Pantex Plant

DOE-STD-1128-98

B.10 PANTEX PLANT

The Pantex Plant is responsible for fabricating chemical high explosive components for

nuclear weapons; disassembling nuclear weapons that have been retired from the stockpile;

assembling nuclear weapons for the nation's stockpile; and maintaining and evaluating

nuclear weapons in the stockpile. Currently, the major effort at the site is disassembly of

weapons, with approximately1500 being disassembled per year. Some weapons assembly is

continuing, but on a relatively small scale. Large quantities of plutonium pits are normally

in interim storage at the site.

B.11 ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY SITE

The mission of the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (originally the Rocky Flats

Plant) has changed from production of nuclear weapons components to radioactive material

storage, environmental restoration, and waste management.

Plutonium activities at the site were limited to chemical and mechanical processing of

plutonium and did not include plutonium production. Processing, recovering, machining,

and fabricating involved primarily four buildings: 991, 707, 771, and 776/777. Two

buildings, 559 and 779, were used for laboratory analysis and research. Building 371 was

built as a replacement for 771 but has not been reliably utilized in that capacity. It does

have analytical laboratory capability and a large storage area for plutonium.

-- Building 991 is the oldest building involved in plutonium activities. However, it has

recently been used only for storage and shipping/receiving of complete plutonium

components (pits) to and from Pantex.

-- Building 707 was used for the fabrication and assembly of nuclear weapons

components. This involved melting, blending, casting, machining, fabricating, and

assembling plutonium components. Building 776 had been used for these operations

until 1969.

-- Building 771 was used for chemical recovery and processing of plutonium to produce

usable product material.

-- Building 776/777 was used for disassembly of returned components from the field.

This building also performed electrorefining for the separation of americium from

plutonium.

-- Building 559 was used as an analytical laboratory to support weapons component

production, i.e., quality control, quality assurance, and other laboratory activities.

-- Building 779, also a laboratory facility, provided chemical and metallurgical research

and development.

The plutonium facilities at Rocky Flats have had several major contamination incidents

involving plutonium fires. Since plutonium pits were the primary plutonium product

shipped from the site, all other plutonium metal was considered in process and not

packaged for long-term storage. Relatively large quantities of plutonium metal and oxides

are located in process lines and in storage locations.

B-3