Establishment and support of the neutron calibration center Argentine Nuclear Regulatory Authority and Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The US Department of Energy (US DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Argentina (ARN) have collaborated over the past 10 years through the U.S. DOE/ARN Safeguards Cooperation Agreement to strengthen the international regime. Under this framework, ARN and DOE's representative organization, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), have been working together since 2003 on the establishment of a neutron calibration center at the Ezeiza Atomic Center (EAC) near Buenos Aires City, Argentina. This center's main purpose is to train ARN personnel, Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC), and IAEA inspectors in passive and active neutron non-destructive assay (NDA) measurement methods. In 2005, equipment was provided to ARN to replace exhausted radiation sources and personnel operated irradiation equipment. The existing equipment included an instrument position track that required personnel to physically move the source to the irradiation location and be in the room with the source. This also made calibrations and/or testing problematic due to the effects brought about by the person in the radiation field and the inaccuracies that would occur. The new equipment permits the user to perform irradiations automatically from a remote location. The remote location is a control room obtained by ARN as part of this effort. Lastly, the exhausted sources are also being replaced to improve the capabilities and effectiveness of the neutron calibration center. Once the neutron calibration center is in place, ARN personnel will be able to calibrate instrumentation needed to measure material for accountancy aspects, radiation exposure of personnel, and inspections at facilities and conduct training courses for inspectors and customs officials in the region. Additionally, the calibration center could be used to calibrate instrumentation that would be deployed for border security at airports and ports. (author)