Development and Functionalities of a Software Tool to Perform the Monitoring for Safeguards Activities of Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants Making Use of Load Cell, Accountancy Scale and on-line Mass Spectrometer Plant Data

Abstract

Safeguards verification of the flow and inventory of nuclear material at large scale Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants remains challenging because of the size of the facilities and because continuity of knowledge is not maintained on nuclear material over the process. Verifying the absence of facility misuse and undeclared production is also a challenge. Data analysis and evaluation has been experimented and demonstrated as a powerful tool to improve safeguards at the George Besse II GCEP in France where a data sharing system has been installed by the European Commission. This paper focuses on the data analysis and describes the functionalities of the “Inspector Studio GBII” application, which was developed by the Nuclear Security unit of the Joint Research Centre under the auspices of a joint support task France-European Commission to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Acquisition of data from the process load cells, accountancy scales and on-line mass spectrometers is briefly reported including IT security concerns. Then the paper describes the application features aiming at verifying integrity of the data and producing evaluation reports in support of the verification of nuclear material flows and the physical inventory. Specific modules are designed to support Interim Inventory Verifications and perform calculations of the nuclear material flows, the UF6 mass balance over a selected time period making use of the load cell data and the accountancy weights resulting in a consistency check of the shared data. Masses of nuclear material directly comparable to operator declarations are independently calculated for each automatically identified cylinder. Other modules compute the uranium enrichment on the basis of the mass flow distribution in the process. Curves representing the different flow rate ratios are available to confirm that the plant has been operated as declared. “Inspector Studio GBII” is used by DG ENER and the IAEA during the plant Physical Inventory Verification and results in reducing the burden to the operator. The toolbox in support of the flow verification is in the validation stage but has already been demonstrated as a credible option for improving the effectiveness of the verification while potentially reducing the associated inspection workload.JRC.G.II.7-Nuclear securit