FROM IMMEDIATE UPGRADES TO THE PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MODERN METHODS OF MPC&A AT LUCH

The State S&R Institute SIA (Scientific and Industrial Association) ALuch@ is a Minatom facility. For over 50 years Luch has been working with highly-enriched uranium on developing and testing new experimental high-temperature fuel elements and fuel assemblies, as well as reprocessing various products, materials, and scrap (both Aclean@ and contaminated) containing uranium of different enrichment. Joint work under the bilateral government agreement on cooperation in the area of MPC&A with U.S. national laboratories started at Luch in 1996. During that period from the start of cooperation experts at Luch defined and implemented a number of immediate MPC&A upgrades. To safeguard and ensure the non-proliferation of nuclear materials at Luch the following immediate upgrades were introduced: $ Full completion of the consolidation of nuclear materials in the Central Storage Facility, thus securing over 40 % of very attractive HEU for the overall Luch site; $ Completion of immediate upgrades for the access control systems at three Luch facilities, including the construction of guard posts equipped with portals and hand-held monitors for the detection of any unauthorized transfers of nuclear materials;