A Method for Assessing the Performance of a Material control and Accounting System at an operating Nuclear Fuel Processing Facility

Year
1981
Author(s)
Leon B. Ellwein, - Science Applications, Inc.
L. Harris - Science Applications Inc.
Willard D. Altman - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Richard H. Gramann - U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Abstract
A method for assessing the performance of a material control and accounting (MC&A) system in an operating nuclear fuel processing facility has been developed. The performance criteria inherent in the assessment are 16 key goals established by NRC's 1978 Material Control and Material Accounting Task Force. The top level of the assessment structure consists of four adversary goals (abrupt theft, protracted theft, theft from shipment and hoax) against which MC&A system performance is assessed. The bottom level of the structure consists of operational functions of a MC&A system: alarm generation, alarm assessment and loss asses-sment. Measures of effectiveness (MOEs) have been defined for each function. A complete MC&A assessment involves the evaluation of 30 MOEs by an assessment team. Methods for synthesizing these MOEs to produce assessments of MC&A performance at intermediate levels of the structure and to produce an overall performance assessment are described and have been computerized. Example synthesis exercises are presented.