Accounting For Nuclear Production and Loss at Kazakstan’s BN-350 Reactor

Slightly over one year ago, a hesitant journey began by Nuclear Material Protection, Control and Accounting (MPC&A) specialists from Kazakstan’s BN-350 fast breeder reactor and U.S. National Laboratories guided by the Department of Energy Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation (NN-40). The goal of the journey is to reduce the risk of the proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by upgrading the Material Control and Accounting (MC&A) and the Physical Protection (PP) systems at the BN-350. An excellent rapport and trust has evolved between the Kazakstani and U.S. experts which has enabled considerable progress in the BN-350 MPC&A upgrades. This paper discusses the BN-350 and Argonne National Laboratory cooperative effort to develop a validated world class system of computer hardware and software tailored to calculate nuclear production and loss at the BN-350 for use in the facilities’ nuclear material accounting system.