Year
2012
Abstract
The international initiative on a holistic Safety, Security and Safeguards (“3S”) concept for nuclear energy was launched with the Nuclear Safety and Security Group (NSSG) at the G8 summit in 2008, and is converging more and more towards the idea of internationally binding security and safety standards. In line with the European Council Conclusions of the 4th of February 2011, the European Commission is committed to accelerate, simplify, and modernise standardization procedures. Verification and detection in safeguarding nuclear material, conformity of information on materials and processes in nuclear forensics, as well as response to nuclear security incidents must be based on reliable measurement results ensured with appropriate material standards (e.g. certified reference materials) and quality control/conformity assessment tools. The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-JRC-IRMM) is one of the leading institutes that supplies nuclear reference materials and organises inter-laboratory comparisons for nuclear measurements in compliance with the respective international guidelines (ISO Guide 34:2009 and ISO/IEC 17043:2010). Increased needs for quality control tools in proliferation resistance, environmental sample analysis, and progress in measurement capabilities over the years are the trigger for the further development of reference materials and methods for safeguards verification, detection of undeclared activities and for nuclear forensics, contributing to international harmonisation/standardisation. IRMM is currently replacing some of its exhausted stocks of nuclear certified reference materials with new ones whose specifications are up-to-date and tailored for the demands of modern analytical techniques to support nuclear laboratories in meeting the revised International Target Values for Measurement Uncertainties in Safeguarding Nuclear Materials (ITVs). Another important aspect of conformity assessment is addressed by the IRMM Nuclear Signatures Inter- laboratory Measurement Evaluation Programme (NUSIMEP) with the objective of providing materials for measurements of trace amounts of elements characteristic for nuclear fuel cycle in environmental matrices. A recent highlight is the NUSIMEP-7 on measurements of Uranium isotope amount ratios in uranium particles in support to European Safeguards (DG ENER) and the IAEA’s network of analytical laboratories for environmental sampling (NWAL). Besides providing quality control, IRMM focuses also on another important aspect to support the standardisation process; namely the exchange via international platforms such as the ESARDA, the INMM, and technical/expert committees, but also via education and training (European Nuclear Higher Education Network). IRMM is currently chairing the ESARDA Working Group on Techniques and Standards for Destructive Analysis and participates, in the frame of the INMM annual meetings, as observer in the Technical Division Meetings of the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC N15).