Spring 1997 Los Alamos National Laboratory • A U.S. Department of Energy Laboratory The Actinide Research 55 Quarterly TA o f t h e N u c l e a r M a t e r i a l s T e c h n o l o g y D i v i s i o n In This Issue NMT Division Completes First Three-Year Review Cycle 1 On March 17–19, NMT Division 1997, NMT Division Completes First held its third Science Three-Year Review and Technology Cycle Assessment (also called “the Division 3 Review”) in the J. Tomorrow's Pen Is Robert Oppenheimer Mightier than Study Center and in Yesterday's Sword the TA-55 Access Center. With the 4 completion of this Study Addresses year’s Science and Chloride Tolerance Technology Assess- Limits for the Safe ment on “Stockpile Processing Stewardship and of Radioactive Salts Space Mission,” NMT rn97090-156 has covered all of its Committee members (left to right) Dr. Gregory Choppin, Dr. Ned 6 programmatic efforts Wogman, and Dr. Stephen Carpenter with NMT Division Director Computer-Based and other diverse Bruce Matthews. Waste Management scientific and techni- System Reaps cal activities. During Benefits each of the three reviews, the division also falling under the main review theme. On highlighted topical infrastructure and facility the third day of the review, the committee 8 operations. moved to TA-55 and had further, separate LANL Evaluates An eleven-member (see page 11) Division discussions with the Nuclear Materials and Commercial Mobile Review Committee convened the evening of Stockpile Management (NMSM) Program Nondestructive the 16th for a logistical session, and for the Director Paul Cunningham, several DOE Assay Systems next day and a half the committee listened to representatives, and a few NMT technical presentations ranging from a state-of-the- staff members. In addition to the full 10 division message to overviews of NMT’s committee, the close-out session was Publications, major programs. On the facility operations attended by Laboratory Deputy Director Pete Presentations, and side, they heard presentations on the Miller, who represented the Director’s Office; Reports Operations Center Upgrade Project, the Al Sattelberger and Allen Hartford, both Capabilities Maintenance and Improvement from the Science and Technology Base 12 Project, and media tours during the review Program Office; NMSM Program Director NewsMakers year. Poster presentations the afternoon of Paul Cunningham; NMT Division Director the second day featured NMT’s science and Bruce Matthews; Deputy Dana Christensen; technology activities and accomplishments and other NMT members. continued on next page Nuclear Materials Technology Division/Los Alamos National Laboratory 1 The Actinide Research Quarterly There are four Although the final written report will not review criteria be sent to Laboratory Director Sig Hecker and agreed upon by the University of California (UC) Science and the UC Science Technology Panel for several weeks, the and Technology Division Review Committee made a number of Panel of the UC positive comments on the progress of NMT in President’s all review criteria (see sidebar) at the close-out Council on the session. The committee also praised the Management of Division Review effort made by the division National Labora- technical staff and the supporting staff as well tories and the as the management team. rn97090-142 Laboratory. The Because of the classified nature of this same criteria year’s review, the preparation of the review have been used documents and presentations and poster for the past papers at the Study Center required careful three years: planning and execution. In the end, the review sessions were well attended by over 100 • Quality of registered participants. With the successful science and completion of this year’s review, NMT engineering, Division has achieved important milestones toward meeting all of its programmatic, • Relevance to scientific and technical, and facility operational national needs goals. rn97090-159 and agency missions, • Performance in the construction and operation of major research facilities, and • Programmatic performance and planning. rn97090-106 rn97090-117 rn97090-103 rn97090-110 rn97090-124 2 Nuclear Materials Technology Division/Los Alamos National Laboratory Spring 1997 Guest Editorial Tomorrow's Pen is Mightier than Yesterday's Sword by Dana C. Christensen It is very easy to get caught up in the our ability to design and deploy the nuclear “Today, the “hubbub” of daily activities, concentrating on deterrent. This concept likewise applies to display of specific projects, their scopes, schedules, and TA-55. Our stature in professional and politi- our nation’s budgets. In doing so, we may lose track of the cal communities will be known only through strength can greater goal of reducing the global nuclear peer recognition from elsewhere in the coun- danger. It is important to pause and consider try and the world. Therefore, we must help be achieved this Laboratory’s evolving role and evaluate ourselves by becoming more visible at profes- only through its importance in achieving the greater goal. sional meetings, more involved in profes- successful The nation’s work, and thus our work, with sional societies, and more frequently demonstration plutonium falls into three clear challenges, published in professional journals. and deploy- with no one being more important than the It is interesting that demonstrated military ment of tech- other: 1) legacy cleanup, 2) nonproliferation strength was the successful vehicle for achiev- and arms control, and 3) national security, ing significant arms reductions in the START I nology and including both military and energy security. and II treaties. Future arms reductions will be through In meeting these challenges we can do much achieved only through a continued demon- recognition to reduce the global nuclear danger. stration of strength, but this strength will not by our (scien- The question, thus, becomes how to posi- be demonstrable through the periodic testing tific) peers tion the whole of TA-55 to meet these impor- of nuclear weapons. Today, the display of our throughout tant challenges. A successful approach, nation’s strength can be achieved only demonstrated on projects such as ARIES, through successful demonstration and de- the world.” Operations Center Upgrade, and 40-mm ployment of technology and through recogni- Launcher Activation, was to establish inte- tion by our peers throughout the world. This grated teams with others who have a wide means that investment in both applied and variety of skills. This will continue to be an fundamental technology is the necessary pre- approach used into the future. But perhaps cursor to continuing down the path to peace. our most critical challenge involves assuring Taking the time to prepare publications and to Dana C. the health of core competencies within our present results in various public forums is be- Christensen, own operations. We are already seeing a coming an essential aspect of performing our Deputy Director movement away from fundamental and ap- work. Each individual can have a significant of NMT Division, plied R&D toward an emphasis on “produc- impact on our ability to attract sufficient and John Berg tion” and are discussing this threat with our funds in the future. Indeed, this continued at the recent program offices and sponsors. As we config- sponsor investment, followed by our commit- Division Review. ure our programs in the future, assuring that ment to communicate core science and technology are properly sup- that strength, will al- ported will become essential. In order to suc- low the United States ceed in achieving a balanced set of activities, to influence the rest we must be able to show that all activities of the world in the point toward the goal of reducing the global long-term manage- nuclear danger. We will likely also need to ment of all plutonium identify how fundamental R&D is essential inventories, and will in achieving program successes. therefore allow us to At the recent NMT Division Review, achieve the goal of Steve Younger, Program Director for Nuclear reducing the global Weapons Technology, discussed how, without nuclear danger. nuclear testing, peer review of journal articles is essential in maintaining and communicating Nuclear Materials Technology Division/Los Alamos National Laboratory 3 The Actinide Research Quarterly Study Addresses Chloride Tolerance Limits for the Safe Processing of Radioactive Salts Researchers on The processing of actinide salts in nitric has been hypothesized to be autocatalytic, this project are acid process streams at Savannah River Site rendering comparisons between studies with D. G. Kolman, plays an important role in high-level radioac- differing test periods and V:A ratios difficult. D. K. Ford, and tive waste reduction and in the long-term In fact, these parameters are not presented in T. O. Nelson, storage of radioactive material throughout the many of the studies. Moreover, almost none NMT-6; and D. Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Con- of these studies utilized modern electrochemi- P. Butt, MST-6. tainer materials such as pipes and holding cal methods that allow an assessment of the vessels for nitric acid process streams are susceptibility of materials to corrosion given typically composed of American Iron and a change in environmental conditions. Steel Institute 304 stainless steel (304 SS), a The differences between the various stud- commonly used austenitic SS. However, the ies are exacerbated by the fact that nitrates are corrosion resistance of 304 SS exposed to ni- powerful passivating agents, and chlorides tric acid/halide environments has been ques- are powerful depassivating agents. Their tioned. Preventing corrosion failure of the 304 strongly opposite effects may be altered by SS system is critical to avoid worker and envi- changing variables such as alloy composition ronmental contamination and to mitigate ad- and microstructure, solution composition, verse economic impact. Aware of these and test procedures.