International Exercise On The Analysis Of Uranium Ore Concentrates For Nuclear Forensics

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence (NSDD), has partnered with the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP), the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Energy Research (MTA-EK) on a joint sample analysis involving a set of uranium ore concentrate (UOC) samples. The objective of the exercise was for the participating laboratories to develop an analytical plan, analyze the samples, interpret the results and then finally use the measured material characteristics to determine whether the characteristics of the blind sample were consistent with any of the other samples in the sample set. A total of five laboratories in four different countries participated in the nuclear forensics analysis, each having a different level of experience analyzing UOC materials. International capacity building through joint sample analyses is considered a key pathway to building a sustainable nuclear forensics capability and informal network of nuclear forensics practitioners, while advancing the science of nuclear forensics. These scientific exchanges also lay the groundwork for the evaluation and interpretation of nuclear signatures associated with nuclear materials of interest. The IAEA’s recent publication on “<i>Development of a National Nuclear Forensics Library: A System for the Identification of Nuclear or Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Contro</i>l”, reemphasized the need for the development of a national nuclear forensics library (NNFL) in the context of investigations of nuclear and other radioactive material found out of regulatory control. According to this IAEA publication, it is important for a country to determine whether a nuclear forensics sample is consistent with its domestic nuclear material holdings. As a system for the identification of nuclear or other radioactive material, a national nuclear forensics library, can facilitate interpretation of findings and assist in this determination. This paper will describe the lessons learned from this recent joint sample analysis and the next steps in the development of an NNFL in Kazakhstan.