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TA-35 More Details |
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March 1998 1 0 8 TA and Facilities Descriptions
©2004 lasg.org |
TA-35 More Details
March 1998 1 0 8 TA and Facilities Descriptions
4.17.2.1 Facility Hazard Categories
Table 4-15 identifies the facilities at TA-35 that fall into a facility hazard category because of the
type of operations performed in the facility.
TA-35 is the location of the proposed Atlas Facility, which will use portions of existing Buildings
124, 125, 126, 294, and 301. These facilities currently support the National High-Magnetic-Field
Laboratory (NHMFL) and other research activities. Atlas operations will require the following major
special facilities equipment elements: 1,430-MW generator (existing at TA-35); 80-MW alternating-
current to direct-current converter; 50-MJ inductive energy transfer system; 36-MJ capacitor
bank; target chamber; and various types of control, diagnostic, and data acquisition equipment.
All special facilities equipment and supporting facilities/infrastructure currently meet or will be designed
to meet the requirements for a low-hazard facility. Additional information on Atlas can be
found in DOE’s Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Stockpile Stewardship
and Management (DOE 1996).
For the purpose of this document, Buildings 125, 125, 126, 294, and 301 are treated as pulsedpower
facilities and are discussed together in the following sections.
4.17.2.1.1 Nuclear Facility Hazard Categories
TA-35 contains two facilities (Buildings 2 and 27) currently categorized as Hazard Category 3 nuclear
facilities. The major purpose of both buildings is to support nonproliferation and international
security research. Other R&D includes various studies of radiation effects on materials, which are
conducted under fusion and ceramic science and technology programs. These buildings are
used primarily for R&D, engineering, technology transfer, and training for nondestructive assay
related to nuclear safeguards and hazardous materials.
4.17.2.1.1.1 Hazard Category 3 Nuclear Facilities
4.17.2.1.1.1.1 Nuclear Safeguards Research Building
The Nuclear Safeguards Research Building (Building 2, Figure 4-17, Sheet 2) contains approximately
82,000 ft2 (24,994 m2) of floor space and is primarily constructed of reinforced concrete
and concrete block. The roof is constructed of stressed-concrete T-beams with a built-up roofing
system.
The building contains three wings; Wings A and C have basements. Wing A, which contains a
high bay with massive reinforced-concrete walls at the east end, is used for the Isotopic Fuels
Impact Test Facility, also known as the 7-in. launcher. The 7-in. launcher is used to impact 238Pu
heat sources, fuel materials, structural materials, and subassemblies of isotope generators to determine
their responses to impacts and the effects on different target materials. Most of the office
March 1998 1 0 9 TA and Facilities Descriptions
spaces for Building 2 are located in Wing B. Wing C and the remaining portion of Wing A house
two major R&D programs: radiation effects in ceramics and fusion materials. An SNM vault is also
provided.
4.17.2.1.1.1.2 Nuclear Safeguards Research Building
Building 27 (Figure 4-17, Sheet 2), which contains approximately 45,000 ft2 (13,716 m2) of floor
space, is a three-story sheet metal, steel, and concrete block building. Levels 2 and 3 are underground.
The roof is supported by steel beams. Some portions of the roof system are composed
of sheet metal and others of built-up roofing. The underground areas are enclosed by massive
reinforced-concrete walls.
The primary activities in Building 27 are nuclear safeguards research, development, and training,
which address new ways of conducting nondestructive analysis (NDA) tests on samples of many
different sizes and shapes to determine their uranium and plutonium content. This R&D is supported
by electronics development, mechanical design and fabrication, and administrative activities.
The main SNM vault is located in the third floor of the building, and an alternate vault is located
on the first floor.
All radioactive sources and SNM are encapsulated to prevent any contamination of workers or the
facility. The uranium in this facility is singly contained, and plutonium is doubly contained. No nuclear
material is processed, and samples remain sealed at all times, including when they are used
in instruments. SNM is used as a radiation source for calibrating and testing the performance of
prototype and finished instruments, as well as for the Nuclear Safeguards Technology Training
Program.
4.17.2.1.2 Non-Nuclear Facility Hazard Categories
4.17.2.1.2.1 Building Categorized M/CHEM
The Target Fabrication Facility (TFF) (Building 213, Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) is located in TA-35,
about 1.25 mi (2 km) southeast of the central technical area (TA-3) off Pajarito Road on Pecos
Road. It is immediately to the east of TA-55 and directly north of TA-50. TFF is a restricted area
surrounded by a security fence with controlled access. At one time, the facility contained tritium.
The last of the tritium was removed in 1993.
The two-story structure is approximately 61,000 ft2 (18,593 m2) with approximately 48,000 ft2
(14,630 m2) of laboratory area and 13,000 ft2 (3,962 m2) of office area. In general, the structure is
reinforced concrete with isolated concrete floor slabs for vibration-sensitive equipment. The
HVAC system maintains a negative pressure in the laboratories, venting both room air and hood
exhaust to the atmosphere through filtered and monitored exhaust stacks. Sanitary waste is
piped to the sanitary waste disposal plant near TA-46. Radioactive liquid waste and liquid chemical
wastes are shipped to TA-50.
The TFF laboratories and shops are specialized to provide precision machining, polymer science,
physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and target assembly, which are supported
by industrial collaborations and energy, environment, nuclear weapons, and conventional defense
programs.
Potential hazards related to operations performed at TFF include handling toxic chemical vapors
and liquids associated with electroplating and other coating and fabricating processes. The potential
for explosions caused by releases of hydrogen or other explosive chemicals exists at this
facility.
March 1998 1 1 0 TA and Facilities Descriptions
4.17.2.1.2.2 Building Categorized L/ENV
Building 85 (Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) was originally designed to produce high-energy, high-frequency
laser radiation. Several names have been associated with the building (the Mercury Laser
Laboratory, the Advanced Laser Laboratory, and the Chemical Laser Laboratory). The building is
modified periodically to meet new laser research criteria.
4.17.2.1.2.3 Building Categorized L/RAD
The Air Filter Building (Building 7, Figure 4-17, Sheet 2) is an old filter building that was part of the
physical support facilities at TA-35. The ductwork still contains plutonium contamination.
4.17.2.1.2.4 Buildings Categorized L/ENS
4.17.2.1.2.4.1 Pegasus II Facility
The Pegasus II Facility (also called the Laboratory and Office Building) (Building 86, Figure 4-17,
Sheet 2), a pulsed power facility, features a capacitor bank consisting of 8 Marx modules that store
up to 4.3 MJ of electrical energy. The facility houses experiments in hydrodynamics and radiation
transport.
4.17.2.1.2.4.2 Pulsed-Power Facilities
Buildings 124 and 125 (Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) were constructed in 1980 to house the Antares
Project, a laser-fusion project. Buildings 294 and 301 were constructed in 1990 as part of a more
recent project that uses a 1,430-MVA generator. Currently, these facilities are used to support
the NHMFL’s Pulsed-Field Facility.
The Pulsed-Field Facility is one of three components of the NHMFL; the other two are at Florida
State University at Tallahassee (continuous fields, magnetic resonance, and general headquarters)
and the University of Florida at Gainesville (ultralow temperatures at high magnetic fields).
The National Science Foundation and the DOE are the primary sponsors of NHMFL.
The Pulsed-Field Facility is a general-user facility, open on a proposal review basis to all researchers
who wish to perform experiments in high magnetic fields. The great majority of experiments
are directed at studying the materials and physics of condensed matter. In condensed matter and
materials research, pulsed fields are useful primarily for reaching higher fields than it is possible to
reach with steady-state magnets, which are limited to 2 Tesla for permanent magnets, 20 Tesla for
superconducting magnets, 33 Tesla for water-cooled resistive magnets, and 45 Tesla for hybrid
magnets (a combination of the superconducting and resistive magnets). [One Tesla is equal to
10,000 oersteds or, in vacuum, 10,000 G. The earth’s magnetic field is about 1/4 to 1/2 G.]
This set of facilities is the location of the proposed Atlas Project (Section 4.17.2.1). The NHMFL
will continue to use the generator when it is not serving the Atlas Project. A firing site (PT-6) at TA-
39 also supports the NHMFL (Section 4.20.2.1.2.2.1).
4.17.2.1.2.4.3 Buildings 124 and 125
Buildings 124 and 125 (Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) have the following special features: Both buildings
were designed for large-scale experimental work and both feature high ceilings with heavy-duty
gantry cranes that can access the entire interior space. Both buildings were designed to house
the power amplifiers and target chamber of a laser fusion facility. To protect the public from the
potential hazards of this work, the buildings were constructed with concrete walls and roofs. This
type of construction is ideal for a high-energy capacitor bank because shrapnel caused by possi-
March 1998 1 1 1 TA and Facilities Descriptions
ble defects will be contained within the building. The walls and ceiling will also contain any diagnostic
x-rays produced. Building 124 has an electrically shielded data acquisition room that is
protected by a concrete wall. This room satisfies the requirement for a secure site for classified
data. Building 125 has a 282-ft2 (86-m2) electrically shielded control and data acquisition room.
This room satisfies the requirements for machine control and unclassified data acquisition
4.17.2.1.2.4.4 Building 294
Building 294 (Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) is constructed of steel framing with synthetic stucco panels at
the east and west ends. The building fills the space between Building 124 to the north and Building
125 to the south and shares the exterior north and south walls of these buildings. The building
currently houses the power supply for the Pulsed-Field Facility.
4.17.2.1.2.4.5 Building 301
Building 301 (Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) is a 3,566-ft2 (1,087-m2), preengineered steel building set on
a concrete pad. The building, which houses a 1,430-MVA generator, has several significant features
to isolate generator vibrations from surrounding buildings. The generator and associated
controls and alarms currently support the Pulsed-Field Facility.
4.17.2.1.2.4.6 Physics/Laser Building
The Physics/Laser Building (Building 128, Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) is an experimental science laboratory.
4.17.2.1.2.4.7 Trident Laboratory
Trident (Building 189, Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) is a multipurpose laboratory for developing instrumentation
and conducting experiments requiring high-energy-laser light pulses. It is operated
primarily for inertial confinement fusion research, weapons physics, and basic research and features
flexible-driver characteristics and illumination geometries, broad resident diagnostic capability,
and flexible scheduling. The facility includes a frequency-doubled, neodymium-glass laser
driver; a high-vacuum target chamber; a basic optical and x-ray diagnostic suite; and ancillary
equipment and facilities.
4.17.2.1.2.4.8 Experimental Support Building
The Experimental Support Building (Building 207, Figure 4-17, Sheet 1) is an experimental
science laboratory.
4.17.2.2 Nonhazardous Facilities
Approximately 123 other facilities at TA-35 are categorized as nonhazardous.
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