News

B&W Pantex volunteers dish up barbecue at the recent Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Good Times Celebration and Barbecue Cook-off. For more than a decade, Pantex has been a leading contributor at the event, which is the Chamber’s largest fundraising event of the year. Pantex firefighters cooked up more than 500 pounds of meat for the cook-off.

Plant once again awarded Star of Excellence for outstanding safety record

B&W Pantex continued its remarkable safety record in 2013, once again receiving honors from the Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program (DOE VPP).

For the second year in a row, DOE awarded B&W Pantex the VPP Star of Excellence for its safety performance, singling out the plant as one of the top safety performers within the DOE. This is the fourth year Pantex has been honored by the VPP.

“It is a remarkable achievement for Pantex to be singled out as one of the top sites in the VPP program for this many years, and it is a testament to the dedication to safety of all Pantexans,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery.

A team of Pantex employees began the push for VPP recognition in 2008, forming a committee to develop the application, which was submitted in October 2009. That effort paid off in March 2010 when Pantex earned DOE VPP Star Status. The safety performance at Pantex led to the Superior Star Award in 2011 and the Star of Excellence Award in 2012; which was once again awarded to Pantex this month.

Employee involvement is a hallmark of the safety culture at Pantex, which is led by employees who volunteer on numerous safety committees and initiatives.

“The leadership of these hardworking Pantexans sets the tone for safety every day at Pantex,” said Jim Stevens, Manager of the Environment, Safety, Health and Quality Division at B&W Pantex. “Working safely is our part of our fundamental commitment.”

The DOE VPP Star of Excellence Award is granted to a site that maintains a Total Recordable Case rate 75 percent lower than the industry average.

B&W Pantex manages and operates the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Pantex is also the proud recipient of the DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program STAR status for safety excellence. The company was also named one of America’s safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine and has received numerous awards from the National Safety Council.
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

NNSA NEWS

U.S. Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
Production Office News Release

Amarillo, TX -- Employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office (NPO) have donated 17,348 pounds of food as part of the annual U.S. Department of Energy’s “Feds Feed Families” campaign. The campaign, which ended on September 6, surpassed the goal of 17,000 pounds.

“I am extremely proud and moved by the generosity of NPO employees,” said Steve Erhart, NNSA Production Office Manager. “Each year, the Feds Feed Families food drive reminds us there are people in our own communities who go to bed hungry. Serving our country starts at home, and that is what this effort is all about.”

The NPO donations are supporting the efforts of the High Plains Food Bank, Amarillo, Texas, and the Second Harvest Food Bank, Maryville, Tennessee.

The Feds Feed Families campaign is a voluntary effort undertaken by Federal employees across the country to provide non-perishable food items to local food banks. Since the start of this effort five years ago, Federal employees have donated over 15 million pounds of food to support families across America. Every month, local food banks help thousands of people, including elderly, handicapped individuals and children. During the summer, the numbers swell to include school children who no longer have access to free breakfast and lunches.

“Donations from this year’s Feds Feed Families Campaign have already touched many lives throughout the Texas Panhandle,” said Broc Carter, High Plains Food Bank Director of Communications, ”and we appreciate the generosity and continued support of the NNSA Production Office employees. Their generous donations are shared with our partnering organizations including churches, day care facilities, and senior citizen’s centers.”

“We are extremely grateful to the NNSA Production Office for their large donations of food, especially during the summer months because this is the leanest time of the year for us,” said Elaine Streno, Second Harvest Food Bank Executive Director. “We are also grateful that their effort is bringing awareness to the hunger struggle in our community and across East Tennessee.”

The mission of the NNSA Production Office is to ensure the safe, secure and cost-effective operation of the Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Photos available upon request

CONTACT
Brenda Finley
NNSA Production Office Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-3120

Steven Wyatt
NNSA Production Office Public Affairs
Office (865) 576-9918

Pantex firefighters flush water from a fire hydrant at the Plant this week. Each of the 250 hydrants on the Plant are flushed and tested annually to ensure they function properly and flow enough water to provide fire protection capabilities at Pantex.

By repurposing an old decontamination trailer, rather than buying a new one, B&W Pantex Radiation Safety personnel recently saved Pantex approximately $100,000.

In 2012, the search began for ways to improve the emergency response capabilities of the Pantex Radiation Safety Department with a mobile decontamination trailer. The purchase of a new trailer through the U.S. General Services Administration was approved at a cost of $122,000, but B&W Pantex kept searching for a less expensive alternative.

The search led to an available trailer already at Pantex that was in critical need of repair. After a lengthy search, employees from the Radiation Safety Department found a local business that could refurbish the trailer for $23,000.

The trailer is fully equipped with four showering units, water supply, self-contained waste handling, two 80-pound propane tanks and its own generator. It is intended for use in decontaminating victims in the unlikely event of a radiological or chemical accident. The trailer is currently slated to be used to decontaminate victims prior to moving them into the site’s medical facilities, but it remains mobile and could be used in other locations.

Through innovative thinking and a willingness to look for new solutions to existing problems, B&W Pantex personnel improved the radiation safety capabilities of the site while utilizing a local small business to control the cost of the project.

Fabrication capabilities and skillset unique to Enterprise

In a little-known world deep within Pantex, parts and tools are machined to perfection - in one instance to within 39 millionths of an inch - to ensure the absence of variation. Perfection is sought because these aren't just any parts and tools. They are fabricated, modified and repaired for work on nuclear weapons.

"Everything we do is related to a weapons process or supports it in some form or fashion," said Danny Brito, Production Tooling section manager. "Some of the tooling we fabricate is classified and must be made on Plant site. Onsite facilities allow for availability of resources and quick turnarounds."

Tools and packaging created at Pantex to service and protect our nation's nuclear deterrent at times require the use of unique processes and materials made exclusively at Pantex.

One such process used specifically by Pantex in the Machine Shop is called Lumiclading. It coats and protects aluminum alloys, is electrically conductive and provides a smooth and durable finish suited for use in tooling and tester parts for nuclear weapons. New within the last five years, the Lumiclad black oxide process is in demand both by national laboratories and the United Kingdom.

Working hand-in-hand with the Machine Shop is the Pantex Plastics Shop. Molds for parts are at times created in the Machine Shop, and then sent to the Plastics Shop for use. Other times, the Plastics Shop forms PVC using a vacuum process, then sends it to the Machine Shop to be cut to specification.

"The two craft shops openly discuss any issues and share their vast knowledge to ensure we all are successful as a team," said Jody Elliott, Production Tooling craft supervisor in the Plastics Shop.

Adiprene, the material used most often in the Plastics Shop, was created at the Plant nearly 40 years ago and is specially designed to protect nuclear weapons. With its various colors denoting hardness, or durometer, Adiprene is used to make seals, packaging and tools. Most recognizable of the products may be the red W76 nose cone.

When asked the "coolest" thing made out of Adiprene, Elliott said, "Believe it or not, spatulas to support operations where working with high explosives is a concern."

It's the people behind the products that make the difference, explained John Herrera, Production Tooling craft supervisor in the Machine Shop. "Excellent math skills, blueprint reading skills and computer programming knowledge enable our craftsmen and women to do this kind of work,"
he said.

The Machine and Plastics Shops have built a solid reputation at Pantex and elsewhere for quality, Brito said, adding that the traits shared by these unsung heroes that set them apart are their attention to detail, dedication to their work and holding themselves accountable to produce a high-quality product.

Largest federally owned wind farm to help weapons facility meet Administration energy goals

Construction officially begins Tuesday on the Pantex Renewable Energy Project, which will use the energy stored in Texas Panhandle winds to help power one of the key facilities in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons complex.

The project, known as PREP, will provide more than half of the annual electricity needs for the Pantex Plant when it goes live in approximately one year, and will be the largest federally owned wind farm in the country upon completion.

Officials from NNSA, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and project contractor Siemens Government Technologies, Inc., will gather at the plant today to break ground on the project.

The wind farm will consist of five 2.3 megawatt turbines located on 1,500 acres of land east of the Pantex Plant. Pantex is the primary site for the assembly, disassembly and maintenance of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

PREP will be a one-of-a-kind project that joins the national security mission of the NNSA with DOE’s mission to secure the country’s energy future through use of renewable energy sources. The windfarm will play a key role in helping Pantex achieve President Obama’s directive that the federal government lead the way in clean energy and energy efficiency. The Administration set a goal for the federal government to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

PREP will generate approximately 47 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which is more than 60 percent of the annual electricity need for Pantex, or enough electricity to power nearly 3,500 homes. The project will reduce CO2 emissions by over 35,000 metric tons per year; the equivalent of removing 7,200 cars from the road each year or planting 850,000 trees.

Siemens will construct PREP under an Energy Savings Performance Contract, delivering a turn-key wind farm system with an annual energy production guarantee for 18 years. Siemens will be paid directly from the value of guaranteed energy savings generated by the turbines, an amount expected to average $2.8 million annually.

The project has been in development for more than five years and relied on partnerships with numerous other entities, including Texas Tech University and the Federal Aviation Administration, which helped secure approval for siting the 400-foot tall wind towers in the controlled airspace near Pantex. The EPA was also a key contributor, partnering with Pantex to help continue a long tradition of environmental stewardship at the Plant.

Construction is expected to last until July 2014, when the blades of the project will start spinning in the strong Panhandle wind, delivering renewable energy to the Pantex Plant.

The PREP groundbreaking will start at 10 a.m. August 13 at the Pantex Plant, located 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas; north of U.S. Highway 60 on Farm-to-Market Road 2373.

Media wishing to cover the event should first contact Brenda Finley at the numbers above. You should plan to arrive by 9:30 a.m. CST at the 16-12 Visitor’s Service Building north of the main gate on FM 2373. Transportation will be provided to the groundbreaking site. A variety of background visuals will be available for photo and video. Interviews with top officials from DOE, NNSA and Siemens will also be available.

Joint Test Assemblies heighten confidence in nuclear stockpile

A mock nuclear weapon leaves California aboard a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. Radars in the United States and across the globe pick up its movement. Minutes later, the mock W87 plummets to earth over Kwajalein Island. Though it carries no special nuclear materials and, as such, is not capable of a nuclear yield, the value of this JTA is beyond measure.

Information gathered from the weapon’s sensors and instrumentation allows scientists and engineers from national laboratories to assess its performance to ensure that the weapon
functions as designed. This vital program enables the laboratories to annually validate the effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile to the President of the United States.

The Joint Surveillance Flight Test Program, under which JTAs are administered, is a collaboration between the NNSA and the Department of Defense. Testing has been ongoing for the life of the stockpile, and there are currently JTAs for all weapons except the W84, for which testing was discontinued several years ago.

“The labs design the JTAs, and we build and ship them to the military for test flights,” said Curtis Chamberlain, Pantex Production manager. “We also do post mortem or disassembly of the JTA after the flight on the B61, B83 and W80.” Others, such as the high-fidelity JTA, which use main charge high explosives, are destroyed on impact, though data gathered during the JTA’s flight is transmitted to naval ships or to ground stations.

Building the JTAs is a more detailed process than building a full-up nuclear weapon, according
to Chamberlain, because of the telemetry or “brains” that measure performance. Unlike protocol for production technicians elsewhere onsite, those working on JTAs can work alone and call on others for assistance when needed. “These guys are meticulous,” said Chamberlain.

“The most challenging part of these builds is the uniqueness of each build within the same
program. With those challenges comes the most rewarding part of building these units — we
confront and address each challenge and get the job done,” said Trey Gillman, Production section manager. “The production techs I have worked with and now supervise are some of the best on Plant site, and I consider that one of the biggest rewards also.”

JTAs are built using parent-unit parts to test their in-flight capabilities along with off-the-shelf and
vendor-supplied components, explained Ronnie Navarrette, Production Tooling department manager and former Production manager over the JTA program.

Technicians see the process from beginning to end — times four. Parts from recovered JTAs
may be used as many as three times if the mock weapon is dropped using a parachute. At their
fourth use, the parts are used on JTAs that are sent into free fall.

“JTAs are one of our end products, and I like the fact that they are actually used by our military,”
said Navarrette. “I like the deterrence value that they provide, playing an important role in
the security of our nation. And, they leave some fascinating contrails behind.”

For 20 years, the Pantex Lunch Bunch Club has been working to develop the gift of gab.

This week, the members of the Toastmasters International club gathered at Pantex to celebrate two decades of learning to be better speakers and better leaders. About 20 members, including three who were there for the founding of the club, celebrated the achievement, said Roger Coffey, one of the charter members.

Coffey said the club started in 1993 as a way to create a Pantex speaker’s bureau. Members worked to develop better presentation skills to represent Pantex at other sites and in the community. Over the years, more than 100 Pantexans passed through the organization, improving their public speaking skills by creating speeches and presentations for other members.

Many of the Lunch Bunch crew advanced to area, division, district and regional Toastmasters competitions.

For much of the past decade, the club was honored annually as a President’s Distinguished Club based on the members’ high level of achievement and participation, Coffey said.

Pantexans showed their community spirit June 13 when employees, along with their families and friends, volunteered their time at two local nonprofit organizations.

More than 40 volunteers came to an America Supports You Texas event to assemble care packages for our troops in Afghanistan. America Supports You Texas was founded in 2005 to create awareness and support for active military men and women, as well as veterans in our area. Over 200 boxes filled with snacks, personal care items and books were mailed overseas the next morning.

Another group of Pantexans and their families went to the High Plains Food Bank to lend a hand with its community garden. The garden was severely damaged in hail storms last month. The majority of the garden’s produce benefits children and afterschool programs throughout the year.

The garden has only two full-time employees and relies heavily on volunteers to help out. With the help of the Pantexan volunteers, the garden is expected to recover and produce fruits and vegetables well into the fall season.