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CMR Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Facility The Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) Facility provides remote handling operations in hot-cells in Wing 9 to support of CMR de-inventory activities, Confinement Vessel Disposition (CVD) for the cleanup of steel vessels used for subcritical shots involving high-energy explosives, and analytical chemistry support to plutonium and uranium programs to include the transition of operations to the Radiological Laboratory, Utility, and Office Building (RLUOB) and the Plutonium Facility building 4 (PF-4). Facility The location of the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s CMR Facility is at Technical Area (TA) 3, Building 29. • CMR is a Hazard Category 2 Nuclear Facility, built in 1952 as a research facility for analytical chemistry, plutonium, and uranium metallurgy with 550,000 square feet with three floors: basement, first floor, and attic. • CMR is subdivided into administration and office (Wing 1) wings and six laboratory wings (Wings 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9) joined together by a spinal corridor. • Wings 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 were constructed as laboratory wings and are similar in construction, having equipment or change rooms located at the front of each wing, individual laboratories in the main areas of the wing, and filter towers located at the end of the wings. • The 54,000 square foot Wing 9 was added in 1959 to the CMR Facility to provide remote handling operations. • In 1986, a special nuclear material storage vault was added underground between Wings 1 and 5. CMR Activities The CMR supports the current capability for analytical chemistry on small samples of nuclear materials in support of national security programs, including support of plutonium pit manufacturing and surveillance programs. Analyses performed at the CMR on plutonium samples are critical to the national security goal of assuring that plutonium specifications are met for pit production and testing. With the transition of analytical chemistry operations to RLUOB and PF-4, continuous risk reduction activities in the CMR Facility focus on: continuous MAR (Material at Risk) reduction, management through completion, termination, or transition of current programs at CMR, and reducing the CMR operational envelope. MAR reduction activities are supported through completion of scheduled Material Recycle and Recovery (MR&R) CMR de- inventory activities, completion of scheduled confinement vessel disposition (CVD) activities, mitigation and disposition of oversized transuranic (TRU) waste and CMR building hold-up, and active management and prioritization of current and future programmatic MAR utilization. Confinement Vessel Accurate as of October 2017

Chemistry and Metallurgy Research · PDF fileCMR Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Facility The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) building

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Page 1: Chemistry and Metallurgy Research · PDF fileCMR Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Facility The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) building

CMR Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Facility

The Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) Facility provides remote handling operations in hot-cells in Wing 9 to support of CMR de-inventory activities, Confinement Vessel Disposition (CVD) for the cleanup of steel vessels used for subcritical shots involving high-energy explosives, and analytical chemistry support to plutonium and uranium programs to include the transition of operations to the Radiological Laboratory, Utility, and Office Building (RLUOB) and the Plutonium Facility building 4 (PF-4).

Facility The location of the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s CMR Facility is at Technical Area (TA) 3, Building 29. • CMR is a Hazard Category 2 Nuclear Facility, built in 1952 asa research facility for analytical chemistry, plutonium, anduranium metallurgy with 550,000 square feet with three floors:basement, first floor, and attic.• CMR is subdivided into administration and office (Wing 1)wings and six laboratory wings (Wings 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9) joined together by a spinal corridor. • Wings 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 were constructed as laboratory wingsand are similar in construction, having equipment or changerooms located at the front of each wing, individual laboratories

in the main areas of the wing, and filter towers located at the end of the wings. • The 54,000 square foot Wing 9 was added in 1959 to theCMR Facility to provide remote handling operations. • In 1986, a special nuclear material storage vault was addedunderground between Wings 1 and 5.

CMR Activities The CMR supports the current capability for analytical chemistry on small samples of nuclear materials in support of national security programs, including support of plutonium pit manufacturing and surveillance programs. Analyses performed at the CMR on plutonium samples are critical to the national security goal of assuring that plutonium specifications are met for pit production and testing.

With the transition of analytical chemistry operations to RLUOB and PF-4, continuous risk reduction activities in the CMR Facility focus on:

• continuous MAR (Material at Risk) reduction,

• management through completion, termination, or transition ofcurrent programs at CMR, and

• reducing the CMR operational envelope.

MAR reduction activities are supported through completion of scheduled Material Recycle and Recovery (MR&R) CMR de-inventory activities, completion of scheduled confinement vessel disposition (CVD) activities, mitigation and disposition of oversized transuranic (TRU) waste and CMR building hold-up, and active management and prioritization of current and future programmatic MAR utilization.

Confinement Vessel

Accurate as of October 2017

Page 2: Chemistry and Metallurgy Research · PDF fileCMR Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Facility The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) building

CMR within the LANL Plutonium System

LLWLiq.

Waste

PF-4Plutonium (Pu)

Operations

TA-63 – TWFTRU Waste Char.

TA-50 – RL-LLWLiquid Waste Processing

TRU Liq.Waste

Non-LANL Sites

TRU to WIPP

Pits, mat’ls

SolidTRU

Pits, mat’ls

Residues

CMRR RLUOBAnalytical Chemistry,

Materials Characterization

Samples

TA-54 – RANTTRUPACT/Truck Loading

TA-50 – RL-TLWLiquid Waste Processing

LLWLiq.

Waste

Solid LLW Waste

CMR BuildingAnalytical Chemistry

Samples

Residues

CMR to RLUOB(samples)

Solid TRU Waste

CMR Staging

Other Staging

TA-55 Staging

Solid TRUWaste

Solid TRU Waste

Accurate as of October 2017