LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
KEY FACILITIES
The Delta Prime Site
The Delta Prime (DP) Site, located at TA-21 on the eastern end of DP Mesa between DP and the Los Alamos Canyons, isolated from other LANL facilities. TA-21 was the site of chemical research for refining plutonium and plutonium metal production from 1945 to 1978. LANL's long-term plan is to close TA-21 and consolidate TA-21 tritium operations and activities at WETF. TA-21 originally occupied about 260 acres, but the NNSA retained only 240 as of 2005.
The DP Site had two primary research areas:
DP West is the site of the former radioactive-materials-processing facility before being decontaminated and decommissioned (D&D). The DP West facilities were constructed in the mid-1940s to process plutonium and uranium and did so until 1978. From 1978 to 1981, plutonium processing areas were decontaminated; and some of these areas were later used as laboratories. The uranium processing operations were later discontinued with partial cleanup. DP West has been a multi-user site with different LANL groups responsible for specific operations. An estimated 4,000 grams of enriched uranium was removed during D&D.
DP East consisted of two tritium facilities that provided space for energy, environmental, and weapons defense research. D&D characterization is underway at DP East and the central corridor buildings.
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Tritium Science and Fabrication Facility
The Tritium Science and Fabrication Facility (TSFF) supported a variety of DOE tritium programs, including lithium deuteride and tritide salt synthesis and part fabrication, new production reactor, boost-gas system development, Complex 21, and inertial confinement. Operations have or will be moved to the Weapons Engineering Tritium Facility (WETF) at TA-16. For example, the neutron target tube loading was in operation at TSFF, but the transfer and expansion of the operation to WETF was underway. Planned missions for the facility include neutron target tube loading, metal getter detitration systems, boost-gas development, ICF target development, and sales of He-3.
Tritium Systems Test Assembly
The building that housed the Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) was built in 1962 to support the ROVER nuclear rocket program. In 1978, the building was decontaminated and refurbished for TSTA needs. The TSTA, which ran from 1982 to 2003, was a fusion fuel processing pilot plant and an internationally supported fusion research facility whose mission was to demonstrate the fusion power reactor fuel cycle; develop and test personnel protective and environmental systems; develop, test, and qualify equipment for tritium service in the fusion program; support demonstration and establishment of a database for design of future fusion machines; demonstrate long-term reliability of components; demonstrate long-term safe handling of large quantities of tritium; investigate and evaluate the fuel cycle response and environmental packages to normal, off-normal, and emergency situations; and develop operating procedures and training programs for tritium systems that for use in other tritium fusion facilities. In 1999 the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences determined that the TSTA mission to demonstrate the feasibility of a tritium-based fusion fuel cycle was complete and thus began to close the facility. In 2002 operations at TSTA and TSFF were being moved to the Weapons Engineering Tritium Facility (WETF) at TA-16. TSTA operations were ended in 2004.
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