Real-time inventory system for special nuclear material in storage

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:6011311

Nicholson, N; Atencio, J D; Kuckertz, T H; Ethridge, C D

Special nuclear material (SNM) in long-term storage is particularly vulnerable to diversion, hence it must be inventoried periodically. Inventory procedures are time consuming and expose personnel unnecessarily to radiation. Los Alamos scientists have developed an alternative method for taking inventory: a system that provides continuous surveillance of all SNM stored in a vault. The system features a network of shelf monitors, one monitor for each container in storage. A shelf monitor detects the gamma-ray emissions and weight of the container resting on it and transmits the data in real time to a minicomputer for analysis. Reliable and inexpensive, the shelf monitors are attractive for deployment in a storage facility where hundreds or thousands of them are required.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6011311
• Report Number(s): LA-9824-MS; ON: DE83015595
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
COMPUTERS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GAMMA RADIATION
INVENTORIES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MANAGEMENT
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
RADIATIONS
REAL TIME SYSTEMS
STORAGE
SURVEILLANCE
WEIGHT