Nuclear Archaeology In Action: Preserving The History Of The Jeep II Reactor

Deeper reductions in the nuclear arsenals will require a much better understanding of historic fissile material production. The concept of “nuclear archaeology” has been considered since the 1990s to provide the tools and methods to develop independent production estimates, primarily based on nuclear forensic techniques. Here, we propose a framework for reconstructing the history of a nuclear program that complements traditional nuclear archaeology techniques by examining the role of operating records to support such an effort. As a test case, we use the JEEP II reactor, a civilian research reactor that operated at a power level of 2 MW at Norway’s Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) for more than fifty years. We have collected, analyzed, and started to preserve the reactor’s operating records, which exist on both analog and digital media, and used these records to simulate parts of its history using OpenMC/ONIX neutronics calculations. A particular focus of this project has been on digital data curation and preservation to confirm and maintain the integrity, authenticity, and provenance of these records. In developing guidelines for best practices that conform to existing standards for long-term digital preservation and curation, we hope this project can help lay the basis for future nuclear archaeology efforts to support nuclear arms control and disarmament.