Aldermaston%20and%20Burghfield

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Aldermaston and Burghfield
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• 1952 1987
• Atomic Weapons Research
• Establishment
• 1987
• Atomic Weapons Establishment

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• Research
• Computers
• Lasers
• Core Punch
• Material Science

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• Computers

Aldermaston Blue Oak 2002
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• Computers

Blue Gene Lawrence Livermore Most powerful
computer in the world
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Computer projection (Teraflops)
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Cost of nuclear computing

• US

• AWE

320 million per year
?
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Orion Laser
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Orion Laser
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US Equivalent NIF
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US NIF
Completion date was 2002 now 2009 Cost was
500 million, now 2 billion
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AWE Proposed Orion Laser
Completion date 2012 ?? Cost ????
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Current AWE Core Punch
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Core Punch
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Core Punch
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Core Punch
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Proposed Core Punch Facility
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US Equivalent - DARHT
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US DARHT
Completion date was 2002 now 2008 Cost was
32 million, now 174 million
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AWE Proposed Core Punch
Completion date 2012 ?? Cost ????
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Material Science

• Proposed new facilities atAldermaston and
  possibly also at Burghfield.

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US Equivalent - CMRR

• Chemical Metallurgical Research Replacement
  (Los Alamos)
• Timescale
• started 2002
• completion date 2014
• Cost
• 500 million

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AWE Material SciencesFacilities

• Completion date 2012 ??
• Cost ???

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Production

• Plutonium (primary)
• Uranium (secondary)
• Warhead Assembly

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Plutonium production A90
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Plutonium production A90
Built from 1980 to 1997 To be refurbished.
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Work of A90
Primary
Secondary
A90 makes the plutonium pit at the centre of the
Primary
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Uranium Production Facility
Site of proposed Uranium Production Facility
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US equivalent

• Proposed Uranium Production Facility for the
  Y-12 site

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Proposed US Uranium Facility

• Start 2006
• Completion 2013
• Cost 400 m

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Work of Uranium Prodution Facility

• Radiation case

Primary
Secondary
US and AWE Uranium Production Facilities make
secondaries and radiation cases.
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Warhead assembly - Burghfield

• Current facility

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New assembly facility - Burghfield
Proposed new facility

• Current facility

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AWE Management Ltd
Lockheed Martin

• BNFL

Serco
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The view from Lockheed Martin
Sandia National Laboratory
Trident contract

• AWE

Trident Missile Replacement
Reliable Replacement Warhead
Accuracy Adjunct