National Nuclear Materials Archive Specimen Selection And Sampling At The Y-12 National Security Complex

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Y-12 National Security Complex (Y‑12) is a designated National Nuclear Materials Archive (NNMA) site. In order to support the NNMA program, Y-12 is contributing to the fulfillment of specimen needs by implementing a contemplative and anticipatory specimen selection and sampling process for items of nuclear forensic interest. Y‑12’s historical and continued contributions to the DOE/NNSA nuclear inventory have made the site a prime candidate for finding items of interest for the NNMA program with a traceable production pedigree. The NNMA specimen selection process is guided by the designated NNMA Program Manager. NNMA specimen demand is constituted by the nuclear material items that are representative of the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE)/NNSA historical and current nuclear fuel cycle. The items of interest are selected as NNMA specimens based on the program demand guidance via NNMA Blue Books. These Blue Books provide the starting point for the subsequent specimen sampling which is an intrinsic function of the NNMA. Y-12 uses various processes for determining the specific items that meet NNMA demand needs and then schedules sampling for subsequent analytical functions. Selection and sampling these items for the NNMA program is a dedicated effort that spans thousands of items located in various buildings throughout the large Y-12 complex. Selecting and sampling these specimens support various U.S. counterterrorism and counterproliferation missions by enabling comparative analyses against interdicted or other nuclear materials located outside of administrative control. Through these activities, Y-12’s expertise with U.S. nuclear production and processing operations contributes to the creation of a robust nuclear forensics capability.