DEVELOPMENT OF THE VNIIEF NUCLEAR MATERIALS CENTRAL STORAGE FACILITY

The US Department of Energy (DOE) International Material Protection Control and Accounting (MPC&A) Program, in conjunction with the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (MinAtom) and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF), is initiating a program to establish a Central Storage Facility (CSF) at VNIIEF.* The purpose of the CSF is to increase the overall security and accountability of nuclear materials at VNIIEF through consolidation of inventories of nuclear materials into a modern facility with advanced physical security and material control and accounting (MC&A) capabilities. Preliminary project planning has been completed and is summarized. The summary includes a discussion of the Russian design engineering process and comparison to methods used on DOE projects in the US. Specific design documentation requirements will be addressed.