Year
2013
Abstract
The FSUE Research Institute of Scientific Instruments (RISI) has a well-established nuclear material control and accountability (MC&A) system. RISI has been collaborating with MC&A staff from the U.S.DOE National Laboratories for over ten years. The cooperation in the area of MC&A is implemented under the auspices of the U.S.-Russian Nuclear Materials Physical Protection, Control and Accountability Program. The goal of this cooperation is to upgrade, maintain and sustain the effectiveness of the MC&A system to ensure it meets Russian Federation regulatory requirements for control and accountancy of special nuclear materials. Recent collaboration has resulted in the integration of new hardware and operating procedures. This paper describes how technical and administrative controls are used by RISI to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the MC&A program is sustained when the configuration of the MC&A system changes. This paper identifies the Russian Federation regulatory requirements that must be followed when new hardware or methods are introduced into an established MC&A program. It also provides information on how the regulatory requirements flow down into technical and administrative procedures at the Institute. This includes requirements for developing equipment specifications for procurement, conducting acceptance and performance testing against established criteria, performing calibrations using traceable measurement devices, documenting results, developing quality records and developing or revising operating procedures. The paper discusses how RISI implements all facets of configuration management to ensure that access to nuclear material is controlled and that accounting of the nuclear material inventory is properly performed. This paper describes how the effectiveness of the RISI MC&A program is sustained when new equipment or methods are introduced into an established system.