International safeguards for an automated MOX (mixed-oxide) fuel fabrication facility

Technical Report · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6847175

Pillay, K K.S.; Stirpe, D; Picard, R R

This report presents details of our recent examination of international safeguards issue relevant to a state-of-the-art, mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility, located in the United States, which may be placed under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. The unique aspects of this study are: (1) recognition of a widespread industrial practice using a rather limited number of quality assurance measurements for the operator's materials accountancy system; (2) investigation of a bimonthly materials balance closing, which does not conform to timeliness goals of the IAEA but is dictated by the facility; and (3) consideration of the IAEA's need to optimize inspection resources. Assuming IAEA's accommodation of reasonable facility-specific limitations, we conclude that it is possible to achieve many of the IAEA safeguards goals, such as timely detection of both abrupt and protracted losses. However, likely constraints on IAEA inspection resources as well as limitations in present nondestructive assay techniques for verifying plutonium contents of large fuel assemblies would decrease the detection probabilities for several falsification strategies. 4 refs., 4 figs., 10 tabs.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6847175
• Report Number(s): LA-11219; ON: DE88015051
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050700 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Fuels Production & Properties
055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACCOUNTING
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
AUTOMATION
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DETECTION
ELEMENTS
FUEL FABRICATION PLANTS
FUELS
IAEA SAFEGUARDS
INSPECTION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIAL BALANCE
METALS
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR MATERIALS DIVERSION
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PRODUCTION
SAFEGUARDS
SOLID FUELS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES