Year
1995
Abstract
Formal interactions with the Kurchatov Institute (KI) began in the summer of 1994 on the topic of material protection, control and accountability (MPC&A). Following technical discussions, contracts were placed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) with the Kurchatov Institute to implement a nuclear material accounting system and a physical security system at a demonstration facility of the Institute. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory implemented in May 1995 a task to measure by gamma-ray spectroscopy the uranium enrichment of the fuel in the two critical assemblies within the demonstration facility. Supporting contracts by the other DOE laboratories that are in place or are in the process of being placed. To apply the concepts and technology in a tangible manner, a facility at the Kurchatov Institute was selected for a demonstration. Two critical assemblies are located within the demonstration facility which contain an appreciable amount of special nuclear material. This material is not considered to be classified, and is, therefore, accessible to personnel from the United States. This effort is part of a larger effort called the Laboratory-to-Laboratory Nuclear Materials Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A) Program which was created in response to a DOE directive to the national laboratories to develop a cooperative program between the US and Russian institutes in the areas of nuclear materials non-proliferation. The Laboratory-to-Laboratory MPC&A program is designed to complement other US/Russian MPC&A programs, such as the Government-to-Government programs established under Nunn-Lugar legislation The Kurchatov personnel completed the Physical Inventory Taking (PIT) at the two critical assemblies and began use of a computerized material accounting system developed jointly by Kurchatov and Los Alamos specialists. The system tracks all movement of fuel within the facility and will be used as the basis of the computerized material accounting system for the Kurchatov site and for other Russian institutes. Kurchatov successfully demonstrated the computerized material accounting system in December of 1994. Sandia worked very closely with Kurchatov and Eleron personnel in establishing a physical security system for the demonstration facility. In December 1994, Kurchatov demonstrated the physical security system. On February 24, 1995, Kurchatov more formally demonstrated the physical security system to both US and Russian observers. The physical security system will serve as the model for followon facilities within the Kurchatov Institute and at other Russian facilities. This paper includes a description of the work completed at the Kurchatov Institute and an overview of the follow-on work that is currently in progress.