Design of the Improved Plutonium Canister Assay System 2 (IPCA 2)

This paper describes the requirements, design and initial performance of the Improved Plutonium Canister Assay System 2 (IPCA 2), a non-destructive assay (NDA) system to measure feed canisters of bulk mixed uranium-plutonium oxide (MOX) powders at the input to the proposed Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plant (J-MOX). The IPCA 2 design has evolved from the existing Improved Plutonium Canister Assay System, which is in current use measuring canisters of product MOX powders at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant in the Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Under the auspices of the Japan Safeguards Office, (JSGO), the IPCA 2 was jointly designed by the Nuclear Material Control Center (NMCC) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). IPCA 2 is intended to meet a performance specification of a total measurement uncertainty of less than 0.85% on plutonium mass. Achievement of bias defect level performance at the input (and output) of the plant significantly increases the accuracy of safeguards verification measurements. Furthermore, the IPCA 2 will operate in an unattended mode, thus requiring relatively few inspector resources. Monte Carlo design, modeling results and laboratory data taken to date confirming the performance of the IPCA 2 are presented.