Los Alamos National Laboratory is still facing issues in meeting its hydrodynamic test schedule, the Department of Energy’s Inspector General said Friday in a
report that suggests National Nuclear Security Administration life extension work could be impacted. The IG said 12 out of 19 planned hydrodynamic tests from Fiscal Years 2010 to 2013 were delayed from one to three years because of “various inefficiencies and project management weaknesses,” creating a logjam in the lab’s test queue. Major issues facing the program include inefficient pit shell fabrication as well as management problems with determining cost, schedule and NNSA needs, and project management issues in conducting the tests. “Without changes, LANL is at risk of not meeting future hydrotest needs, a performance issue that could potentially affect NNSA’s fundamental mission,” the IG said.
The IG suggested the lab’s problems jeopardize its ability to meet a goal of 10 hydrotests per year beginning in FY 2016, and endanger the Stockpile Stewardship Program and B61 life extension program, which will rely on scheduled hydrotests. “Without critical hydrotest data, LANL’s delays could affect NNSA’s ability to assess and validate the current stockpile and evaluate performance of replacement parts and materials for the LEPs, the IG said. In a response to the report, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said the agency agreed with its recommendations and still plans to meet its hydrotest plan. “Los Alamos has already initiated actions to increase the formality with which it plans, fabricates and executes hydrotests, including the formation of a ‘Hydro Council’ that reviews proposed tests and identifies challenges that could impact manufacturing and fielding,” Klotz wrote.
