SAFEGUARDING ENRICHED URANIUM AT A CENTRIFUGE ENRICHMENT PLANT

The safeguarding of enriched uranium at a centrifuge enrichment plant is put into perspective by identifying the limited utility of the plant output (3% enriched uranium) to a potential malefactor. Nonetheless, enrichment plant safeguards are recognized as requiring considerations that are not necessary for other facilities in the nuclear fuel cycle. Existing NRC regulations relating to safeguards at uranium enrichment plants are described and the two main enrichment technologies, gaseous diffusion and gas centrifugation are compared. Marked differences are noted but characteristics of the centrifuge process are predicted to allow more effective accountability using this process. A number of unlikely scenarios of diversion of special nuclear material from a centrifuge enrichment plant are postulated and analyzed to determine the appropriate protection measures to be required to prevent their occurrence.