Technological opportunities to increase the proliferation resistance of global civilian nuclear power systems

A special advisory Task Force to the US Department of Energy, known as the 'TOPS' group, was requested to try to identify near and long-term technical opportunities to increase the proliferation resistance of global civilian nuclear power system and to recommend specific areas of research that should be pursued to further these goals. The Task Force has concluded that there are a number of promising areas of research and development that could be, and should be, pursued by the United States in collaboration with other countries that are likely to enhance the proliferation resistance of existing as well as potential advanced nuclear power systems. Three major subject areas have been recommended for ongoing US support: the development of improved methodologies to assess proliferation resistance of specific systems, including the evaluation of pathways other than the misuse of civilian nuclear power; the development and adaptation of technologies to strengthen application of institutional (or so-called, extrinsic) barriers against proliferation, (such as measures to help improve international safeguards); the development of new technologies to enhance the so-called 'intrinsic' technical barriers of various systems against proliferation. (author)