ABACC

Data para recebimento dos resumos adiada!

selmachi — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:59:45 +0000

A American Nuclear Society e o Institute of Nuclear Material Management – INMM adiou para 1 de maio próximo, o recebimento dos resumos para a conferência “9th International Conference on Facility Operations-Safeguards Interface”, que será realizada entre os dias 23 e 28 de setembro de 2012 em Savannah, Estados Unidos.
Se você é um especialista em tecnologia de salvaguardas ou operação de instalações nucleares e atua no Brasil e na Argentina, não deixe de compartir suas experiências com seus pares!

Para mais informações acesse http://icfo-9.org/

Envio de Abstracts para a Conferência sobre “Facility Operations-Safeguards Interface”

selmachi — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:47:08 +0000

O Institute of Nuclear Material Management está recebendo contribuições de especialistas em tecnologia de salvaguardas e operação de instalações nucleares para a “9^th International Conference on Facility Operations-Safeguards Interface”. A conferência será realizada entre os dias 23 e 28 de setembro de 2012 em Savannah, Estados Unidos.

A data limite para submeter os abstracts é 1 de abril de 2012.

Para mais informações acesse http://icfo-9.org/

ABACC´s Experience in Implementing Short Notice Random Inspections (SNRI) Regime at Fuel Fabrication Plants in Brazil and Argentina

selmachi — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:37:28 +0000

As a result of discussions initiated in 2006 among the IAEA, ABACC and the respective States Parties, the new inspection scheme was designed to be jointly applied by ABACC and IAEA to the commercial fuel fabrication plants in Brazil and Argentina, to fulfill with the new safeguards evaluation criteria for domestic and international receipts into and shipments from fuel fabrication/conversion facilities with inventories or throughput higher than 2 SQ, in effect since 2007, in compliance with the relevant provisions of the Quadripartite Agreement (INFCIRC/435). Taking into account each plant specific operational and administrative requirements, particular SNRI procedures applicable to each facility were discussed. Several issues were agreed, such as: i) channels of communication between the operator/national authorities and the agencies for E-mailbox operational declarations and notifications to support SNRI; and ii) improvements in the coordination arrangements between the agencies for triggering and carrying out the joint inspections, in order to guarantee that 100% of domestic receipts or shipments are randomly verified by both agencies in a way to avoid duplication of verification efforts and additional burden to the operators and national authorities. Following the field trials completed early in 2008, the new regime started being implemented in the middle of 2008 in both countries. This paper will briefly describe the progress attained since the field trials period of SNRI at the two fuel fabrication plants, the current situation of the coordination of activities within ABACC and among the IAEA, ABACC and the operator/national authorities, and the expected challenges for future.

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ABACC Experience in Applying Surveillance at Centrifuge Enrichment Facilities

selmachi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:19:21 +0000

This paper presents the different applications of surveillance systems as a tool to implement the proposed safeguards approach at enrichment facilities safeguarded by ABACC, taking into account the non-disclosure of sensitive information and the optimization of the inspection. The use of surveillance at various locations of the plant, including the cascade hall, is analyzed in connection to the purpose of the safeguards approach and diversion scenarios. Technical requirements of these surveillance systems are also discussed taking in consideration the availability of the equipment and the feasibility to be used during safeguards inspections. The paper addresses also the benefits and difficulties of incorporating new technologies to surveillance systems, such as interactivity with other safeguards instruments and remote access, when these systems are applied at enrichment facilities.

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Investigation of Combined Measurements with Three-Dimensional Design Information Verification System and Gamma-Ray Imaging Systems for International Safeguards Applications

selmachi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:56:00 +0000

This paper describes the collaborative effort; presents the technologies under investigation, Compton imaging and coded aperture gamma-imager prototypes, and the 3D laser imager; and introduces the preliminary results of measurements conducted in controlled environments.

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Safeguards Research and Development at ABACC. Accomplishments and future strategy

selmachi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:37:24 +0000

This paper summarizes the R&D projects that ABACC has participated in or accomplished. It also presents the policy applied by ABACC for R&D in new safeguards system technology, and personnel qualification to fulfill the needs on the present and future safeguards and non proliferation applications. It also addresses the R&D collaboration with other non proliferation and safeguards organizations.

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Study of Performance of a Lanthanum Bromide Detector for Uranium Enrichment Determination in UF6 Cylinders

selmachi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:25:28 +0000

(ABSTRACT) Lanthanum Bromide (LaBr3) is a type of scintillation detector that has become commercially available recently. According to the manufacturer and studies conducted at a laboratory level, this new gamma-ray detector presents improved characteristics in comparison with traditional sodium iodine (NaI) detectors. Better energy resolution, relative efficiency and stability with temperature are some of the features that may impact positively the performance of the measurements made with this detector. Uranium enrichment measurements performed in the field is of special interest for several applications, as nuclear safeguards. This paper presents the results of a study to evaluate the performance of a Lanthanum Bromide probe model BrilLanceCe 380 (B380) to determine the uranium enrichment in 30B UF6 cylinders containing low enriched uranium. This activity is routinely performed by national and international safeguards inspectors in Brazilian fuel fabrication and enrichment plants. The high-purity germanium detector (HPGe) is usually selected as the standard spectroscopic system in this case. However, with the use of advanced gamma-ray analysis codes, such as NaIGEM®, the performance of NaI for this application has significantly improved. In this study, a new LaBr3 detector and a version of the NaIGEM code specially developed to analyze the collected gamma-ray spectra constitute the measurement system under evaluation. The possibility to have a technique that is compliant with international standards and meets the needs of national and international safeguards organizations is discussed.

ABACC and JRC Cooperation on 3D Laser Range Finder (3DLR) for Design Information Verification

selmachi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:13:11 +0000

This paper presents the advantages of the technology, the applications envisaged by ABACC, and the technical features of the 3DLR system for these applications. The paper also describes the operational aspects of the application and the necessary procedure to be agreed among operator, States and Safeguards agencies (ABACC and IAEA). The paper addresses also the status of the ABACC/JRC cooperation in this field.

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UF6 sampling method using Alumina. ESARDA 2007

selmachi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:11:03 +0000

The ABACC-Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials has developed a UF6 sampling method for enrichment determination (named ABACC-Cristallini Method) which uses a fluorothene P-10 tube type containing alumina pellets that absorb and hydrolyze UF6 directly during the sampling. The alumina pellets retain up to few hundreds milligrams of U (in a solid compound – UO2F2) without the need of using liquid nitrogen during sampling. This new method has advantages compared to the actual method that uses a Hoke tube as: the UF6 sample content left at the installation (archive sample) will be lower and less reactive, the laboratory procedures for manipulating the sample will be much easier, the residual uranium retained at the laboratory will be much lower, the sampling device is less expensive, there will be saves in transport cost as well, and it is relatively safer concerning radiological protection aspects during transportation. This paper describes the physical principle of the new method, the experiments carried out at laboratory taking into account different process parameters foreseen in real cases, and the development of a procedure for recovering the uranium retained inside the alumina pellets for the U enrichment measurement. The behavior of the new method is compared to the traditional one, showing no loss of accuracy for the enrichment determination with real UF6 samples taken from enrichment plants. The qualification strategy applied to the new method for routine safeguard application at the enrichment plants is presented in this paper as well.

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UF6 Sampling Method using Alumina. INMM 2008

selmachi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:53:05 +0000

This paper describes the physical principle of the new method, the experiments carried out at laboratory taking into account different process parameters foreseen in real cases, and the development of a procedure for recovering the uranium retained inside the alumina pellets for the U enrichment measurement. The behavior of the new method is compared to the traditional one, showing no loss of accuracy for the enrichment determination with real UF6 samples taken from enrichment plants. The qualification strategy applied to the new method for routine safeguard application at the enrichment plants is presented in this paper as well.

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