This is form June. I no Mello fan but he has a point on this.
We don’t need more pits, LANL can’t make them
https://www.abqjournal.com/1329193/we-dont-need-more-pits-lanl-cant-make-them.html
In fact, LANL as a whole is entirely unsuited to production for fundamental, unchangeable reasons. Faraway bureaucrats and distracted congresspersons can’t change LANL’s inappropriate location, topography, geology, institutional identity and culture by diktat.
Now, with another big study done, NNSA has told Congress that LANL cannot do this, no matter how much money is spent. For some reason, our delegation hasn’t gotten the message.
From the engineering perspective, the only realistic plan for enduring pit production involves the brand new, partially constructed plutonium facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
10 comments:
All this article did was make me think of the alien newscaster on Futurama saying “Dooooooom”.
You realize, of course, that LANL has numerous production missions and has successfully delivered on those for decades? Of course you don’t because you are nothing but an SRS shill.
Let’s not go with “successfully delivered”. That may be a bridge too far. In the past 6 years all 4 of the nuclear and rad facilities have been shut down for safety basis violations. Now in other nonnuclear programs, I will agree 100%.
Sadly, the article was nothing but more fake news based on incomplete and incorrect reports from the DNFSB. The seismic issues were satisfied by LANL that the DNFSB closed that recommendation a few years ago. The active ventilation that was mentioned is useless. It does not exist anywhere and isn’t even necessary. The fire suppression is in place and is being constantly upgraded.
I agree that the need for new pits is imaginary but converting the MOX facility will take about 17 years and 17 billion dollars to complete. And it will be done by a site that has NEVER done anything as complex. They have neither the capability and the knowledge. This will never be successful. SRS is a site that has started many a facility that never has been completed. Why would anybody expect this to be any different? Billions have been wasted over three decades at SRS on new facilities and missions. They all are just acronyms of a history of past failures covered up by a production story that may have been true in the 50’s and 60’s but certainly impossible today. It’s time to simply clean it up and shut it down.
LANL has certainly been very productive in its production missions over the past few years, after the safety pauses. LANL continues to make 238 clads in support of MARS 2020. LANL supports taking pits apart for nuclear nonproliferation goals. And LANL is making pits today. The problem is that the two tract strategy by NNSA consistently fails to delivery the necessary budget to put the program where it needs to be. After delivery of the W88 units about ten years ago, Mello’s aricle suggests that we were just to continue. Wrong! Budget cuts destroyed the intire production infrastructure. It is now taking longer to reinstitute the WR capability. Capacity requires upgrades and new equipment, and people. Lacking the infrastructure requires decades of investment and proper management. LANL suffered through LANS and TRIAD isn’t any better.
4:11, PF_4 wasn't shut down for safety basis issues, it was crit and con ops. However, several programs have been released for years and still delivered. 6:31 is sort of correct. The 238 clads were completed and currently being assembled into an MMRTG for the July 2020 launch date. ARIES is another program that has routinely delivered. I agree with everything else 6:31 has to say. SRS hasn't delivered anything in over 20 years other than failed facilities and missions. Dont be fooled.
8:47am
SRS has delivered Tritium consistently for decades and had a stellar record of production of other fissile materials when we were still producing them. LANL has very little experience producing significant quantities in a nuclear safety environmental. That is why they lack the underpinnings of a nuclear safety culture. Crit is one of the most significant events analyzed and addressed by DSA and the safety basis of the operating plant and Con ops is the essential institutional program underpinning safe operations under the safety basis documents (refer back to my 3rd sentence). Trying to parse words to deflect is a weak approach to debate.
LANL has an approved DSA, a crit safety and con ops program. Large quantities of material have already been produced under this umbrella. LANL will never see the same production rates as RFETS or the old SRS. So tell me again why the current systems are inadequate? Please use concrete examples, not just talking points from Greg Mello.
9/17/2019 5:45 PM
Please use concrete examples:
Do I need to regurgitate the long term shutdown and restart of EVERY nuclear facility at LANL over the past 6 years for different reasons at different times or does just mentioning it get the point across?
9/19/2019 @ 6:29 PM -please use concrete examples....if you look at the record of EVERY nuclear facility across the DOE Complex, the have ALL been shut down over the past 20 years. Some have just never returned to service. SRS had to restart H Canyon and HB line around 2010 as an example. LANL has an approved DSA that gets updated annually and is reviewed and approved by DOE/NNSA. LANL has a better crit safety program and con ops to program tha. It had 6 years ago. LANL also moves more material and does more work than the other sites. You have mentioned your point. Thank you for reminding us NOT to take our responsibilities in safety and security lightly.
DWPF not shut down except for melter change out. Tritium is a rad facility but not shut down. Y-12 not shut down. Yes they restarted H to take on the Mixed oxide mission at the failure of MOX.
My concern is simple. LANL refused to follow basic DOE operating standards like CSEs, etc. to the point that they shutdown the facility. (PF-4). People can blame the shutdown of area G on the contractor if they want but how in the world do you not have a chemist on staff for that waste stream much less not having proper regulatory specialists. LETF was a mess during shutdown and restart was fumbled over and over again.
I do hope it is getting better as you state but I don’t see the CSE program being much stronger. Still lack adequate SB people, RadCon, and management hasn’t really changed.
Not sure that LANL handles more material than SRS or Y-12 for that matter but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt even though logically it doesn’t make sense.
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