Further development of international safeguards

A promising area for technical development, leading to new safeguards approaches, is the further use of unattended instruments to make more effective use of inspector resources and to reduce intrusiveness. An unattended liquid-level monitor for reprocessing-plant accountability tanks was tested under the TASTEX program. With secure data recording, it can provide continuous coverage while the resident inspector is engaged in other tasks. Another development is for monitoring the feed and withdrawal streams at centrifuge enrichment plants. Unattended and protected instruments to measure enrichment of the feed, product, and tails streams, and the identification, gross and tare weights of cyclinders can provide a continuous record with only intermittent inspector presence. To reduce the number of interim inspections at LWR's, we are studying collection of surveillance information in secure, detachable TV data packages and having the operator send them to the Agency for review to detect any changes in the spent-fuel inventory. If it could not be verified that there had been no changes, an interim inspection would be made within the present three-month limit. Otherwise, the inspection could be deferred, with the annual inspection performed on schedule. We are looking at the hardware feasibility and tamper-resistance aspects, and the expected savings of inspector effort. After we have a clearer understanding of what might be done, the questions of adequacy and acceptability can be addressed by the proper authorities. These examples demonstrate how innovation by the technical community can open new safeguards approaches for consideration by the Agency