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LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Selected Buildings

Building 132 N

Building 132N was constructed as a new chemistry facility to replace Building 222, which was demolished in 2004. It provided the Chemistry and Material Sciences Department with operating wet chemistry laboratories to support a variety of research projects and chemical analysis activities. This building will be classified as non-nuclear will be ready for occupancy in January 1997.

Building 166

This non-nuclear facility provides general research capabilities. The building has a highbay with small amounts of heavy elements associated with the U-AVLIS project. The rest of the building houses a laser laboratory and a semiconductor development laboratory.

321 Complex

Most of the 321 Complex was built in the late 1950s and supports general site machining requirements. The areas that support the nuclear weapons program (i.e., 321C numerical controls and assembly areas) are not as busy as they once were due to cutbacks. To maintain adequate work, LLNL is bringing in Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). There are no current plans to shut down the 321 Complex. Over the years, additional capabilities such as radiography, laser welding, and plating have been added.

Building 321 is the primary building in the 321 Complex, and is split into three wings:

Wing 321A provides general large scale machining.

Wing 321B provides machine tool services, including inspecting, fixing, modifying, and upgrading large machine tools.

Wing 321C machines parts in support of the nuclear weapons program, supports weapons testing (mostly shut down), and operates lasers for optical alignment. Building 322, a plating shop, has 42 chemical vats and 39 rinse water tanks supporting routine plating, etching, and polishing for optical, electronic, and mechanical components.

Trailer 3203 contains small amounts of chemicals in cabinets to support plating and etching.

Building 327 provides a nondestructive testing capability. Radiography processes are also performed here using accelerators, sealed sources, x-ray equipment, and lasers.

Building 329 houses laser welding in support of the weapons program.

Uranium-Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (U-AVLIS) Facility (Building 493)

Building 490, built in the mid-1980s, is the primary Uranium-Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (U-AVLIS) facility. The program conducts research in techniques for laser isotope enrichment of uranium and other elements. The U-AVLIS program is currently being funded by the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), under a memorandum of agreement with DOE. As part of the agreement, DOE will provide ES&H oversight of the facility. USEC is currently a government owned corporation, but legislation is before Congress to privatize the corporation.

Building 858 provides impact shock testing using a 100 foot drop tower. This building is rarely used.