IAEA Field Trials of the Remote Monitoring System for Safeguards Applications at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Facility

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has monitoring tasks associated with monitoring the status of nuclear materials stored around the world. In support of the IAEA, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been developing and applying technologies that can enhance the efficiency of the inspectors for various facilities. The DOE has had an International Remote Monitoring Program (IRMP) to support demonstrations with several bilateral agreements between the U.S. and other countries. The DOE demonstrated the IRMP during the 1995 IAEA General Conference, Sept. 18-20, in Vienna, Austria. A facility at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., Y-12 complex was configured to allow for satellite transmission of data to the IAEA. As a result of the General Conference demonstrations, the DOE and IAEA have developed a plan for afield trial to be conducted by the IAEA to evaluate the technologies associated with the remote monitoring system.