Lab Spotlight

The only facility of its kind, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) High Explosives Applications Facility (HEAF) provides national leadership in the study of chemical high explosives and other energetic materials. HEAF combines in one location all of the various disciplines and work areas critical to high-explosives research and development. Safe operations are paramount in the firing operations area and at chemistry laboratories for synthesis, formulation, characterization, and testing of energetic materials. HEAF includes seven fully-contained firing vessels, including one with a firing capacity of up to 10 kilograms of explosive weight. HEAF, an National Nuclear Security Administration Center of Excellence, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2015.