Year
2001
Abstract
Integrated safeguards approaches that are now under development by the IAEA contain several important proposals for improving the cost-effectiveness of safeguards implementation. Increased utilization of randomized unannounced inspections (RUIs) is one such proposal. This paper discusses the purpose of RUIs, their effectiveness, the conditions to be met and some of the practical implementation difficulties that must be overcome. The LEU fuel cycle (i.e., LEU fuel fabrication facilities and LWRs) in Japan is the specific case where RUIs are considered in this paper but the results are easily generalized to other facility and material types. Randomization is carried out among facilities in terms of an objective that non-diversion of LEU from declared activities is concluded for the country as a whole. One result indicates that Age ncy inspection effort can be substantially reduced by the introduction of RUIs. For short notice random inspections (SNRIs), currently implemented in Japanese LEU fuel fabrication facilities, the number of inspections can be described in terms of residence time (the expected minimum period material is available for verification) and the non-detection probability. When RUIs are extensively introduced and the evaluation is carried out at the level of the State, the concept of timeliness becomes more flexible with corresponding changes in the traditional views on how the achievement of timeliness is evaluated. The effect of RUIs on facility operators is important from the standpoint of practicability. An operator must be prepared to accept an inspection at anytime including the establishment of infrastructure necessary to report the facility inventory in essentially real-time. This is easily accomplished for item facilities but it can be difficult and costly for bulk facilities. All inspection requirements may not always be met for some unforeseen reasons. Some of the practical difficulties are described.