CONTINUOUS SAFEGUARD INVENTORY INSPECTION: ENHANCED SAFEGUARDS WITH REDUCED FACILITY IMPACTS

For over two decades, a continuous inventory inspection regime has been used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at nuclear production facilities around the world to gain enhanced safeguards assurance while reducing facility impacts. This approach is not compatible with the current Department of Energy (DOE) Order requirements for domestic safeguards. However, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has recently participated in writing the physical inventory criteria for the next version of the DOE Order and has specifically included consideration for a continuous inventory inspection regime. In addition, we are offering to demonstrate a continuous inventory inspection regime at the LANL Plutonium Facility. The primary facility benefit is the elimination of a facility-wide shutdown-cleanout inventory and elimination of short-time-frame, high-volume inventory inspection activities. In this way, inventory inspection activities occur with facility activities instead of replacing facility activities. This results in significant facility resource leveling and productivity improvements. At the same time, significant improvements in safeguards assurance are gained as well. This paper will cover the basic concepts of continuous inventory inspection and give an example of how such a regime could operate in a facility, and it will compare the current periodic approach to safeguards inspection with a continuous approach. This example will be based on a model using active vault and processing areas. Projected operational cost savings will also be presented.