energy spectrometer), the NIFFTE Time Projection Chamber (TPC), and Frisch grid Ionization Chambers (FGIC) are used to investigate the properties of fission fragments, and some important results for the major actinides have been obtained.« less

Micronuclei Induction in Human Fibroblasts Exposed In Vitro to Los Alamos High-Energy Neutrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gersey, Brad; Sodolak, John; Hada, Megumi; Saganti, Prem; Wilkins, Richard; Cucinotta, Francis; Wu, Honglu

2006-01-01

High-energy secondary neutrons, produced by the interaction of galactic cosmic rays with the atmosphere, spacecraft structure and planetary surfaces, contribute to a significant fraction to the dose equivalent in crew members and passengers during commercial aviation travel, and astronauts in space missions. The Los Alamos Nuclear Science Center (LANSCE) neutron facility#s ICE House 30L beamline is known to generate neutrons that simulate the secondary neutron spectra of earth#s atmosphere. The neutron spectrum is also similar to that measured onboard spacecraft like the MIR and International Space Station (ISS). To evaluate the biological damage, we exposed human fibroblasts in vitro to the LANSCE neutron beams without degrader at an entrance dose rate of 25 mGy/hr and analyzed the micronuclei (MN) induction. The cells were also placed behind a 9.9 cm water column to study effect of shielding in the protection of neutron induced damages. It was found that the dose response in the MN frequency was linear for the samples with and without shielding and the slope of the MN yield behind the shielding was reduced by a factor of 3.5. Compared to the MN induction in human fibroblasts exposed to a gamma source at a low dose rate, the RBE was found to be 16.7 and 10.0 for the neutrons without and with 9.9 cm water shielding, respectively.

Develop and Manufacture an Ergonomically Sound Glovebox Glove Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawton, Cindy M.

Ergonomic injury and radiation exposure are two safety concerns for the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This facility employs the largest number of gloveboxes (GB) at LANL with approximately 6000 gloves installed. The current GB glove design dates back to the 1960’s and is not based on true hand anatomy, revealing several issues: short fingers, inappropriate length from the wrist to finger webbing, nonexistent joint angles and incorrect thumb placement. These design flaws are directly related to elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and thumb (DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis) injuries. The current design also contributes to increased wear on the glove, causingmore » unplanned glove openings (failures) which places workers at risk of exposure. An improved glovebox glove design has three significant benefits: 1) it will reduce the risk of injury, 2) it will improve comfort and productivity, and 3) it will reduce the risk of a glovebox failures. The combination of these three benefits has estimated savings of several million dollars. The new glove design incorporated the varied physical attributes of workers ranging from the 5 th percentile female to the 95th percentile male. Anthropometric hand dimensions along with current GB worker dimensions were used to develop the most comprehensive design specifications for the new glove. Collaboration with orthopedic hand surgeons also provided major contributtions to the design. The new glovebox glove was developed and manufactured incorporating over forty dimensions producing the most comprehensive ergonomically sound design. The new design received a LANL patent (patent attorney docket No: LANS 36USD1 “Protective Glove”, one of 20 highest patents awarded by the Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation. The glove dimensions were inputed into a solid works model which was used to produce molds. The molds were then shipped to a glove manufacturer for production of the new glovebox gloves. The new glovebox gloves were tested against the presently used glovebox gloves for design validity. The testing included a subjective survey and four dexterity tests. The prototype was statistically significant in 3 dexterity tests and favorable on 8 out of 10 survey questions. The more ergonomically sound glovebox glove will improve worker comfort, mitigate glovebox worker injuries, and reduce glove breaches.« less

Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 415: Project 57 No. 1 Plutonium Dispersion (NTTR) Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada, Revision 0 with ROTC-1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cabble, Kevin J.; Boehlecke, Robert F.

This Closure Report (CR) presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 415: Project 57 No. 1 Plutonium Dispersion, which is located on Range 4808A of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). This CR complies with the requirements of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) that was agreed to by the State of Nevada; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management; U.S. Department of Defense; and DOE, Legacy Management. CAU 415 comprises one corrective action site (CAS): NAFR-23-02, Pu Contaminated Soil. The purpose of this CR is to provide justification and documentation supporting the recommendationmore » that no further corrective action is needed for CAU 415 based on the implementation of the corrective action of Closure in Place.« less

Nuclear Archeology in a Bottle: Evidence of Pre-Trinity U.S. Weapons Activities from a Waste Burial Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schwantes, Jon M.; Douglas, Matthew; Bonde, Steven E.

2009-02-15

During World War II, the Hanford Site in Washington was chosen for plutonium production. In 2004, a bottle containing a sample of plutonium was recovered from a Hanford waste trench. Isotopic age dating indicated the sample was separated from the fuel pellet 64 ±2.8 years earlier. Detectable products of secondary nuclear reactions, such as 22Na, proved useful as 1) a detectable analog for alpha emitting actinides, 2) an indicator of sample splitting, and 3) a measure of the time since sample splitting. The sample origin was identified as the X-10 reactor, Oak Ridge, TN. Corroborated by historical documents, we concludedmore » this sample was part of the first batch of Pu separated at T-Plant, Hanford, the world’s first industrial-scale reprocessing facility, on December 9, 1944.« less

242-A Evaporator/plutonium uranium extraction (PUREX) effluent treatment facility (ETF) nonradioactive air emission test report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, J.S., Westinghouse Hanford

1996-05-10

This report shows the methods used to test the stack gas outlet concentration and emission rate of Volatile Organic Compounds as Total Non-Methane Hydrocarbons in parts per million by volume,grams per dry standard cubic meter, and grams per minute from the PUREX ETF stream number G6 on the Hanford Site. Test results are shown in Appendix B.1.

Report on the FY 1986 Activities of the Defense Science Study Group. Volume 1.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-01

Reactors Improved Techniques for Wavefront Sensing and Correction in Adaptive Optics Hypervelocity Launchers Underground Facilities 0 Automated...oceanography and sound propagation in partially coherent media such as the turbulent ocean. There are large fixed arrays such as the Sound Surveillance System...Aircraft Continuous Patrol Aircraft Miscellaneous Studies Review of the Plutonium Special Isotope Separation Program of the DOE 4r Fusion Fission Hybrid

Hazardous Waste Surveys of Two Army Installations and an Army Hospital.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

232 Nickel-63 Uranium-238 Plutonium-239 Polonium - 210 6 Army Medical Treatment Facilities: General Administration Army Regulation (AR) 40-2, 42A peren...Categories 10 2 Waste Matrix 14 3 Search Format 16 4 Field Sanitation Unit Personal Health Supplies 19 5 Company Vehicle Maintenance Supplies...increasing industrialization of society, coupled with an equally increasing environmental and health safety awareness, has created a long list of wastes

AMS of the Minor Plutonium Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steier, P.; Hrnecek, E.; Priller, A.; Quinto, F.; Srncik, M.; Wallner, A.; Wallner, G.; Winkler, S.

2013-01-01

VERA, the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator, is especially equipped for the measurement of actinides, and performs a growing number of measurements on environmental samples. While AMS is not the optimum method for each particular plutonium isotope, the possibility to measure 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu, 242Pu and 244Pu on the same AMS sputter target is a great simplification. We have obtained a first result on the global fallout value of 244Pu/239Pu = (5.7 ± 1.0) × 10-5 based on soil samples from Salzburg prefecture, Austria. Furthermore, we suggest using the 242Pu/240Pu ratio as an estimate of the initial 241Pu/239Pu ratio, which allows dating of the time of irradiation based solely on Pu isotopes. We have checked the validity of this estimate using literature data, simulations, and environmental samples from soil from the Salzburg prefecture (Austria), from the shut down Garigliano Nuclear Power Plant (Sessa Aurunca, Italy) and from the Irish Sea near the Sellafield nuclear facility. The maximum deviation of the estimated dates from the expected ages is 6 years, while relative dating of material from the same source seems to be possible with a precision of less than 2 years. Additional information carried by the minor plutonium isotopes may allow further improvements of the precision of the method.

CONVERSION OF PLUTONIUM TRIFLUORIDE TO PLUTONIUM TETRAFLUORIDE

DOEpatents

Fried, S.; Davidson, N.R.

1957-09-10

A large proportion of the trifluoride of plutonium can be converted, in the absence of hydrogen fluoride, to the tetrafiuoride of plutonium. This is done by heating plutonium trifluoride with oxygen at temperatures between 250 and 900 deg C. The trifiuoride of plutonium reacts with oxygen to form plutonium tetrafluoride and plutonium oxide, in a ratio of about 3 to 1. In the presence of moisture, plutonium tetrafluoride tends to hydrolyze at elevated temperatures and therefore it is desirable to have the process take place under anhydrous conditions.

Environmental analysis of Acid/middle Pueblo Canyon, Los Alamos, New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferenbaugh, R.W.; Buhl, T.E.; Stoker, A.K.

1982-08-01

The radiological survey of the former radioactive waste treatment plant site (TA-45), Acid Canyon, and Pueblo Canyon found residual radioactivity at the site itself and in the channel and banks of Acid, Pueblo, and lower Los Alamos Canyons, all the way to the Rio Grande. The largest reservoir of radioactive material is in lower Pueblo Canyon, which is on DOE property. The only areas where residual radioactivity exceeds the proposed cleanup criteria are at the former vehicle decontamination facility, located between the former treatment plant site and Acid Canyon, around the former untreated waste outfall and for a short distancemore » below, and in two small areas farther down in Acid Canyon. The three alternatives proposed are (1) to take no action, (2) to fence the areas where the residual radioactivity exceeds the proposed criteria (minimal action), and (3) to clean up the former vehicle decontamination facility and around the former untreated waste outfall. Calculations based on actual measurements indicate that the annual dose at the location having the greatest residual radioactivity would be about 12% of the applicable guideline. Most doses are much smaller than that. No environmental impacts are associated with either the no-action or minimal action alternatives. The impact associated with the cleanup alternative is very small. The preferred alternative is to clean up the areas around the former vehicle decontamination facility and the untreated waste outfall. This course of action is recommended not because of any real danger associated with the residual radioactivity, but rather because the cleanup operation is a minor effort and would conform with the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) philosophy.« less

Pyrochemical process for extracting plutonium from an electrolyte salt

DOEpatents

Mullins, L.J.; Christensen, D.C.

1982-09-20

A pyrochemical process for extracting plutonium from a plutonium-bearing salt is disclosed. The process is particularly useful in the recovery of plutonium for electrolyte salts which are left over from the electrorefining of plutonium. In accordance with the process, the plutonium-bearing salt is melted and mixed with metallic calcium. The calcium reduces ionized plutonium in the salt to plutonium metal, and also causes metallic plutonium in the salt, which is typically present as finely dispersed metallic shot, to coalesce. The reduced and coalesced plutonium separates out on the bottom of the reaction vessel as a separate metallic phase which is readily separable from the overlying salt upon cooling of the mixture. Yields of plutonium are typically on the order of 95%. The stripped salt is virtually free of plutonium and may be discarded to low-level waste storage.

Pyrochemical process for extracting plutonium from an electrolyte salt

DOEpatents

Mullins, Lawrence J.; Christensen, Dana C.

1984-01-01

A pyrochemical process for extracting plutonium from a plutonium-bearing salt is disclosed. The process is particularly useful in the recovery of plutonium from electrolyte salts which are left over from the electrorefining of plutonium. In accordance with the process, the plutonium-bearing salt is melted and mixed with metallic calcium. The calcium reduces ionized plutonium in the salt to plutonium metal, and also causes metallic plutonium in the salt, which is typically present as finely dispersed metallic shot, to coalesce. The reduced and coalesced plutonium separates out on the bottom of the reaction vessel as a separate metallic phase which is readily separable from the overlying salt upon cooling of the mixture. Yields of plutonium are typically on the order of 95%. The stripped salt is virtually free of plutonium and may be discarded to low-level waste storage.

Safeguards and retrievability from waste forms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Danker, W.

1996-05-01

This report describes issues discussed at a session from the PLutonium Stabilization and Immobilization Workshop related to safeguards and retrievability from waste forms. Throughout the discussion, the group probed the goals of disposition efforts, particularly an understanding of the {open_quotes}spent fuel standard{close_quotes}, since the disposition material form derives from these goals. The group felt strongly that not only the disposition goals but safeguards to meet these goals could affect the material form. Accordingly, the Department was encouraged to explore and apply safeguards as early in the implementation process as possible. It was emphasized that this was particularly true for anymore » planned use of existing facilities. It is much easier to build safeguards approaches into the development of new facilities, than to backfit existing facilities. Accordingly, special safeguards challenges are likely to be encountered, given the cost and schedule advantages offered by use of existing facilities.« less

Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL) at PNNL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peurrung, Tony; Clark, Sue; Bryan, Sam

2017-03-23

Nuclear research is one of the core components of PNNL's mission. The centerpiece of PNNL's nuclear research is the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL), a Category 2 nuclear facility with state-of-the-art instrumentation, scientific expertise, and specialized capabilities that enable research with significant quantities of fissionable materials and other radionuclides—from tritium to plutonium. High impact radiological research has been conducted in the RPL since the 1950's, when nuclear weapons and energy production at Hanford were at the forefront of national defense. Since then, significant investments have been made in the RPL to maintain it as a premier nuclear science research facility supportingmore » multiple programs. Most recently, PNNL is developing a world-class analytical electron microscopy facility dedicated to the characterization of radiological materials.« less

LACED

Science.gov Websites

Search Site submit Feynman Center for Innovation Los Alamos National Laboratory Collaboration for Explosives Detection Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos Collaboration for Explosives Detection Menu is built upon Los Alamos' unparalleled explosive detection capabilities derived from the expertise of

Investigation of Ejecta Production in Tin Using Plate Impact Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigg, P. A.; Anderson, W. W.; Olson, R. T.; Buttler, W. T.; Hixson, R. S.

2006-07-01

Experiments to investigate ejecta production in shocked tin have been performed using plate impact facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Three primary diagnostics — piezoelectric pins, Asay foils, and low energy X-ray radiography — were fielded simultaneously in an attempt to quantify the amount of ejecta produced in tin as the shock wave breaks out of the free surface. Results will be presented comparing and contrasting all three diagnostics methods. Advantages and disadvantages of each method will be discussed.

Validation of cleaning method for various parts fabricated at a Beryllium facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, Cynthia M.

This study evaluated and documented a cleaning process that is used to clean parts that are fabricated at a beryllium facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The purpose of evaluating this cleaning process was to validate and approve it for future use to assure beryllium surface levels are below the Department of Energy’s release limits without the need to sample all parts leaving the facility. Inhaling or coming in contact with beryllium can cause an immune response that can result in an individual becoming sensitized to beryllium, which can then lead to a disease of the lungs called chronic berylliummore » disease, and possibly lung cancer. Thirty aluminum and thirty stainless steel parts were fabricated on a lathe in the beryllium facility, as well as thirty-two beryllium parts, for the purpose of testing a parts cleaning method that involved the use of ultrasonic cleaners. A cleaning method was created, documented, validated, and approved, to reduce beryllium contamination.« less

Gadolinium-148 and other spallation production cross section measurements for accelerator target facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, Karen Corzine

At the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center accelerator complex, protons are accelerated to 800 MeV and directed to two tungsten targets, Target 4 at the Weapons Neutron Research facility and the 1L target at the Lujan Center. The Department of Energy requires hazard classification analyses to be performed on these targets and places limits on certain radionuclide inventories in the targets to avoid characterizing the facilities as "nuclear facilities." Gadolinium-148 is a radionuclide created from the spallation of tungsten. Allowed isotopic inventories are particularly low for this isotope because it is an alpha-particle emitter with a 75-year half-life. The activity level of Gadolinium-148 is low, but it encompasses almost two-thirds of the total dose burden for the two tungsten targets based on present yield estimates. From a hazard classification standpoint, this severely limits the lifetime of these tungsten targets. The cross section is not well-established experimentally and this is the motivation for measuring the Gadolinium-148 production cross section from tungsten. In a series of experiments at the Weapons Neutron Research facility, Gadolinium-148 production was measured for 600- and 800-MeV protons on tungsten, tantalum, and gold. These experiments used 3 mum thin tungsten, tantalum, and gold foils and 10 mum thin aluminum activation foils. In addition, spallation yields were determined for many short-lived and long-lived spallation products with these foils using gamma and alpha spectroscopy and compared with predictions of the Los Alamos National Laboratory codes CEM2k+GEM2 and MCNPX. The cumulative Gadolinium-148 production cross section measured from tantalum, tungsten, and gold for incident 600-MeV protons were 15.2 +/- 4.0, 8.31 +/- 0.92, and 0.591 +/- 0.155, respectively. The average production cross sections measured at 800 MeV were 28.6 +/- 3.5, 19.4 +/- 1.8, and 3.69 +/- 0.50 for tantalum, tungsten, and gold, respectively. These cumulative measurements compared best with Bertini and were within a factor of two to three of CEM2k+GEM2.

PLUTONIUM-CERIUM-COBALT AND PLUTONIUM-CERIUM-NICKEL ALLOYS

DOEpatents

Coffinberry, A.S.

1959-08-25

>New plutonium-base teroary alloys useful as liquid reactor fuels are described. The alloys consist of 10 to 20 atomic percent cobalt with the remainder plutonium and cerium in any desired proportion, with the plutonium not in excess of 88 atomic percent; or, of from 10 to 25 atomic percent nickel (or mixture of nickel and cobalt) with the remainder plutonium and cerium in any desired proportion, with the plutonium not in excess of 86 atomic percent. The stated advantages of these alloys over unalloyed plutonium for reactor fuel use are a lower melting point and a wide range of permissible plutonium dilution.

Treatment Study Plan for Nitrate Salt Waste Remediation Revision 1.0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Juarez, Catherine L.; Funk, David John; Vigil-Holterman, Luciana R.

2016-03-07

The two stabilization treatment methods that are to be examined for their effectiveness in the treatment of both the unremediated and remediated nitrate salt wastes include (1) the addition of zeolite and (2) cementation. Zeolite addition is proposed based on the results of several studies and analyses that specifically examined the effectiveness of this process for deactivating nitrate salts. Cementation is also being assessed because of its prevalence as an immobilization method used for similar wastes at numerous facilities around the DOE complex, including at Los Alamos. The results of this Treatment Study Plan will be used to provide themore » basis for a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit modification request of the LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permit for approval by the New Mexico Environment Department-Hazardous Waste Bureau (NMED-HWB) of the proposed treatment process and the associated facilities.« less

Initial Findings on Hydrodynamic Scaling Extrapolations of National Ignition Facility BigFoot Implosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nora, R.; Field, J. E.; Peterson, J. Luc; Spears, B.; Kruse, M.; Humbird, K.; Gaffney, J.; Springer, P. T.; Brandon, S.; Langer, S.

2017-10-01

We present an experimentally corroborated hydrodynamic extrapolation of several recent BigFoot implosions on the National Ignition Facility. An estimate on the value and error of the hydrodynamic scale necessary for ignition (for each individual BigFoot implosion) is found by hydrodynamically scaling a distribution of multi-dimensional HYDRA simulations whose outputs correspond to their experimental observables. The 11-parameter database of simulations, which include arbitrary drive asymmetries, dopant fractions, hydrodynamic scaling parameters, and surface perturbations due to surrogate tent and fill-tube engineering features, was computed on the TRINITY supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This simple extrapolation is the first step in providing a rigorous calibration of our workflow to provide an accurate estimate of the efficacy of achieving ignition on the National Ignition Facility. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

3S (Safeguards, Security, Safety) based pyroprocessing facility safety evaluation plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ku, J.H.; Choung, W.M.; You, G.S.

The big advantage of pyroprocessing for the management of spent fuels against the conventional reprocessing technologies lies in its proliferation resistance since the pure plutonium cannot be separated from the spent fuel. The extracted materials can be directly used as metal fuel in a fast reactor, and pyroprocessing reduces drastically the volume and heat load of the spent fuel. KAERI has implemented the SBD (Safeguards-By-Design) concept in nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The goal of SBD is to integrate international safeguards into the entire facility design process since the very beginning of the design phase. This paper presents a safety evaluationmore » plan using a conceptual design of a reference pyroprocessing facility, in which 3S (Safeguards, Security, Safety)-By-Design (3SBD) concept is integrated from early conceptual design phase. The purpose of this paper is to establish an advanced pyroprocessing hot cell facility design concept based on 3SBD for the successful realization of pyroprocessing technology with enhanced safety and proliferation resistance.« less

Lanl Neutron-Induced Fission Cross Section Measurement Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laptev, A. B.; Tovesson, F.; Hill, T. S.

2014-09-01

A well established program of neutron-induced fission cross section measurement at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is supporting the Fuel Cycle Research program (FC R&D). Combining measurements at two LANSCE facilities, the Lujan Center and the Weapons Neutron Research facility (WNR), cover neutron energies over 10 orders of magnitude: from sub-thermal up to 200 MeV. A parallel-plate fission ionization chamber was used as a fission fragment detector. The 235U(n,f) standard was used as the reference. Fission cross sections have been measured for multiple actinides. The new data presented here completes the suite of long-lived Uranium isotopes that were investigated with this experimental approach. The cross section data are presented in comparison with existing evaluations and previous measurements.

TSTA Piping and Flame Arrestor Operating Experience Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cadwallader, Lee C.; Willms, R. Scott

The Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) was a facility dedicated to tritium handling technology and experiment research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The facility operated from 1984 to 2001, running a prototype fusion fuel processing loop with ~100 grams of tritium as well as small experiments. There have been several operating experience reports written on this facility’s operation and maintenance experience. This paper describes analysis of two additional components from TSTA, small diameter gas piping that handled small amounts of tritium in a nitrogen carrier gas, and the flame arrestor used in this piping system. The operating experiences andmore » the component failure rates for these components are discussed in this paper. Comparison data from other applications are also presented.« less

A beamline systems model for Accelerator-Driven Transmutation Technology (ADTT) facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Todd, A.M.M.; Paulson, C.C.; Peacock, M.A.

1995-10-01

A beamline systems code, that is being developed for Accelerator-Driven Transmutation Technology (ADTT) facility trade studies, is described. The overall program is a joint Grumman, G.H. Gillespie Associates (GHGA) and Los Alamos National Laboratory effort. The GHGA Accelerator Systems Model (ASM) has been adopted as the framework on which this effort is based. Relevant accelerator and beam transport models from earlier Grumman systems codes are being adapted to this framework. Preliminary physics and engineering models for each ADTT beamline component have been constructed. Examples noted include a Bridge Coupled Drift Tube Linac (BCDTL) and the accelerator thermal system. A decisionmore » has been made to confine the ASM framework principally to beamline modeling, while detailed target/blanket, balance-of-plant and facility costing analysis will be performed externally. An interfacing external balance-of-plant and facility costing model, which will permit the performance of iterative facility trade studies, is under separate development. An ABC (Accelerator Based Conversion) example is used to highlight the present models and capabilities.« less

A beamline systems model for Accelerator-Driven Transmutation Technology (ADTT) facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Todd, Alan M. M.; Paulson, C. C.; Peacock, M. A.

1995-09-15

A beamline systems code, that is being developed for Accelerator-Driven Transmutation Technology (ADTT) facility trade studies, is described. The overall program is a joint Grumman, G. H. Gillespie Associates (GHGA) and Los Alamos National Laboratory effort. The GHGA Accelerator Systems Model (ASM) has been adopted as the framework on which this effort is based. Relevant accelerator and beam transport models from earlier Grumman systems codes are being adapted to this framework. Preliminary physics and engineering models for each ADTT beamline component have been constructed. Examples noted include a Bridge Coupled Drift Tube Linac (BCDTL) and the accelerator thermal system. Amore » decision has been made to confine the ASM framework principally to beamline modeling, while detailed target/blanket, balance-of-plant and facility costing analysis will be performed externally. An interfacing external balance-of-plant and facility costing model, which will permit the performance of iterative facility trade studies, is under separate development. An ABC (Accelerator Based Conversion) example is used to highlight the present models and capabilities.« less

The Military Significance of Small Uranium Enrichment Facilities Fed with Low-Enrichment Uranium (Redacted)

DTIC Science & Technology

1969-12-01

a five-year supply of enriched uranium for reactor fuel . Nevertheless, it seems clear that some foreign enrichment developments are approaching a...produc- tion of fissile material could powerfully influence the assessment of risks and benefits of a nuclear weapons development program . Since... program is likely to include the production of its own relatively pure fissile plutonium. This would involve more rapid cycling and reprocessing of fuel

Defense Horizons. Number 38, January 2004. Dirty Bombs: The Threat Revisited

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

plutonium-238 (238Pu), americium - 241 (241Am), and cali- fornium-252 (252Cf). Types of Damage Deterministic Injuries. Radiation is said to cause...megasources” such as Russian radioisotope thermal generators ( RTGs ) and Gamma-Kolos seed irradiators. By far the most likely route for terrorist...facility or a business or residential district, not just open space . More efficient RDDs relying on other means to disseminate the same amount of

Japan’s Nuclear Future: Policy Debate, Prospects, and U.S. Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-09

raised in particular over the construction of an industrial- scale reprocessing facility in Japan,. Additionally, fast breeder reactors also produce more...Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories. 10 A fast breeder reactor is a fast neutron reactor that produces more plutonium than it consumes, which can...Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) has built and is currently running active testing on a large - scale commercial reprocessing plant at Rokkasho-mura

Where Radiobiology Began in Russia: A Physician’s Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

radiation incidents at the MPA and conduct studies of long-term health effects of radiation exposure on that population and also the general public along...White Archipelago”) (Gubarev, 2004): “Visiting a number of production facilities that worked with plutonium and polonium - 210 , I was struck by the...were established for major food products. These standards, of course, were higher than the Union-wide public health standards. They did not begin

Los Alamos National Lab: National Security Science

Science.gov Websites

SKIP TO PAGE CONTENT Los Alamos National Laboratory Delivering science and technology to protect Permit for Storm Water Public Reading Room Environment Home News Los Alamos National Lab: National deposition operations for the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at Los Alamos. Innovation drives his

Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report 2016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wills

This Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report (NNSSER) was prepared to satisfy DOE Order DOE O 231.1B, “Environment, Safety and Health Reporting.” Its purpose is to (1) report compliance status with environmental standards and requirements, (2) present results of environmental monitoring of radiological and nonradiological effluents, (3) report estimated radiological doses to the public from releases of radioactive material, (4) summarize environmental incidents of noncompliance and actions taken in response to them, (5) describe the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) Environmental Management System and characterize its performance, and (6) highlight significant environmental programs and efforts. This NNSSERmore » summarizes data and compliance status for calendar year 2016 at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) and its two Nevada-based support facilities, the North Las Vegas Facility (NLVF) and the Remote Sensing Laboratory–Nellis (RSL-Nellis). It also addresses environmental restoration (ER) projects conducted at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) and the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). NNSA/NFO directs the management and operation of the NNSS and six sites across the nation. In addition to the NNSA itself, the six sites include two in Nevada (NLVF and RSL-Nellis) and four in other states (RSL-Andrews in Maryland, Livermore Operations in California, Los Alamos Operations in New Mexico, and Special Technologies Laboratory in California). Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories are the principal organizations that sponsor and implement the nuclear weapons programs at the NNSS. National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), is the current Management and Operating contractor accountable for the successful execution of work and ensuring that work is performed in compliance with environmental regulations. The six sites all provide support to enhance the NNSS as a location for its multiple missions. The three major NNSS missions include National Security/Defense, Environmental Management, and Nondefense. The major programs that support these missions are Stockpile Stewardship and Management, Nonproliferation and Counterterrorism, Nuclear Emergency Response, Strategic Partnership Projects, Environmental Restoration, Waste Management, Conservation and Renewable Energy, Other Research and Development, and Infrastructure. The major facilities that support the programs include the U1a Facility, Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF), Device Assembly Facility, Dense Plasma Focus Facility, Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research Facility, Radiological/Nuclear Countermeasures Test and Evaluation Complex, Nonproliferation Test and Evaluation Complex (NPTEC), Radiological/Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction Incident Exercise Site, the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC), and the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS).« less

Actinide Sputtering Induced by Fission with Ultra-cold Neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venuti, Michael; Shi, Tan; Fellers, Deion; Morris, Christopher; Makela, Mark

2017-09-01

Understanding the effects of actinide sputtering due to nuclear fission is important for a wide range of applications, including nuclear fuel storage, space science, and national defense. A new program at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center uses ultracold neutrons (UCN) to induce fission in actinides such as uranium and plutonium. By controlling the energy of UCN, it is possible to induce fission at the sample surface within a well-defined depth. It is therefore an ideal tool for studying the effects of fission-induced sputtering as a function of interaction depth. Since the mechanism for fission-induced surface damage is not well understood, especially for samples with a surface oxide layer, this work has the potential to separate the various damage mechanisms proposed in previous works. During the irradiation with UCN, fission events are monitored by coincidence counting between prompt gamma rays using NaI detectors. Alpha spectroscopy of the ejected actinide material is performed in a custom-built ionization chamber to determine the amount of sputtered material. Actinide samples with various sample properties and surface conditions are irradiated and analyzed. In this presentation, we will discuss our experimental setup and present the preliminary results.

Performance of NDA techniques on a vitrified waste form

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hurd, J.R.; Veazey, G.W.; Prettyman, T.H.

1997-11-01

Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) is currently considering the use of vitrified transuranic (TRU)-waste forms for the final disposition of several waste materials. To date, however, little nondestructive assay (NDA) data have been acquired in the general NDA community to assist in this endeavor. This paper describes the efforts to determine constraints and operating parameters for using NDA instrumentation on vitrified waste. The present study was conducted on a sample composed of a plutonium-contaminated ash, similar to that found in the RFETS inventory, and a borosilicate-based glass. The vitrified waste item was fabricated at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)more » using methods and equipment similar to those being proposed by RFETS to treat their ash material. The focus of this study centered on the segmented gamma scanner (SGS) with 1/2-inch collimation, a technique that is presently available at RFETS. The accuracy and precision of SGS technology was evaluated, with particular attention to bias issues involving matrix geometry, homogeneity, and attenuation. Tomographic gamma scanning was utilized in the determination of the waste form homogeneity. A thermal neutron technique was also investigated and comparisons made with the gamma results.« less

Concentrations of Radionuclides and Trace Elements in Environmantal Media arond te Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facilit at Los Alamos National Laboratory during 2005

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

G.J.Gonzales; P.R. Fresquez; C.D.Hathcock

2006-05-15

The Mitigation Action Plan (MAP) for the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory requires that samples of biotic and abiotic media be collected after operations began to determine if there are any human health or environmental impacts. The DARHT facility is the Laboratory's principal explosive test facility. To this end, samples of soil and sediment, vegetation, bees, and birds were collected around the facility in 2005 and analyzed for concentrations of {sup 3}H, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 90}Sr, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239,240}Pu, {sup 241}Am, {sup 234}U, {sup 235}U, {sup 238}U, Ag, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr,more » Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and Tl. Bird populations have also been monitored. Contaminant results, which represent up to six sample years since the start of operations, were compared with (1) baseline statistical reference levels (BSRLs) established over a four-year preoperational period before DARHT facility operations, (2) screening levels (SLs), and (3) regulatory standards. Most radionuclides and trace elements were below BSRLs and those few samples that contained radionuclides and trace elements above BSRLs were below SLs. Concentrations of radionuclides and nonradionuclides in biotic and abiotic media around the DARHT facility do not pose a significant human health hazard. The total number of birds captured and number of species represented were similar in 2003 and 2004, but both of these parameters increased substantially in 2005. Periodic interruption of the scope and schedule identified in the MAP generally should have no impact on meeting the intent of the MAP. The risk of not sampling one of the five media in any given year is that if a significant impact to contaminant levels were to occur there would exist a less complete understanding of the extent of the change to the baseline for these media and to the ecosystem as a whole. Since the MAP is a requirement that was established under the regulatory framework of the National Environmental Policy Act, any changes to the monitoring requirements in the MAP must be negotiated with and ultimately approved by the U.S. Department of Energy.« less

National NIF Diagnostic Program Fiscal Year 2002 Second Quarter Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacGowan, B

Since October 2001 the development of the facility diagnostics for NIF has been funded by the NIF Director through the National NIF Diagnostic Program (NNDP). The current emphasis of the NNDP is on diagnostics for the early NIF quad scheduled to be available for experiment commissioning in FY03. During the past six months the NNDP has set in place processes for funding diagnostics, developing requirements for diagnostics, design reviews and monthly status reporting. Those processes are described in an interim management plan for diagnostics (''National NIF Diagnostic Program Interim Plan'', NIF-0081315, April 2002) and a draft Program Execution Plan (''Programmore » Execution Plan for the National NlF Diagnostic Program'', NIF-0072083, October 2001) and documents cited therein. Work has been funded at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Bechtel Nevada at Los Alamos and Santa Barbara. There are no major technical risks with the early diagnostics. The main concerns relate to integration of the diagnostics into the facility, all such issues are being worked. This report is organized to show the schedule and budget status and a summary of Change Control Board actions for the past six months. The following sections then provide short descriptions of the status of each diagnostic. Where design reviews or requirements documents are cited, the documents are available on the Diagnostics file server or on request.« less

31. VIEW OF A WORKER HOLDING A PLUTONIUM 'BUTTON.' PLUTONIUM, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

31. VIEW OF A WORKER HOLDING A PLUTONIUM 'BUTTON.' PLUTONIUM, A MAN-MADE SUBSTANCE, WAS RARE. SCRAPS RESULTING FROM PRODUCTION AND PLUTONIUM RECOVERED FROM RETIRED NUCLEAR WEAPONS WERE REPROCESSED INTO VALUABLE PURE-PLUTONIUM METAL (9/19/73). - Rocky Flats Plant, Bounded by Indiana Street & Routes 93, 128 & 72, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Spallation Neutron Sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nowicki, Suzanne F.; Wender, Stephen A.; Mocko, Michael

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) provides the scientific community with intense sources of neutrons, which can be used to perform experiments supporting civilian and national security research. These measurements include nuclear physics experiments for the defense program, basic science, and the radiation effect programs. This paper focuses on the radiation effects program, which involves mostly accelerated testing of semiconductor parts. When cosmic rays strike the earth's atmosphere, they cause nuclear reactions with elements in the air and produce a wide range of energetic particles. Because neutrons are uncharged, they can reach aircraft altitudes and sea level. These neutronsmore » are thought to be the most important threat to semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. The best way to determine the failure rate due to these neutrons is to measure the failure rate in a neutron source that has the same spectrum as those produced by cosmic rays. Los Alamos has a high-energy and a low-energy neutron source for semiconductor testing. Both are driven by the 800-MeV proton beam from the LANSCE accelerator. The high-energy neutron source at the Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facility uses a bare target that is designed to produce fast neutrons with energies from 100 keV to almost 800 MeV. The measured neutron energy distribution from WNR is very similar to that of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrons in the atmosphere. However, the flux provided at the WNR facility is typically 5×107 times more intense than the flux of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrons. This intense neutron flux allows testing at greatly accelerated rates. An irradiation test of less than an hour is equivalent to many years of neutron exposure due to cosmic-ray neutrons. The low-energy neutron source is located at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center. It is based on a moderated source that provides useful neutrons from subthermal energies to ~100 keV. The characteristics of these sources, and ongoing industry program are described in this paper.« less

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Spallation Neutron Sources

DOE PAGES

Nowicki, Suzanne F.; Wender, Stephen A.; Mocko, Michael

2017-10-26

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) provides the scientific community with intense sources of neutrons, which can be used to perform experiments supporting civilian and national security research. These measurements include nuclear physics experiments for the defense program, basic science, and the radiation effect programs. This paper focuses on the radiation effects program, which involves mostly accelerated testing of semiconductor parts. When cosmic rays strike the earth's atmosphere, they cause nuclear reactions with elements in the air and produce a wide range of energetic particles. Because neutrons are uncharged, they can reach aircraft altitudes and sea level. These neutronsmore » are thought to be the most important threat to semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. The best way to determine the failure rate due to these neutrons is to measure the failure rate in a neutron source that has the same spectrum as those produced by cosmic rays. Los Alamos has a high-energy and a low-energy neutron source for semiconductor testing. Both are driven by the 800-MeV proton beam from the LANSCE accelerator. The high-energy neutron source at the Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facility uses a bare target that is designed to produce fast neutrons with energies from 100 keV to almost 800 MeV. The measured neutron energy distribution from WNR is very similar to that of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrons in the atmosphere. However, the flux provided at the WNR facility is typically 5×107 times more intense than the flux of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrons. This intense neutron flux allows testing at greatly accelerated rates. An irradiation test of less than an hour is equivalent to many years of neutron exposure due to cosmic-ray neutrons. The low-energy neutron source is located at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center. It is based on a moderated source that provides useful neutrons from subthermal energies to ~100 keV. The characteristics of these sources, and ongoing industry program are described in this paper.« less