A Role for Distributed Processing in Advanced Nuclear Materials Control and Accountability Systems

Networking and distributed processing hard ware and software have the potential of greatly enhancing nuclear materials control and accountability (MC&A) systems, both from safeguards and process operations perspectives while allowing timely integrated safeguards activities and en hanced computer security at reasonable cost. A hierarchical distributed system is proposed consisting of groups of terminals and instruments 1n plant production and support areas connected to microprocessors that are connected to either larger microprocessors or minicomputers. These micros and/or minis are connected to a main machine, which might be either a mainframe or a super minicomputer. Data acquisition, preliminary input data validation, and transaction processing occur at the lowest level. Transaction buffering, resource sharing, and selected data processing occur at the intermediate level. The host computer maintains overall control of the data base and provides routine safeguards and security reporting and special safeguards analyses. The research described outlines the distribution of MC&A system requirements in the hierarchical system and distributed processing applied to MC&A. The structuring and development of a limited distributed MC&A prototype system, including human engineering concepts, are described. Implications of integrated safeguards and computer security concepts to the distributed system design are discussed.