ORAU Team Document Number: ORAUT-TKBS-0010-2 NIOSH Dose Reconstruction Project Effective Date: 05/07/2004 Revision No.: 00 Technical Basis Document for the Los Alamos National Controlled Copy No.: ______ Laboratory – Site Description Page 1 of 65 Subject Expert: Jack Buddenbaum Supersedes: Document Owner Approval: Signature on File Date: 04/26/2004 Jack Buddenbaum, TBD Team Leader None Approval: Signature on File Date: 04/26/2004 Judson L. Kenoyer, Task 3 Manager Concurrence: Signature on File Date: 04/27/2004 Richard E. Toohey, Project Director Approval: Signature on File Date: 05/07/2004 James W. Neton, OCAS Health Science Administrator TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Record of Issue/Revisions ................................................................................................................... 4 Record of Issue/Revisions ................................................................................................................... 4 Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 Site Activities OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................... 8 2.3 DESCRIPTIONS OF Site ACTIVITIES AND Processes ............................................................ 19 2.3.1 Plutonium and Americium ................................................................................................. 19 2.3.1.1 Early Plutonium Processing at TA-1 ................................................................ 19 2.3.1.2 Plutonium Processing at TA-21 ....................................................................... 21 2.3.1.3 Plutonium at TA-3 ........................................................................................... 26 2.3.1.4 Plutonium Processing at TA-55 ....................................................................... 26 2.3.2 Uranium ........................................................................................................................... 26 2.3.2.1 Uranium at TA-1 .............................................................................................. 26 2.3.2.2 Uranium at TA-3 .............................................................................................. 27 2.3.3 Fission Products ............................................................................................................... 28 2.3.4 Radium ............................................................................................................................. 28 2.3.5 Other Materials ................................................................................................................. 28 2.3.6 Tritium .............................................................................................................................. 29 2.3.7 Polonium and Actinium ..................................................................................................... 30 2.3.8 Radioactive Lanthanum .................................................................................................... 31 2.3.9 Explosives Operations Involving Radionuclides ................................................................ 32 2.3.9.1 Uranium .......................................................................................................... 32 2.3.9.2 X-Rays ............................................................................................................ 33 Effective Date: 05/07/2004 Revision No. 00 Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0010-2 Page 2 of 65 2.3.10 Reactors and Reactor Development ................................................................................. 33 2.3.10.1 The Water Boiler Reactors .............................................................................. 34 2.3.10.2 The Plutonium Fast Reactor ............................................................................ 35 2.3.10.3 The Omega West Reactor .............................................................................. 36 2.3.10.4 The Omega Stack ........................................................................................... 37 2.3.10.5 LAPRE I and LAPRE II .................................................................................... 38 2.3.10.6 LAMPRE I ....................................................................................................... 39 2.3.10.7 Project Rover .................................................................................................. 40 2.3.10.8 Ultra-High Temperature Reactor Experiment .................................................. 41 2.3.11 Accelerators ..................................................................................................................... 42 2.3.12 Criticality Testing .............................................................................................................. 44 2.3.13 Fusion Research .............................................................................................................. 47 2.3.14 Plasma Thermocouple ..................................................................................................... 47 2.3.15 Health Division ................................................................................................................. 48 2.3.15.1 Accidents and Incidents .................................................................................. 48 2.3.16 Waste Treatment and Disposal ........................................................................................ 51 2.3.16.1 Liquid Waste Disposal ..................................................................................... 51 2.3.16.2 Solid Waste Disposal by Burial ....................................................................... 53 2.3.16.3 Incinerators ..................................................................................................... 55 2.3.17 Special Studies ................................................................................................................ 55 2.3.18 Airborne Release Points ................................................................................................... 56 2.3.18.1 Iodine-131 Releases from the Omega Stack ................................................... 57 2.3.18.2 Unmonitored Releases from Omega Site ........................................................ 58 2.3.18.3 Argon-41 Releases from the Omega West Reactor ........................................ 60 References ........................................................................................................................................ 62 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................ 65 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 2-1 LANL technical areas ............................................................................................................. 12 2-2 Quantities of radioactive lanthanum used ............................................................................... 31 2-3 Rover program reactors developed at Los Alamos ................................................................. 40 2-4 Accidents and incidents ......................................................................................................... 50 2-5 MDA descriptions ................................................................................................................... 54 2-6 Omega Stack effluent ............................................................................................................. 57 2-7 Iodine-131 sampling results for the Omega Stack from 1965 ................................................. 59 2-8 Argon-41 releases from the Omega Stack ............................................................................. 61 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2-1 Concept of a gun-assembled atomic weapon ........................................................................... 9 2-2 Concept of the implosion-assembled atomic weapon ............................................................. 10 2-3 Concept of a staged nuclear weapon ..................................................................................... 11 2-4 Map of technical areas and roads .......................................................................................... 17 2-5 Timeline of selected operations and activities ........................................................................ 18 2-6 Map of the original TA-1 ......................................................................................................... 19 2-7 Early DP west layout .............................................................................................................. 22 Effective Date: 05/07/2004 Revision No. 00 Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0010-2 Page 3 of 65 2-8 Timeline of events of operational significance for Omega Site reactors .................................. 38 Effective Date: 05/07/2004 Revision No. 00 Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0010-2 Page 4 of 65 RECORD OF ISSUE/REVISIONS ISSUE AUTHORIZATION EFFECTIVE REV. DATE DATE NO. DESCRIPTION Draft 11/17/2003 00-A New technical basis document for the Los Alamos National Laboratory – Site Description. Initiated by Jack Buddenbaum. Draft 04/13/2004 00-B Incorporates internal review comments. Initiated