Year
2016
Abstract
Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has a long history in nuclear fuel cycle activities that has led to contributions to international safeguards. SRNL is recognized as an international authority on plutonium assay by controlled-potential coulometry and has installed coulometers at the IAEA. SRNL staff also provides technical input and organizational support to the IAEA in the area of standard reference materials and characterization requirements that are critical for safeguards measurements. SRNL has supported safeguards technology development in various areas including environmental sampling, global cylinder monitoring and infrastructure development for testing. Specific projects have included establishment of a safeguards test bed at the H Canyon SRS chemical reprocessing facility, development and demonstration of a tamper-indicating continuous aerosol monitor for safeguarding bulk processing facilities, data splitting devices for joint-use equipment currently being tested in South Africa and assistance with the Unattended Cylinder Verification Station (UCVS) being tested at Westinghouse Electric Company’s Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility. SRNL also provides subject matter expert support to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) and to the NNSA’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation program in the areas of the IAEA’s Additional Protocol, export control, destructive assay and non-destructive assay. This paper will provide a high-level overview of these SRNL programs that support the field of international safeguards and their recent progress.