Department of Energy FY 2012 Congressional ... - The FIRE Place

Detailed Justification
(dollars in thousands)
FY 2010
Actual
Approp
FY 2011
Request
FY 2012
Request
Advanced Certification 19,269 76,972 94,929
Advanced Certification develops tools that support the current stockpile as well as a future
stockpile that may encompass substantial new safety and surety features. Advanced Certification
therefore provides a strong focal point for key science, technology and engineering deliverables
that enable future life extension certification activities. The elements are: certification
methodology; safety and security feature certification; the use of nearest neighbors and failure
modes in certification; certification aspects of manufacturing and engineering process solutions.
Advanced Certification integrates scientific and technological advances from stockpile
stewardship with input from continuing studies in order to: improve the weapons certification
process; refine computational tools and methods; advance the physical understanding of surety
mechanisms; understand failure modes; assess new manufacturing processes; and anticipate
technological surprise.
In FY 2012, activities include modeling and experiments addressing failure modes, as well as
developing rigorous, peer-reviewed linkage of requirements to the associated certification needs
for the weapons lifecycle under relevant conditions. Other activities include the use of the
DARHT facility for hydrodynamic experiments to examine options for modernized surety; a
strong program on understanding scaling and surrogacy; elements of the National Boost Initiative
related to certification; and the effect of manufacturing and process variables on certification.
Also supported is the analysis of failure modes and margin-to-failure ratios, including stockpile
and non-stockpile designs. This effort also supports intelligence community issues and involves
close coordination with other government agencies in national security. Failure mode analysis is
fundamental to stewardship and extension of this analysis to other designs will contribute to
counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation assessments.
Support will be provided for each of the major subtasks of Advanced Certification –
Methodology, Near-neighbor Definition, Manufacturing and Engineering Process Solutions,
Advanced Surety Certification, and Failure Modes. Specifically supported are the quantification
of the effects of surety features, investigation of efficacy options, manufacturing of hydrodynamic
experiments, product based certification, the certification of reuse options, and the support of the
National Boost Initiative (primarily supported by Primary Assessment Technologies). Support
experiments are used to inform various computational validation suites that are primarily
supported in Advanced Scientific Computing; hydrodynamic experiments conducted at the Dual
Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility to examine options for modernized surety;
analysis of failure modes and margin-to-failure ratios, including stockpile, non-stockpile, and
potential proliferant designs.
Weapons Activities/
Science Campaign Page 87
FY 2012 Congressional Budget