Site 300`s new contained firing facility
Sometime in 2000, far fewer loud {open_quotes}BOOMS{close_quotes} will resonate from Site 300, the Laboratory`s explosives test complex. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory`s new Contained Firing Facility (CFF) will begin operation that year to provide indoor testing of high explosives, and most open-air experiments at Site 300 will be discontinued. The new Contained Firing Facility will be an important adjunct to Livermore`s science-based stockpile stewardship program. Without the validation provided by underground nuclear tests, Livermore scientists must still assure the safety and reliability of the nation`s nuclear stockpile as weapons age beyond their originally planned life. Computer modeling supplies a wealth of information about how the explosives and assemblies in nuclear weapons will behave, but improved hydrodynamic testing of certain components is necessary to validate the computations. Situated in the hills between the cities of Livermore and Tracy, Site 300 has been used since 1955 to perform experiments that measure variables important to nuclear weapon safety, conventional ordnance designs, and possible accidents (such as fires) involving explosives. The CFF will drastically reduce emissions to the environment and minimize the generation of hazardous waste, noise, and blast pressures. Although emissions from open-air testing at Site 300 are well within current environmental standards, the CFF is an {open_quotes}insurance policy{close_quotes} that will allow continued high-explosives testing should environmental requirements change. Future residential development in an area less than a mile away will also benefit from the facility`s environmental precautions.
- OSTI ID:
- 458875
- Journal Information:
- Science and Technology Review, Journal Name: Science and Technology Review; ISSN STREFR
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment for the Operation of the Explosives Waste Treatment Facility at Site 300 of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Stockpile Stewardship: How We Ensure the Nuclear Deterrent Without Testing