Results of Continuous Load Cell Monitoring Field Trial for UF6 Withdrawals at an Operating Industrial Plant

Continuous load cell monitoring (CLCM) has been implemented and tested for use as a safeguards tool during a 2009 field trial in an operating UF6 transfer facility. The transfer facility is part of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio, operated by the United States Enrichment Corporation. During the field trial, two process scales for UF6 cylinders were continuously monitored for a 6-month period as cylinders were being filled. The collected CLCM data were used in testing an event processor serving as a filter for highlighting measurements representing significant operational activities that are important in verifying declared operations. The collection of CLCM data, coupled with rules-based event processing, can provide inspectors with knowledge of a facility's feed and withdrawal activities occurring between site visits. Such process knowledge promises to enhance the effectiveness of safeguards by enabling inspectors to quantitatively compare declared activities directly with process measurements. Selected results of the field trial and event processing will be presented in the context of their value to an independent inspector and a facility operator.