Year
2004
Abstract
Although the application of passive Tamper Indicating Device (TID) systems will always have their place in specific material storage applications, the implementation of an active seal system with remote interrogation / monitoring capabilities presents opportunities not previously achievable. This paper discusses the Savannah River Site (SRS) K-Area’s progress over the past few years to successfully implement and operate a remote material monitoring system using an active seal platform. Active TID systems are evolving to allow true remote monitoring of seal state data as well as incorporating monitoring of other variables such as material condition, facility status and/or environmental surroundings. Since 1996, K-Area has been testing and evaluating various TID systems for site-wide use. From the origins of a joint effort between SRS/Sandia National Labs/Russian Federation in 1999 to demonstrate transparency with active monitoring systems to having the first International Atomic Energy Agency recognized dual containment/surveillance system utilizing active seals in the United States, K-Area has been successful in implementing a system which utilizes an internally authenticated active TID to provide remote material monitoring. The Sandia-developed T-1 Electronic Sensor Platform (ESP), the primary component of the “dual surveillance” system installed in K-Area, has received “authorization for use” by both DOE-SRS and the IAEA. This paper reviews the implementation history of the active seal and the associated Material Monitoring System (MMS) in K-Area and discusses the benefits realized, the operational pitfalls which have been experienced, and the potential future dividends which could be realized with this system.