Year
2012
Abstract
A simulator for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant (GCEP) advanced safeguarding concepts has been designed and constructed at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). The objective of the GCEP Accountancy Simulator is to support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) mission of drawing credible conclusions regarding the correctness and completeness of declarations from a State System of Accounting and Control (SSAC). Incorporating off-the-shelf equipment currently being utilized by the IAEA into an interface which communicates with the operator’s accountancy scales and other in-process weighing and NDA systems allows for unattended monitoring of all bulk uranium handled at a GCEP. A key component of the simulator is the accountancy scale, a gyroscopic system capable of weight measurement up to 20,000 kg with accuracy to within 1 kilogram. The scale is used for weighing uranium hexafluoride (UF6) cylinders being received at or shipped from a facility, and with the safeguards enhancements developed through this project may be useful for joint operator and IAEA data collection. SRNL is addressing a number of vulnerabilities in collecting and authenticating data from an operator owned scale. These activities include: - safeguarding the gyroscopic scale electronics interface from attack by developing a data interface solution to be installed between the electronics unit and the operator data collection system as well as the IAEA collection computer, - safeguarding scale data transmission by encrypting data transmissions between the scale electronics unit and the IAEA collection computer. - safeguarding the gyroscopic scale mechanical structure/lever system by encasing the scale in a tamper indicating enclosure. This simulator provides a valuable tool for developing safeguards approaches for GCEP and other facilities and for training inspectors on the accountancy system. A remote unattended monitoring accountancy system such as this may allow the IAEA to reduce its footprint at operating facilities and provide data that will allow for fewer, but more efficient, inspections at the facility. This project will be discussed and the safeguards concepts stated above will be detailed.