Objectives and Techniques of an Advanced Safeguards System for the Candu Reactor

In the 1970s, the IAEA was unable, due to resource limitations, to develop and administer safeguards for some types of nuclear facilities. In 1975, Canada began to actively assist the IAEA with manpower and research and development efforts to meet this requirement for CANDU* reactors. As a result of this collaboration, a CANDU safeguards system was developed, based on an unattended instrumented scheme. The safeguards equipment needed for this scheme has been developed and is being installed in the 600-MW CANDU nuclear generating stations (NGS). Similar equipment is being developed for the Bruce and Pickering multi-unit CANDU stations. This paper describes various aspects of the CANDU safeguards scheme, including the containment and surveillance equipment that has been developed. It includes consideration of the following: - objectives of the safeguards system - role of equipment in meeting system objectives cost and maintenance of equipment capabilities and limitations of equipment effectiveness of the scheme and equipment in providing assurance of diversion detection.