Year
1994
Abstract
An extensive series of measurement experiments are being conducted in the United States and Argentina to evaluate a variety of gamma-ray and neutron nondestructive assay (NDA) measurement techniques for measuring and independently verifying the gas- and solidphase process inventory in gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment cascades. The nuclear material contained within the process equipment of a gaseous diffusion cascade is a major component of the overall nuclear material inventory at a gaseous diffusion plant. Quantifying and verifying this material is an important element of both domestic and international systems for accounting and control of nuclear materials. To date, two joint United States-Argentine field measurement evaluations have been conducted: one at the U.S. gaseous diffusion facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Portsmouth, Ohio; and a second at the Argentine gaseous diffusion complex in Pilcaniyeu, Argentina. The objectives of these field tests are to compare the performance of various NDA measurement methods for accuracy, repeatability, intrusiveness, and ease of implementation. The results from these measurement evaluations are being used to develop an approach that can be used by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials to independently verify the process inventory of a gaseous diffusion cascade without compromising the security of proprietary commercial, industrial, and technological information. The joint field evaluations are described, results to date are reported, and future work is outlined.