Year
2005
Abstract
Nuclear non-proliferation requirements have strong effects on the development and implementation of nuclear fuel cycle programs in Japan and elsewhere. Remote monitoring technologies can help national nuclear industries demonstrate nonproliferation compliance and at the same time, decrease the cost of compliance. Secure communications using encryption technologies over the internet provide the final link to permit the full use of remote monitoring for safeguards. In addition to international safeguards applications, web-based remote monitoring can improve non-proliferation cooperation between neighboring countries and international partners in the nuclear fuel cycle. This project facilitates development of regional cooperation on remote monitoring between the JNC, partner laboratories in the US and East Asia, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Currently, the partners have tested secure, remote monitoring links in short term, bilateral demonstrations. In the current year we have upgraded the remote monitoring system in the fresh fuel storage at JNC’s Joyo experimental fast reactor. The new DCM-14 video surveillance system and IAEA-standard data acquisition software will make future maintenance and upgrades of the system more routine. A revised, secure communications (virtual private network, VPN) architecture increases information security of the system, while also observing recent VPN standards from the IAEA. The changes will provide a longterm foundation to deepen regional non-proliferation cooperation by becoming compatible with current IAEA-approved technologies for remote monitoring.