131 LA UR 03 5862 - National Nuclear Security Administration ...

2.4 Pajarito Site (TA-18)The Pajarito Site Key Facility is located entirely at TA-18. Principal activities are design andperformance of nuclear criticality experiments and detector development in support of emergency response,nonproliferation, and arms control.The SWEIS defined the facility as having a main building (18-30), three outlying, remote-controlledcritical assembly buildings then known as “kivas” (18-23, -32, -116), and a number of additional supportbuildings, including the hillside vault (18-26). During 2000, in response to concerns expressed by two NativeAmerican Indian Pueblos (Santa Ana and Picuris), the term “kiva” (which has religious significance to theseNative Americans), was replaced with the acronym CASA (Critical Assembly and Storage Area).As shown in Table 2.4-1, DOE lists this whole Key Facility as a Category 2 facility and identifies sevenbuildings with nuclear hazard classification. The four buildings identified in the SWEIS (TA-18-23, -26, -32,and -116) have remained Category 2 nuclear facilities. The additions represent buildings with inventoriesmeeting the current nuclear facility classification guidelines. It is interesting to note that the IAEA classroom(Building TA-18-258) represents a capability that was originally at TA-18, transferred to the CMR Building,and then brought back to TA-18 in 2000. The IAEA schools have been returned to CMR in 2002. All otherschools remain at TA-18.The new Authorization Basis, comprised of a Basis of Interim Operation document and Technical SafetyRequirements, was submitted to NNSA on March 14, 2002, and approved by NNSA on July 31, 2002.Implementation of the new Authorization Basis, including the Technical Safety Requirements, is in progressand scheduled to be completed by June 2004. The new Authorization Basis adds safety measures to TA-18operations in the form of both engineered and administrative controls.Table 2.4-1. Pajarito Site Buildings with Nuclear Hazard ClassificationBUILDINGDESCRIPTIONSWEISRODDOE1998 a DOE2000 b LANL2001 c LANL2001 d LANL2002 eTA-18 Site Itself 2 2 2 2 2TA-18-0023 SNM Vault (CASA 1) 2 2 2 2 2TA-18-0026 Hillside Vault 2 2 2 2 2TA-18-0032 SNM Vault (CASA 2) 2 2 2 2 2TA-18-0116 Assembly Building (CASA 3) 2 2 2 2 2TA-18-0127 Accelerator used for weapons x-ray 2 2 2 2TA-18-0129 Calibration Laboratory 2 2 2 2TA-18-0247 Sealed Sources 3 3TA-18-0258 IAEA Classroom (Trailer) f 2aDOE/LANL list of Los Alamos National Laboratory Nuclear Facilities (DOE 1998a)bDOE/LANL list of Los Alamos National Laboratory Nuclear Facilities (DOE 2000a)cDOE/LANL list of Los Alamos National Laboratory Nuclear Facilities (LANL 2001a)dDOE/LANL list of Los Alamos National Laboratory Nuclear Facilities (LANL 2001b)eDOE/LANL list of Los Alamos National Laboratory Nuclear Facilities (LANL 2002a)fThe IAEA Classroom was used to conduct Nonproliferation Training. In CY 2001, this capability was moved toPajarito Site (TA-18) and renamed the “Nuclear Measurement School.” However, the capability was returned to andoperated in CMR in CY 2002.SWEIS Yearbook—2002 2-65