INTERNATIONAL SAFEGUARDS AND NONPROLIFERATION ACTIVITIES AT THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX

The Y-12 National Security Complex has a long history of supporting international safeguards and nonproliferation including development of verification equipment, evaluation of environmental samples for safeguards purposes, and training of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors. Additionally, for 15 years beginning in 1994, Y-12 hosted monthly IAEA inspections of highly enriched uranium metal deemed excess to U.S. defense purposes and placed under IAEA safeguards in a storage vault on site. Currently Y-12 is contributing to a range of international nuclear safeguards projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) including development of safeguards policy, concepts and approaches, participation in training courses sponsored by NNSA’s Next Generation Safeguards Initiative for university students and interagency staff, and development of a mid-career outreach program to identify staff at the production facilities with competencies and expertise relevant to nuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards. Support is also being provided to IAEA training courses sponsored by the State Department’s U.S. Support Program to IAEA Safeguards. In addition, Y-12 operates the Nuclear Detection and Sensor Testing Center (NDSTC) which provides researchers unique opportunities to measure uranium in multiple forms and enrichments to test radiation sensors, detector instrumentation and associated systems. Commissioned in 2010, the NDSTC allows researchers from national laboratories, university research groups and nuclear instrumentation companies to conduct experiments to determine the capabilities of their detection equipment under various conditions and operational scenarios using either passive or active interrogation techniques. The presentation will describe the activities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in support of international safeguards and nuclear nonproliferation, discuss potential future projects and highlight career opportunities.