Design Considerations for Field Use of Safeguards Technology

The process of safeguards technology development, deployment, and use should be carried out in such a way that it supports the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) international safeguards verification mission, while also being efficient in terms of both cost and time. This process, however, may be hindered by a lack of communication between the scientists/engineers developing the technology and the safeguards inspectors who would be using the equipment, as well as by a general lack of facility experience among the scientists/engineers designing safeguards technology. The latter point is particularly true for new graduates and junior staff working at design laboratories, who typically have not had significant experience in a large-scale industrial facility setting or in working with or for the IAEA directly. As a result, junior safeguards staff may have difficulty understanding inspector needs and the limitations of using safeguards technology in the field, often leading to inefficiencies (in the form of increased cost and time spent) in the safeguards technology design process. To mitigate this knowledge gap, Y-12 has developed a list of design considerations that should be incorporated when developing safeguards technology. Project findings are detailed in this paper.