Date Established: 1945.

Present Mission:

Primary - National security programs in defense, energy, and environment with primary emphasis on nuclear weapons research, development, and stockpile stewardship.

Secondary - Perform work for others; entering into technology partnerships and commercialization.

Size: The headquarters area covers approximately 105.6 acres (0.165 square mile). The total laboratory area incorporates 2,800 acres owned by the Department of Energy (DOE) and another 20,342 acres controlled by formal agreement.

Employees: There are about 9,000 DOE, operating contractor, and subcontractor personnel (as of May 1996). Fifty-three DOE employees are assigned to the Kirtland Area Office (KAO).

Annual Budget: The Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) total budget for fiscal year 1996 is $1.43 billion. A specific budget for each Sandia National Laboratories site does not exist.

Cognizant Secretarial Officer: Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs (DP) is the cognizant secretarial office; the principal DP Office is DP-23. The Office of Energy Research (ER) also has a significant interest and multiple programs on site.

Responsible Operations/Area Office: Albuquerque Operations Office (AL)/Kirtland Area Office (KAO).

Contractor: Lockheed Martin Corporation is the management and operating contractor under a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract.

Fissile Material: Approximately 10 kg of Pu-239 and approximately 800 kg of uranium in reactor fuel.

 Sandia National Laboratories, which is part of the Department of Energy' s national laboratory complex, was established in the 1940s as the engineering arm of the nuclear weapon development program. In 1945, it represented a small part of Los Alamos Laboratory, called Z-Division, providing technical support to the U.S. Army. Sandia also operates a test range on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Sandia /New Mexico (SNL/NM) is located at the foot of the Manzano Mountains adjacent to the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The SNL/NM site is essentially surrounded by Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB). DOE has one-to five-year land-use permits for some of the Air Force property. An area of the Manzano Mountains east of KAFB has also been withdrawn from the Forest Service for the exclusive use of the Air Force and DOE.

Sandia/New Mexico has evolved into one of the country's largest technical resources. It is a multiprogram national laboratory with research and development programs in a broad range of scientific and technical fields, including fundamental energy research, energy conservation and renewable energy, nuclear reactor safety and reliability, nuclear waste management, and magnetic-confinement fusion. Recent mission changes have resulted in a decline in weapons research and development and an increase in work on nuclear safeguards and security, environmental sciences, biomedical systems engineering, advanced manufacturing technology, electronics, information and computational technology, transportation infrastructure and energy technology, and technology transfer to private industry in support of U.S. industrial competitiveness. New activities include the Medical Isotope Production Program and the Neutron Generator Production Facility.

SNL/NM has 546 major buildings, totaling 4.6 million gross square feet. Operations are conducted in six locations, called Technical Areas l, ll, lll, lV, and V, the Manzano storage area, and the Coyote Test Field.

Technical Area I (TA-I) contains the site's administrative, site support, technical support, component development, research, energy programs, microelectronics, defense programs, and exploratory systems.

Technical Area II (TA-II) was established for casting and assembling chemical high- explosive main charges for nuclear weapons and is now in the process of being cleaned up.

Technical Area III (TA-III) is used for testing and simulation of a variety of natural and induced environments for nuclear weapons and other non-weapons programs and includes two rocket-sled tracks, two centrifuges, and a radiant heat facility.

Technical Area IV (TA-IV) is a remote research location for pulsed power sources. These include x-ray, gamma-ray, particle beam fusion, and accelerators, all of which are used to simulate nuclear weapon effects and to conduct research on inertial- confinement fusion and weapon physics.

Technical Area V (TA-V) is the remote research area where experimental and engineering nuclear reactors, hot cells, and gamma irradiation facilities are located.

The Manzano storage area contains structures authorized to store nuclear material and waste. The classified nuclear and radioactive materials (fissile and non- fissile) are stored on a long-term basis.

The Coyote Test Field contains testing operations that require large land areas and unusual terrain, separated by large buffer zones. Facilities include explosively driven shock tubes, aerial cable sites for high-speed ground target impact tests, a test site where large quantities of cased conventional explosives can be detonated, numerous small explosive sites, igloos for storing explosives, and a laser strain seismometer. Some of these facilities are seldom used.

SNL/NM is a multi-program laboratory, addressing defense, energy, environment, and national needs. SNL/NM is involved in several research applications, including advanced manufacturing technologies, space program technologies, information systems, transportation systems, and health care.

Activities at SNL/NM include process development, environmental testing, radiation research, combustion research, computing, and microelectronics research and production. During SNL/NM's five decades of service, its mission has expanded from nuclear weapons research and development to include research on other advanced military technologies; energy programs; arms verification; control technology; and applied research in numerous scientific fields, including extensive programs in material research.

Nuclear weapons programs for DOE and the Department of Defense (DoD) at SNL/NM include several major programmatic activities:

• Conducting science-based stewardship of the nuclear weapons stockpile to ensure that it remains effective and that the nuclear weapons development capabilities and expertise necessary to meet the nation's future needs are maintained
• Implementing new structures and streamlining approaches for future nuclear weapons production requirements
• Providing strategic surety for nuclear weapons by developing the technical means to assure confidence in the safety, security, and control of nuclear weapons in all environments.
• Maintaining competencies and capabilities for the nuclear weapons mission.
• Responding to changing threats to U.S. national security.

Energy and Environmental Programs

These programs, sponsored by DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, often support U.S. industry and involve two activities -- improvement of national energy security through identifying, developing, and deploying full system solutions for safe, clean, and affordable energy options and enhancement of the nation's environment through environmentally conscious operations in industry, remediation of contaminated DOE sites, and solutions to problems associated with the disposal of radioactive waste.

Energy efforts include combustion research, integrated geosciences research, and solar and wind power programs.

SNL/NM environmental projects include programs in waste reduction, and research for environmentally conscious manufacturing.

SNL/NM must restore contaminated SNL sites, comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations, and undertake corrective actions as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Work For Others

Work for others is performed for DoD and other Federal and non-Federal agencies involves:

• Using SNL/NM's status as a national laboratory to provide science-based solutions for problems of national importance.
• Serving as a catalyst for precompetitive research and development alliances with external organizations.
• Strengthening and enhancing SNL's ability to continue serving DOE by emphasizing and selecting programs that nurture SNL's core technical competencies while satisfying critical customer needs.

SNL/NM promotes and facilitates the transfer of federally developed technologies, processes, and special technical expertise to the private sector and promotes the collaborative development of technologies.

Oversight of SNL/NM is provided by the Albuquerque Operations Office (AL) through the Kirtland Area Office (KAO). AL is responsible for developing plans and estimates related to DOE's capability to develop and stockpile new weapons. AL carries out programs for nuclear weapons production, field non-nuclear testing, and stockpile maintenance and surveillance. AL also provides guidance and policy to SNL/NM and works closely with the Rocky Flats Field Office, the Oak Ridge Operations Office, and the Savannah River Operations Office.

The KAO Manager has line management responsibility for activities at SNL/NM, the Tonopah Test Range, Sandia National Laboratories/California, the Kauai Test Range in Hawaii, and the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute. KAO consists of three branches, including the Assistant Area Managers for Facilities and Project Management; Operations; Environment and Security, Contracts, and Business Management.

There are approximately 9,000 DOE, operating contractor, and subcontractor personnel at SNL/NM. Lockheed Martin had 7,887 contractors at SNL/NM as of

SNL/NM is operated for DOE by the Sandia Corporation, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation under a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The KAO Manager is the Administrative Contracting Officer for the contract. The most recent modification to the SNL operating contract (No. DE-AC04-94AL8500) established SNL's operating budget for fiscal year 1996 at $1.43 billion; a site budget of $1.3 billion is projected for fiscal year 1997. There is no stand-alone budget for SNL/NM.

KEY FACILITIES

Microelectronics Development Lab (MDL) Building 858

The MDL provides microtechnology development and engineering capabilities to support programs in the national interest. The MDL is used for the fabrication and study of radiation hardened microelectronics and the physics underlying their performance, design, and manufacture. The silicon microelectronics projects currently under way in the MDL will support future Defense Programs work in radiation hardened integrated circuits, smart sensors, advanced packaging, and smart micro-mechanical devices. The integrated circuitry technology used for these projects is a modified version of SNL/NM's radiation hardened technology. The MDL serves as an alternative supplier of radiation hardened circuits for government applications.

Neutron Generator Facility (NGF) Building 870

The NGF is a modern center for the fabrication of prototype and war reserve neutron tubes, switch tubes, and neutron generators. Since closure of the Pinellas Plant, the facility is the only remaining facility in the U.S. for the fabrication of neutron tubes and generators. This facility will produce neutron generators for all weapon systems in the enduring stockpile. The prototype portion of the facility is operational; the main fabrication portion of the facility is under construction and due to be fully operational in fiscal year 1997.

Building 893, Laser Physics Laboratory

This laboratory is used to investigate the physics of compound semiconductors and lattice structures. The facility also supports the fabrication of optoelectronic and digital compound semiconductor devices for both research and prototyping purposes. The building houses the Compound Semi- conductor Research Laboratory (CSRL). Advanced research and development will be conducted at the CSRL in the areas of high speed electronics, microwave control circuits, laser arrays, infrared detectors, and nonvolatile memories.

Building 905, Explosive Components Facility

These laboratory spaces are devoted to the routine testing of explosives and explosive devices, neutron generators, and batteries. Chemical and material analyses are performed in some of the laboratory spaces; in others, small amounts of explosives or pyrotechnics are initiated inside self- contained test chambers. The firing pads are designed to withstand the effects of detonations of up to 1000 grams of explosives. The pad walls, ceiling, and floor in the vicinity of the test are lined with steel plates to preserve the concrete surfaces. The High Explosive Chamber rooms contain chambers for testing charge weights up to 1000 grams.

Building 981, Saturn Accelerator

This particle beam fusion accelerator facility provides threat-level x-ray effects testing and experiments on complex electronic systems, such as reentry body arming, fuzing, and firing assemblies, with high spectral and temporal fidelity.Saturn also provides high temperature, large volume hohlraums and other cold x-ray environments for weapon physics experiments supporting the stockpile stewardship program.

Building 983, Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II)

This building is used as laboratory space to generate intense ion beams in support of the inertial confinement fusion program. It has produced a lithium ion beam with 10 million volts of kinetic energy and has focused this beam to a world's record intensity of 1.5 trillion watts per square centimeter, resulting in a specific power deposition of 1500 trillion watts per gram.

Building 970, Simulation Technology Laboratory

This facility is used to evaluate radiation effects on materials. The facility contains two operating accelerators. Hermes III is a 22 MeV, 730 kA gamma ray simulator that can deliver 5x1012 rads during a nanosecond pulse. SABRE operates at 10 MeV and 250 kA and produces a 50 nanosecond pulse.

Building 6580, Hot Cell Facility (HCF)

The HCF is located in TA-V, in the basement of Building 6580. It consists of the Hot Cell itself, which contains the steel confinement boxes; the glove box laboratory; ancillary analytical equipment; support areas; and fissile- and radioactive-material storage areas. The HCF primarily conducts and supports research and development activities. Therefore, the types and quantities of materials handled, the operations carried out, and the types and quantities of wastes produced vary from project to project. In addition to routine research support operations, the building is planned to support medical isotope production (Mo-99) in the near future. The Hot Cell contains three steel confinement boxes and a shielded support area, and provides SNL/NM with an onsite capability for working with experiments and materials containing up to a nominal maximum of 6000 Ci of fission products and 500 Ci of plutonium or other fissile material. This facility is designed to permit safe handling and experimentation with SNM, both irradiated and non-irradiated. Research programs at SNL/NM--material studies, fuel studies, and safety studies--require that experiments containing radioactive materials be assembled and/or disassembled, samples prepared, and microscopic and chemical analyses performed.

This facility is transitioning to the Office of Nuclear Energy.

Building 6588, Annular Core Research Reactor(ACRR)/Old Gamma Irradiation Facility (OGIF) Pool

The ACRR, located in TA-V, is a pool-type reactor capable of both pulsed and steady state operation, and tailored transient rod withdrawal. Its primary function is to test electronics, materials, and fissile components.

The ACRR has been proposed for use in future medical isotope production (Mo-99). The ACRR has been in operation since 1978, performing 6000 operations without incident. The reactor is operated in two basic modes: 1) short duration steady-state power (2 megawatts maximum), and 2) fast pulses. Typically, the maximum yield for pulse operations is in the range of 300 megajoules. The reactor is designed to produce a high yield of epithermal neutrons in the central radiation cavity over a very short time range.

Also housed in this building is the OGIF, which consists of two adjoining irradiation cells. The sources provide a variety of radioactive source geometries for irradiating experiments. The OGIF contains approximately 150,000 Ci of Co-60 and is used mainly for radiation certification of satellites and weapons systems, electronic components, dosimetry calibration, and radiation damage to materials studies.

This facility is transitioning to the Office of Nuclear Energy.

Building 6590, Sandia Pulse Reactor Bldg. (SPR) SPR II, SPR III

This facility is located in TA-V. The SPR II and SPR III reactors provide a unique, near- fission-spectrum radiation environment in which to test a wide variety of technologies that support defense and non-defense activities. The primary mission of the facility is to meet high neutron fluency or pulsed high dose requirements in the testing of electronic subsystems and components.

Two fast burst reactors are presently operated at the SPR facility. The reactors are similar in design, construction, and operation, and are designated SPR II and SPR III. The operational characteristics and modes of operation of the two reactors are essentially the same, the principal difference being that SPR III has a larger central irradiation cavity than SPR II. SPR II has been operational since 1966 and has performed over 8,000 operations; SPR III has been operational since 1975. performing over 10,000 operations with-out incident. The reactors are operated in two basic modes: 1) short duration steady state at low power (a few kilowatts), and 2) fast pulses. Typically, the maximum yield for pulse operations is in the range of 6-8 megajoules. The reactors were designed to be operated from the same reactor control console. With only one control console, only one reactor can be operated at any one time. The nonoperational reactor is placed in temporary storage when not in use.

In addition to routine research, the SPRs are used to support work-for-others activities.

Manzano Storage Facilities

These structures are authorized to store nuclear material and waste. The classified nuclear and radioactive materials (fissile and non-fissile) are stored on a long-term basis. No Sandia personnel are permanently assigned to Manzano. The structures are visited randomly several times a week and inspected at least once a month. The Manzano facilities currently used for nuclear material storage include structures 37045, 37055, 37057, 37063, 37078 and 37118. The material in these bunkers is currently being designated as either radioactive waste or non-waste material. The non-waste material in these structures will be relocated to structures 37003, 37007, 37008, 37010, 37011 and 37012 sometime in the future.

Activities are under way to reduce SNL's inventory of nuclear materials. In November 1994, Laboratory Services Division directed that a comprehensive Corporate Surplus Nuclear Material Disposition Plan be prepared. The plan identifies surplus nuclear material and makes disposition recommendations to DOE. Several items have already been identified as surplus, and activities are already under way to: donate approximately 10 metric tons of usable depleted uranium metal to Manufacturing Sciences Corporation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; dispose of approximately 12 metric tons of unirradiated thorium oxide; request authorization to advertise the availability of fresh nuclear reactor fuel from the retired nuclear freighter, Savannah; and to return several PuBe sources to LANL. If the activities to reduce the SNL/NM inventory are successful, this may lower the inventory in each structure to below Hazard Category 3.