The INL Nuclear and Radiological Activity Center

Since 1949 Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and its predecessor organizations have served as a hub for research and development on nearly all aspects of the civilian nuclear fuel cycle for peaceful applications. Throughout this period work at INL has included the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities from bench-scale to industrial-scale operations including fuel fabrication, reactor operation, used-fuel storage, fuel reprocessing, and waste consolidation and storage. As a result of these activities INL now serves as the steward of a singularly-important resource of radiological and special nuclear materials with relevance for science-based studies relating to material protection control and accountancy, safeguards, nonproliferation, arms control, treaty verification, and nuclear forensics. Over the last decade INL has been aggressively working to provide access to these materials to the broadest possible group of practitioners in these fields. While simulations serve as an immeasurable resource for advancing technology for these areas, ultimately, working directly with special nuclear materials is a necessity. Recognizing this, in 2012, INL created the Nuclear and Radiological Activity Center (NRAC) to further improve its ability to support visiting national laboratory, academic, and commercial research teams seeking to perform work using these materials. In this paper we summarize INL's capabilities for supporting research and development, test and evaluation, training, and education with special nuclear materials, using examples of recent activities at INL to illustrate resources and opportunities.