Containment Prospectus for the TRUMPET Experiments (2004)

TRUMPET is a series of dynamic subcritical experiments planned for execution in the U1a.102D alcove of the U1a Complex at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The location of LLNL drifts at the U1a Complex is shown in Figure 1. The data from the TRUMPET experiments will be used in the Stockpile Stewardship Program to assess the aging of nuclear weapons components and to better model the long-term performance of weapons in the enduring stockpile. The TRUMPET series of experiments will be conducted in an almost identical way as the OBOE series of experiments. Individual TRUMPET experiments will be housed in an experiment vessel, as was done for OBOE. These vessels are the same as those utilized for OBOE. All TRUMPET experiments will occur in the zero room in the U1a.102D alcove, which is on the opposite side of the U1a.102 drift from U1a.102C, which housed the OBOE experiments. The centerlines of these two alcoves are separated by only 10 feet. As with OBOE experiments, expended TRUMPET experiment vessels will be moved to the back of the alcove and entombed in grout. After the TRUMPET series of experiments is completed, another experiment will be sited in the U1a.102D alcove and it will be the final experiment in the zero room, as was similarly done for the OBOE series of experiments followed by the execution of the PIANO experiment. Each experimental package for TRUMPET will be composed of high explosive (HE) and special nuclear material (SNM) in a subcritical assembly. Each experimental package will be placed in an experimental vessel within the TRUMPET zero room in the U1a.102D alcove. The containment plan for the TRUMPET experiments utilizes a two-nested containment vessel concept, similar to OBOE and other subcritical experiments in the U1a Complex. The first containment vessel is formed by the primary containment barrier that seals the U1a.102D drift. The second containment vessel is formed by the secondary containment barrier in the U1a.100 drift. While it is likely that the experiment vessel will contain the SNM from the experiment, the containment plan for the TRUMPET experiments only assumes that the experiment vessel provides shock mitigation and serves as a sink for the heat produced by the detonation of the HE. It is possible that one or more of the experiment vessels may seep SNM into the zero room from a failure of a seal on the vessel. This containment plan covers the entire series of TRUMPET experiments. At this time, we don't know exactly how many experiments will actually be conducted in the TRUMPET series. However, we know that the maximum planned number of experiments in the TRUMPET series is 20. This number may be modified on the basis of results obtained from each TRUMPET experiment. After the final experiment in the TRUMPET series is completed, a larger experiment will be conducted in the U1a.102D alcove. A separate containment plan will be developed and presented to the Containment Review Panel (CRP) for that larger experiment. As with OBOE, this containment plan is intended to cover all TRUMPET experiments. We will not develop a separate containment plan for each experiment. Before each experiment we will present a statement to the CRP that each TRUMPET experiment falls within the parameters presented in this document. If an experiment falls outside the parameters in this document, a containment plan for that experiment will be developed and presented to the CRP for a full containment review.