Year
2008
Abstract
The aging of the nuclear nonproliferation workforce means that in the coming years there will be a dire need for specialists in areas such as nuclear material safeguards measures and technologies. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is taking an active role in preparing a future generation of specialists in the field to meet this need. ORNL is establishing a safeguards implementation curriculum with associated universities that will encompass up to six 1-week training sessions on safeguards technologies and nondestructive assay (NDA) measurements. The first two pilot courses have been conducted in cooperation with the Texas A&M University Nuclear Engineering Department faculty. Workshops are being held at ORNL’s Safeguards Laboratory and are designed to provide students with (1) on-site, hands-on training with instruments and materials, (2) direct interaction with commercial vendors developing and manufacturing NDA instrumentation, and (3) tours of other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national assets and facilities at ORNL and the facilities of private corporations. In the future, these seminars and workshops will be conducted for students from other universities with interests in nuclear security and radiation measurement, detection, and monitoring. The topics of the practical training include uranium holdup measurements, uranium enrichment measurements, in situ measurements, neutron coincidence counting, and basic usage of gamma-ray spectroscopy equipment and systems from various vendors. Systems available for instruction and practical exercises by students include multichannel analyzers, portable nuclide identifiers, and other portable radiation detectors. These practical exercises prepare students not only for the field of international (and domestic) safeguards measurement under programs led by the International Atomic Energy Agency and DOE, but also support endeavors being led by the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and private industry to expand the knowledge base of the incoming nuclear workforce.