**[Program Description Package for the Tritium Facilities]{.underline}**

**[Expectation]{.underline}**

The overall expectations regarding the operation of the Tritium
Facilities are to support the nuclear weapons stockpile by safely
providing tritium and non-tritium loaded reservoirs to the Department of
Defense (DoD) in accordance with the Production and Planning Directive,
to extract tritium from irradiated Tritium-Producing Burnable Absorber
Rods (TPBARs), to manage the Commercial Light Water Reactor tritium
production program, to continue supporting the Stockpile stewardship
program through Reservoir Surveillance Operations, and to maintain the
Tritium Facilities in a responsive and acceptable operating condition.
The Tritium Facilities have a long term mission at the Savannah River
Site; operations are expected to continue for the next 40 years.

**[Background/Lifecycle Discussion]{.underline}**

The Tritium Facilities consist of production, processing, support, and
administrative buildings located within a 25-acre compound in H-Area.
The major buildings are described below.

The Manufacturing Building is the former tritium extraction and gas
processing facility. It is currently being deactivated in preparation
for long-term lay-up. Minimal long-term surveillance will be required
for this building; however, due to residual tritium contamination in
components, the exhaust fans are expected to remain operational for the
duration of this contract.

The New Manufacturing Building is the reservoir loading and unloading
facility. This underground facility has been in operation since 1993 and
houses the gas processing systems necessary to separate hydrogen
isotopes from inert gasses and to purify hydrogen isotope gas streams as
necessary to load into reservoirs. This building also contains the
reservoir Environmental Conditioning equipment as well as the reservoir
Function Test Stations. All gas processing equipment is contained within
inerted gloveboxes, the atmosphere of which is continually processed to
remove moisture and oxygen. This building will remain operational for
the duration of this contract.

The Manufacturing Building No. 3 is primarily used for reservoir
finishing and quality assurance activities, installation and removal of
squib valves from reservoirs, and shipping and receiving of reservoirs.
This building also houses an analytical laboratory, an inert reservoir
loading facility, and other administrative and support activities. This
building will remain operational for the duration of this contract.

The Material Testing Facility, completed in 2004, contains environmental
chambers and ovens, which support the reservoir life storage program,
and a metallurgical laboratory used for analysis of tritium-contaminated
components. This building will remain operational for the duration of
this contract.

The Pressure Testing Facility is the Helium-3 (He-3) processing
facility. This facility is nearing the end of its useful life with He3
processing the only remaining function. The He-3 processing activities
will be relocated into the New Manufacturing Building prior to
deactivating of this facility. This building will be deactivated and may
be decommissioned during this contract.

The Reclamation Building is a contaminated machine shop used to reclaim
reservoirs that were returned from the field and unloaded. Reclamation
is the process whereby the existing fill stem is removed and replaced
with a new stem; the reservoir is subsequently inspected and returned to
War Reserve status. All machining activities are performed in
contamination control hoods. The reservoir proof test system as well as
the hydraulic burst test system are also housed in this building. This
building will remain operational for the duration of this contract.

The Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF)-Processing Building is a newly
constructed building associated with the TEF Project. This building,
which is scheduled to be fully operational in July 2007, contains the
gas separation and purifying systems necessary to process tritium
extracted from TPBARs in preparation for transferring the gas to the New
Manufacturing Building. All gas processing equipment is contained within
inerted gloveboxes, the atmosphere of which is continually stripped to
remove moisture and oxygen. This facility will remain operational for
the duration of this contract.

The TEF Remote Handling Building is a newly constructed building
associated with the TEF Project and is scheduled to be fully operational
in July 2007. The TPBARs irradiated at Tennessee Valley Authority
reactors will be received, unloaded, breached, and placed into one of
two extraction furnaces in this building. The TPBARs Preparation Module,
the extraction furnaces, and the TPBARs storage area are located in a
high-radiation area; all work performed in this area is remote using
cranes, cameras, and robotic devices. Tritium gas will be extracted in
here and transferred to the TEF Processing Building for further
processing. All gas processing equipment is contained within inerted
gloveboxes or modules; the atmosphere of which is continually processed
to remove moisture and oxygen. Irradiated TPBARs will be stored in this
building (or elsewhere onsite with appropriate security measures) prior
to processing and extraction. Processed TPBAR waste will also be stored
here prior to its disposal onsite. This facility will remain operational
for the duration of this contract.

The Stockpile Evaluation Program at the Savannah River Site (SRS)
consists of performing core gas transfer system surveillance activities.
These activities include, but are not limited to, environmental
conditioning, function testing, burst testing, and metallographic
evaluations of developmental, stockpile, and life storage reservoirs.
Workload is driven by the two design agencies which develop surveillance
plans based on the program needs to monitor the health of the stockpile
in terms of performance, reliability and safety, address special
situations as they arise, and conduct investigations into significant
findings -- defining the impact to the stockpile, if any. SRS conducts
the actual surveillance activities, reporting the information via formal
reports, and provides input to the design agencies about any anomalous
findings

# Contract Period Objectives

Period I (12/01/06 - 9/30/11)

-   Continue unloading, loading, processing, finishing, packaging,
    shipping, and receiving reservoirs in support of DoD requirements

-   Continue supporting the Stockpile Evaluation Program

-   Continue to maintain facilities and infrastructure and aggressively
    reduce deferred maintenance

-   Revitalize the Manufacturing Building No. 3

-   Complete startup and begin extraction of TPBARs in TEF Remote
    Handling Building

-   Dispose of TPBAR waste onsite

-   Complete startup and begin processing tritium in the TEF Process
    Building

-   Store irradiated TPBARs in the TEF Remote Handling Building or
    elsewhere onsite with appropriate security measures in place

-   Assume full responsibility for Commercial Light Water Reactor
    tritium production program

-   Complete deactivation and layup activities for the Manufacturing
    Building

-   Complete deactivation and layup, or decommissioning activities for
    the Pressure Testing Facility

-   Continue reclamation and hydraulic burst testing of reservoirs in
    the Reclamation Building

-   Continue operations in the Reclamation Building to prepare
    reservoirs and actuators for disposal

-   Complete construction of the replacement He-3 processing
    system/facility and begin operations

-   Maintain a cadre of personnel with core competencies and critical
    skills

-   Continue to execute the Facilities and Infrastructure
    Recapitalization Program (FIRP) to return facility conditions to an
    assessment level of good to excellent

-   Fully support technology development (e.g., campaigns,
    Plant-Directed Research and Development (PDRD) program, technology
    investment, etc.)

-   Fully implement state-of-the-art, real-time business management and
    planning systems

-   Maintain the Documented Safety Analysis in accordance with 10CFR830

-   Complete construction of the wetlands associated with the Tritium
    Facilities

Period II (10/1/11-9/30/16)

-   Continue unloading, loading, processing, finishing, packaging,
    shipping, and receiving reservoirs in support of DoD requirements

-   Continue supporting the Stockpile Evaluation Program

-   Continue to maintain facilities and infrastructure with no growth in
    deferred maintenance

-   Continue extraction of TPBARs in the TEF Remote Handling Building

-   Continue disposal of TPBAR waste onsite

-   Continue storage of irradiated TPBARs in the TEF Remote Handling
    Building or elsewhere onsite with appropriate security measures in
    place.

-   Continue processing tritium in the TEF Process Building

-   Manage the Commercial Light Water Reactor tritium production program

-   Continue to process He-3

-   Relocate hydraulic burst test functions

-   Complete deactivation and layup of the Reclamation Building

-   Continue to fully support technology development (e.g., campaigns,
    PDRD, technology investment, etc.)

-   Continue to fully implement state-of-the-art, real-time business
    management and planning systems

-   Maintain the Documented Safety Analysis in accordance with 10CFR830

**[Core Work Scope]{.underline}**

-   Support the Nuclear Weapons Stockpile by safely continuing to
    provide tritium and non-tritium filled reservoirs to DoD on an
    approved schedule

-   Support the Stockpile Extension Program

-   Maintain the infrastructure and facilities associated with tritium
    operations at the Savannah River Site

**[Optimized Work Scope]{.underline}**

-   Using innovative business and operations techniques and processes,
    reduce costs associated with tritium processing activities.

**[Appendix A -- Anticipated Work Status as of 11/30/06]{.underline}**

-   All facilities except the Manufacturing Building will be operational
    and supporting the Nuclear Weapons Stockpile

-   Startup activities associated with the TEF Project will be ongoing

**[Appendix B -- Assumptions]{.underline}**

-   Facilities associated with the TEF Project will be fully operational
    by July 2007

-   The size of the stockpile will not increase appreciably

-   There are no additional environmental restrictions associated with
    tritium processing activities

-   All environmental permits are current and will be renewed

**[Appendix C -- Risks]{.underline}**

-   Significant changes in funding from Congress

-   Significant changes in Nuclear Weapons Stockpile program
    requirements

**[Appendix D -- Document List]{.underline}**

-   NNSA--SRSO Ten-Year Comprehensive Site Plan FY2005-Executive Summary
    (OUO)

-   NNSA--SRSO Ten-Year Comprehensive Site Plan FY2005 (OUO)

-   Standards and Requirements Identification Documents (S/RIDs)
    (Unclassified)

-   WSRC-SA-1-2, Tritium Facilities Safety Analysis Report, Volumes 1
    and 2 (UCNI)

-   Tritium Facilities Authorization Agreement, 5480.23.1-DP-AA Rev 9
    April 22, 2004 (Unclassified)

-   Safety Evaluation Report (SER) for the Tritium Facility-Supplement 3
    January 29, 2004 (Unclassified)

-   Defense Programs Division Authorization Basis Lists Manual: Tritium
    Facilities Authorization Basis Documents (U). WSRC-IM-96-142,
    Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC, (as
    amended).(Unclassified)

-   WSRC-TS-96-17, Technical Safety Requirements (Unclassified)