Year
1998
Abstract
In 1994, the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an agreement of cooperation in the area of international safeguards. During 1997, several projects were undertaken to strengthen safeguards with improved measurement methods, safeguards approaches, and inspection procedures. Positive results were achieved through technical consulting, training, and acquisition of safeguards equipment. Areas of technical cooperation include destructive and non-destructive analysis, remote monitoring, environmental sampling, containment and surveillance, and information management. In the area of destructive analysis, the ABACC network of analytical laboratories began to participate in the Safeguards Measurement Evaluation Program (SME) of DOE’s New Brunswick Laboratory, which also is participating in the second round of the ABACC Intercomparison Program. For non-destructive analysis, several instruments were acquired and specialized training courses and workshops were conducted in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. Seminars and reciprocal visits were conducted in environmental sampling, information management, and remote monitoring. Courses on containment and surveillance were conducted for inspectors and equipment was acquired for evaluation and use. Technical cooperation has been enhanced through the designation of U.S. Nonproliferation and Disarmament Funds to support training and the acquisition of safeguards instrumentation. The technical cooperation between ABACC and DOE has been mutually beneficial in evaluating and implementing improved, costeffective measures for verifying nuclear materials.