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SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES

Other Facilities

Neutron Generator Facility, (Building 870)

The Neutron Generator Facility (NGF) is a modern center for the fabrication of prototype and war reserve neutron tubes, switch tubes, and neutron generators. Since closure of the Pinellas Plant, the facility is the only remaining facility in the U.S. for the fabrication of neutron tubes and generators. This facility will produce neutron generators for all weapon systems in the enduring stockpile. The prototype portion of the facility was operational while the main fabrication portion of the facility was under construction, due to be fully operational in fiscal year 1997. The 91,000-square-foot NGF, a $25 million project that involved remodeling a cookie factory, was officially dedicated on April 11, 1996.

Laser Physics Laboratory, (Building 893)

This laboratory is used to investigate the physics of compound semiconductors and lattice structures. The facility also supports the fabrication of optoelectronic and digital compound semiconductor devices for both research and prototyping purposes. The building houses the Compound Semi- conductor Research Laboratory (CSRL). Advanced research and development will be conducted at the CSRL in the areas of high speed electronics, microwave control circuits, laser arrays, infrared detectors, and nonvolatile memories.

Explosive Components Facility, (Building 905)

The 98,000 square foot Explosive Components Facility (ECF) provides a full-range of chemical, material, and performance analysis capabilities for energetic materials and explosive components. The ECF includes Optical and Semiconductor Bridge (SCB) Initiation Laboratories, Characterization Laboratories, Performance Test Facilities, a Real-time Spectroscopy Laboratory, and a Single-Stage Light-Gas Gun Facility.

These laboratory spaces are devoted to the routine testing of explosives and explosive devices, neutron generators, and batteries. Chemical and material analyses are performed in some of the laboratory spaces; in others, small amounts of explosives or pyrotechnics are initiated inside self- contained test chambers. The firing pads are designed to withstand the effects of detonations of up to 1000 grams of explosives. The pad walls, ceiling, and floor in the vicinity of the test are lined with steel plates to preserve the concrete surfaces. The High Explosive Chamber rooms contain chambers for testing charge weights up to 1000 grams.

Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II), (Building 983)

This building is used as laboratory space to generate intense ion beams in support of the inertial confinement fusion program. It has produced a lithium ion beam with 10 million volts of kinetic energy and has focused this beam to a world's record intensity of 1.5 trillion watts per square centimeter, resulting in a specific power deposition of 1500 trillion watts per gram.

Simulation Technology Laboratory, (Building 970)

This facility is used to evaluate radiation effects on materials. The facility contains two operating accelerators. Hermes III is a 22 MeV, 730 kA gamma ray simulator that can deliver 5x1012 rads during a nanosecond pulse. SABRE operates at 10 MeV and 250 kA and produces a 50 nanosecond pulse.

Manzano Storage Facilities

These structures are authorized to store nuclear material and waste. The classified nuclear and radioactive materials (fissile and non-fissile) are stored on a long-term basis. No Sandia personnel are permanently assigned to Manzano. The structures are visited randomly several times a week and inspected at least once a month. The Manzano facilities used for nuclear material storage include structures 37045, 37055, 37057, 37063, 37078 and 37118. The material in these bunkers is currently being designated as either radioactive waste or non-waste material. The non-waste material in these structures will be relocated to structures 37003, 37007, 37008, 37010, 37011 and 37012 sometime in the future.

Activities were under way to reduce SNL's inventory of nuclear materials. In November 1994, Laboratory Services Division directed that a comprehensive Corporate Surplus Nuclear Material Disposition Plan be prepared. The plan identified surplus nuclear material and makes disposition recommendations to DOE. Several items had already been identified as surplus, and activities were already under way to: donate approximately 10 metric tons of usable depleted uranium metal to Manufacturing Sciences Corporation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; dispose of approximately 12 metric tons of unirradiated thorium oxide; request authorization to advertise the availability of fresh nuclear reactor fuel from the retired nuclear freighter, Savannah; and to return several PuBe sources to LANL. Reducing the SNL/NM inventory would lower the inventory in each structure to below Hazard Category 3.