The Need for Experimental Data for LEMUF Calculations

The calculation of the limit of error of MUF (LEMUF) must be based entirely on measured quantities of special nuclear material (SNM) that appear in the material balance. Measurement of these quantities must be technically valid and based on good experimental data. This paper illustrates, through a sample calculation of the propagated limits of error across the entire material balance of a typical fuel facility, how the systematic and random components of measurement errors contribute to the LEMUF. The example gives a typical list of the materials that must be measured, a set of individual measurement errors that must be estimated and incorporated into the propagated error, and the results of the sample calculations.