Science 9 October 1987:
Vol. 238. no. 4824, pp. 152 - 155
DOI: 10.1126/science.238.4824.152
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Articles
Articles

Fusion's $372-Million Mothball: Livermore wanted to be a contender in the race to design a commercial fusion reactor; but it lost without ever getting to turn on its big mirror machine
WILLIAM BOOTH

During FY 02 Bill Maciel managed two projects that utilized the concept of Assets for Value subcontracting. The scope of the first project was to deactivate a cryogenic recapture facility (B433), and disassemble a 60-foot diameter by 80-foot tall steel tank. The cryogenic recapture facility was used in support of the 1980?s era Magnetic Fusion Energy Program?s, Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF). The tank was constructed for the assembly of the National Ignition Facility?s, Target Chamber. The second project decommissioned and removed all of the power conversion and power supply equipment associated with the MFTF experiment. The cryogenic recapture facility (B433) was used to re-compress vaporized liquid nitrogen and liquid helium after it was used to cool the electromagnets associated with the MFTF. The facility housed large compressors, cryogenic liquid storage tanks, and high-pressure gas storage tanks. All of the excess equipment was removed and the empty 5000 square foot building was returned to the LLNL institution for reuse. All of the equipment associated with B433 was made available to the D&D subcontractor in exchange for D&D services. All of the equipment was recycled or resold by the subcontractor. For example, 60 - thirty foot long high pressure helium tanks were sold as high pressure pipe sections (after the end bells were removed), and 100 foot long nitrogen tanks were cut up and recycled. Additionally, large electric motors (up to 5000hp) were sold and reused by industry. The large steel tank was constructed to create a controlled environment for the assembly of the 35? diameter National Ignition Facility (NIF) Target Chamber. The tank was constructed of welded steel sheets and was secured to a 30? concrete foundation. The tank was dismantled by the subcontractor at all of the welded joints and trucked to a steel rolling facility where the sections were rolled to the original tank specifications. The sections were then made available to industry for re-assembly as a storage tank. The concrete foundation was crushed and recycled as road base. The power equipment associated with the Mirror Fusion Test Facility had been abandon for over 15 years. The equipment consisted of the following: 19 large oil-filled transformers, power distribution towers, 432 oil-filled high voltage capacitors, 192 concrete pads, 1000? of concrete cable trench, and 24 electrical control cabinets. The equipment was configured in an area that covered 63,000 square feet. All of the equipment and concrete were removed, recycled and or reused by industry. In total 4,040 tons of concrete, 25,000 gallons of oil, 1,167 tons of metal, and 250 tons of equipment were diverted from the LLNL waste stream by these two projects. Additionally, the Assets for Value Program made these projects feasible by offsetting some of the costs associated with the subcontracted D&D services. The two projects returned almost 100,000 square feet of real estate to the Laboratory to help address future building needs.