ABACC participates in the 61st Annual Meeting (virtual) of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management - INMM - from 12 to 16 July 2020

ABACC participated in the Annual Meeting of INMM, un institute that promotes research and development, as well as the practical application of new concepts, approaches, techniques and equipment for the management of nuclear materials. The annual meeting aims to exchange information and technical knowledge on aspects related to the management and control of nuclear material, with an emphasis on international safeguards, physical security, non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

The Secretary of ABACC, Mr. Marco Marzo, was invited to participate in the opening ceremony, together with the president of INMM and other authorities. Mr. Marzo highlighted the important aspects of ABACC’s verification activities, in particular the challenges in successfully conducting ABACC and IAEA inspections in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, which counted with the cooperation of national authorities of Argentina and Brazil. He mentioned the importance of the activities of institutions such as INMM and their contribution to the exchange of knowledge and experience in technologies, methods and concepts of safeguards, as well as the collaborative relationship between both organizations. He also mentioned that next year it will be celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Agreement between Brazil and Argentina, which gave rise to ABACC and the Common System of Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (SCCC). He mentioned that the commemorative events are planned to be held during 2021 and expressed the hope that representatives of institutions such as INMM and ESARDA can participate in these events

On this occasion, ABACC presented two works: “Laser Curtain for Containment Advanced Technology: Testing for Dual Use as a Component at Spent Fuel Dry Storage in Atucha NPP”, co-authored with the Argentine Regulatory Authority and, “Safeguards Measures to Spent Fuel Transfers Monitor from Nuclear Power Plants to Dry Storage in Argentina and Brazil”.

Along the event, ABACC participated in different thematic sessions and technical meetings, such as those corresponding to the ASC Committee N15, related to the standards and guidelines for analytical measurement and non-destructive tests, and to the Technical Division of International Safeguards, sharing the news about the implementation of the SCCC and the coordination and cooperation between ABACC and the IAEA for the application of safeguards under the Quadripartite Agreement.

The ASC Committee N15 asked ABACC to present the highlights of the last year. ABACC pointed out the publication of the ASTM standard: C1880 – 19 Standard Practice for Sampling Gaseous Uranium Hexafluoride using Alumina Pellets, related to the “ABACC-Cristallini Method of Sampling of UF6”, as well as the future of an international UF6 intercomparison exercise, under the leadership and coordination of ABACC. During the meeting, the current situation regarding the ASTM and ISO standards and guidelines was presented, as well as the 2020 review of the IAEA’s ITV (International Target Values), an area in which ABACC has been contributing to. On this occasion, ABACC officers and experts from its laboratory network participated in the discussions.

The review of ITVs in 2020, which will include consideration of the “ABACC-Cristallini Method”, as well as the relevance of the exercises for comparing destructive analyzes of nuclear material, were some of the most important topics of the meeting.

Finally, ABACC as a member of INMM, participated in the closing meeting in which the organization’s performance and annual management are discussed.

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