DEC 20 1968
R. E. Hollingsworth General Manager
REQUEST FOR WAIVER TO PERMIT CONTINUATION OF OPERATION
OF THE
OMEGA WEST REACTOR BY THE LOS ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC
LABORATORY
In recognition of the vital role LASL plays in the
conduct of the nuclear weapons research and development
program and since the experiments performed in the Omega
West Reactor are an integral part of the total LASL
weapon program, we believe that in the interest of
national security an interim waiver should be granted to
permit continued operation of the OMR.
As a result of an earlier headquarters' appraisal of the
Reactor Safety Program, AECM 8401 at the Albuquerque
Operations Office, the Director, Division of Operational
Safety, advised that the Omega West Reactor (OWR) at
LASL apparently fails to satisfy the radioactive
effluent safety criteria established in 10 CFR 100 in
the event of occurrence of the hypothetical reactor acci
dent as now described in the "hazard summary" for the
reactor. The "hazard summary" was prepared in 1954 and
is described in Los Alamos Report LA-3116. Under that
earlier criteria for preparing "hazard summaries", the
hypothetical accident defined f or the OWR is a "maximum
conceivable accident" as opposed to the "maximum
credible accident" now used in reactor safety
analyses.
A meeting of representatives of DOS, DRL, ALO, LASL, and
DMA was held in October 1968 to review the OWR situation
and consider revised engineering data affecting
conclusions as to the safety of the OWR. It was the
engineering Judgment of those present that a formal
analysis based upon the newly defined "design basis
accident" ~ a new safety Analysis Report will likely
indicate that the OWR meets present AEC safety
standards. Dr. Biles' memorandum to me of October 11,
1968, which summa-rises the conclusions of the October 8
meeting and also provides the DOS recommendations for
resolving the OWR status, is enclosed.
Consistent with the foregoing, it is requested that the
General Manager grant an interim waiver to permit
continuation of operation of the OWR based upon:
1.A national security requirement to operate the
reactor.
2.The fact that preliminary engineering opinion suggests that
a revised approach to the "design basis accident" will ulti
mately assure that there is me undue risk.
The scope of the interim waiver will be limited as
follows:
1.The OWR should be allowed to continue to operate at 8 Mw,
even though it has net been officially demonstrated to be
within 10 CFR 100 in the event of the originally
hypothesized "design basis accident".
2.The waiver shall be in effect only until an acceptable new
safety analysis has been prepared and reviewed by DOS and
DRL, or until November 1. 1969, whichever occurs
first.
3.The waiver shall be cancelled if at some stage in the
review process definite evidence arises to indicate that
the OWR will not operate with reasonable assurance of no
undue risk to public health and safety.
Enclosure 2 is a more detailed discussion of the relationship
between work accomplished in the OWR and the LASL nuclear
weapons research and development program.
The Division of Operational Safety concurs in this memorandum
and in the request for interim waiver.
If you approve the waiver, subject to the conditions stated
herein, please so indicate by signature below.
(signed) Edward B.
Giller
Edward B. Giller
Major General, USAF
Assistant General Manager
for Military Application
Enclosures:
1. Memo fm Dr. Riles dtd 10/ll/68
2. Requrement For Continued Operation of the OWR
APPROVED:. E. J. Block General Manager
Date:DEC 23 1968
MA: Prod. DOS AGMMA
GFHedrick/dg EBGiller
12/5/68
Distribution:
so&2cc: GM v/encls.
cc: DRLw/encls.
cc: DOSw/encls.
5cc: Std. DMA
REQUIREMENT FOR CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE OMEGA WEST
REACTOR
The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory plays a vital role in
the conduct of the nuclear weapons research and development
program and the experiments performed in the OMEGA WEST
REACTOR (OWR) are an integral part of the total LASL weapons
program. Therefore, in the interest of national security, it
is recommended that a temporary waiver of the provisions of
10 CFR 100 be granted and the OWR be permitted to operate at
the 8 megawatt level until an updated Safety Analysis Report
has been prepared and reviewed.
The 8 megawatt OWR supports a variety of LASL programs by
providing sample irradiations, a neutron source for external
neutron bean experiments, and facilities for in-core
irradiation of instrumented capsules, fission counting for
weapon diagnostics, and neutron radiography. During the past
five years, members of 40 laboratory groups representing 10
of LASL's 13 divisions have utilized the OWR's experimental
facilities. Another research reactor at LASL, the 25 kilowatt
water boiler SUPO, provides a neutron flux much too low for
most of the experiments conducted in the OWR. A reduction in
OWR power sufficient to have a significant effect on the
amount of radionuclides vented to the atmosphere in any
hypothetical accident would result in a flux too low to be
useful to most of the current projects. The nearest reactor
facility which might provide support to LASL if the OWR were
shut down for a prolonged period is Sandia Corporation's SER
at Albuquerque. However, the SER lacks appropriate facilities
for most LASL projects. In fact, Sandia regularly uses the
OWR for irradiations which cannot fit into the Sandia
reactor. Going further afield would be impractical for
personnel permanently assigned to Los Alamos to pursue their
programs effectively.
Among the experiments conducted in the OWR, those listed
below are considered to be of particular importance to the
weapons program:
1.Irradiation of samples to support weapons diagnostics. For
calibration of gamma spectral shapes and for fission
chamber calibration of debris samples recovered from
underground tests, a large number of irradiations are
conducted in the OWR. These experiments are essential to
diagnose results of LASL's nuclear tests. Additional
experiments involve neutron activation to determine trace
constituents of Nevada and Amchitka soil to solve other
weapons test problems.
2.Irradiation of explosives. Research on radiation effects on
explosives is conducted in the OWR. These studies are
necessary to evolve less vulnerable explosives systems for
future warheads which will be hardened against enemy
countermeasures. Relatively high energy depositions in the
explosive samples may be obtained in a rather short time by
exposure to the OWR flux.
3.Neutron radiography. Neutron radiographs of a variety of
components, such as nitrogen valves, bellows, and high
explosives, are made routinely in the OWR to assist in
systems design. Neutron radiography assists design of
collimators, which in turn are essential to a number of
different experiments including nuclear tests. Research and
development on detector systems, electron-neutron imaging
systems, and on response of various film/foil combinations
to incident neutron beams contribute to LASL's overall
weapons design and experimental effort.
4.
Production of radioisotopes. The OWR provides a convenient
in-house service of radioisotopes production that enables a
variety of LASL programs to proceed on an orderly basis
without delays to seek tracer sources elsewhere. Some of
the radioisotopes have short half-lives and could not be
readily procured off-site.
5.Physics Studies. A large number of physics experiments
which cannot be assigned to any particular weapons design
or diagnostics program are conducted in the OWR. These
experiments permit LASL scientists to expand the broad base
of nuclear technology that is essential to support a viable
weapons laboratory. Taking a long term view, these
experiments are probably more important to the weapons
program than are those which can now be attributed to
specific design efforts because they enhance the
physicist's understanding of fundamental nuclear structure
and behavior. A few such experiments currently being
conducted in the OWR are cited below:
a.Two neutron diffractometers at the OWR are used to
investigate magnetic structures and transitions in
rare-earth compounds at cryogenic temperatures,
determine crystal structure, measure coherent scattering
cross sections, and study high-temperature
crystallography and phase transitions of refractory
compounds .
IN REPLY
REFER TO: AD
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY
(Contract W.7405-ENG-36)
P. 0. Box 1663
Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544
March 4,
1970
Major General E. B. Giller, USAF
Assistant General
Manager for
Military Application
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Washington, D. C.
20545
Dear General Giller :
On November 26, 1969, a copy of "The Application of
Risk
Allocation to Reactor Siting and Design" was sent to Dr.
M. M. Mann of the AEC Office of Regulation. This study
is the UCLA Ph.D. thesis of Harry Otway of LASL and is
currently in editorial process prior to being published
as LA-4316.
As you will recall, the Omega West Reactor was under
Washington scrutiny at about the same time, and we
thought that the evaluation of the OWR by Mr. Otway's
risk analysis report might be of interest, even if not
persuasive, to the DRL and DOS. Attached, for your
information and further distribution, if you so wish, is
one copy of an abstract of his analysis. The final
report will be sent you upon completion.
Sincerely
yours,
Jane H. Hall
Assistant
Director
JHH/rb
Encl.
Please note that this is a scanned document and is
not the original nor a photocopy of the
original
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