Year
2001
Abstract
In view of the current evolution of safeguards, the present paper analyses nonquantifiable aspects of safeguards and highlights the ones that are of interest for the applications in a MOX plant. This topic has been recently subject to discussions in the framework of the ESARDA MOX Working Group. Typically, in a large and modern MOX fabrication plant, quasi-continuous Euratom inspections are carried out throughout the year. Two core inspection activities are of particular interest here: · the Euratom inspectors compare, on a daily basis and with the help of a network of computer facilities, the declared operating data to the results of the on-line measurements; · on the process areas, where a large stock of plutonium dwells under loose form, the continuity of knowledge on the declared quantities of plutonium is assured by the control of the internal flows of nuclear material. For this purpose, on a weekly basis, the sampling plan for the interim verifications is calculated upon the declared operating data. The results of the continuous inspections are both of quantitative and non-quantitative nature. For instance, to the latter belongs the assurance that, although there is no usual Containment and Surveillance on the material flowing in the process areas, the operator’s data are flawless and that they match with the reality. The rising importance of non-quantifiable aspects will possibly not supercede the one of the quantitative aspects. There is however a possible complementary role for the non-quantifiable aspects when the Safeguards Authorities come to design a concrete implementation, that is a Safeguards approach for a given installation. The present paper ventures to evaluate the impact of the non-quantifiable aspects in reviewing the Safeguards criteria for a MOX fabrication plant. The consideration of non-quantifiable aspects, which by nature can be partially subjective, will also take into account the acquired experience in traditional, i.e. quantitative-based, safeguards to come to a concrete implementation. For this, the six-year experience of Safeguarding the French MOX Fabrication plant MELOX is discussed.