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Identification of High Confidence Nuclear Forensics Signatures for the Development of National Nuclear Forensics Libraries
Closed for proposals
Project Type
Project Code
J02003CRP
1842Approved Date
Status
Start Date
Expected End Date
Completed Date
13 December 2016Description
The international application of nuclear forensics, including the development of national nuclear forensics libraries, is essential to combat the transboundary movement of nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control. A national nuclear forensics library is an authoritative record consisting of databases and potentially sample archives of nuclear?and other?radioactive material produced in, used or stored in a State. Research and development is necessary in order to address?the science of nuclear forensic signatures to provide peer reviewed and validated signatures across the nuclear fuel cycle and through the manufacture of radioactive sources.??This CRP will address the data requirements?of a national?nuclear forensics?library for each stage of the nuclear fuel cycle (as determined by IAEA experts)?and for the manufacture of radioactive sources, as well as promote research into novel signatures that are indicative of nuclear processing and important to high confidence nuclear forensics interpretation (eg. application of high precision, high abundance sensitivity mass spectrometry; stable isotope systematics; optimized use of radiogenic isotopes and rare earth trace elements). Of interest are resolving signatures imparted naturally as uranium is mined from those signatures that are introduced as a result of production and manufacturing processes during milling, isotopic enrichment, fuel manufacture and reactor operations.?A fundament question to be addressed by this CRP is how nuclear forensics signatures?are imparted and how they persist.?The?results from this CRP?will be used to?provide technical guidance to States for the development of national nuclear forensics libraries, including?the identification?of high priority nuclear forensics signatures -?related to material history - to be included.
Objectives
The goal of the CRP is to develop validated nuclear forensics isotopic, chemical and physical signatures corresponding to stages of the nuclear fuel cycle (e.g., uranium ore mining, milling, conversion to UF6, nuclear fuel manufacture, reactor operations, reprocessing and radioactive source production) that enable high confidence comparative analysis between sample “unknowns” and “knowns” using a national system for the identification of nuclear and other radioactive materials to include a national nuclear forensics library.
Specific objectives
1) Using scientific peer review in concert with state of practice research facilities available globally to identify and prioritize nuclear forensic signatures associated with the origin and process history of the nuclear fuel cycle for potential inclusion in a national nuclear forensics library or national scheme for the identification of nuclear and other radioactive materials.
2) Investigate stages of the nuclear fuel cycle identified by IAEA and external experts to identify persistent isotopic, chemical and physical signatures that are important to allow nuclear forensics cases to be compared directly, provide information on the origin and history of nuclear and radioactive materials to address potential nuclear security vulnerabilities and allow all States to make high confidence statements regarding the security of nuclear and other radioactive material for which they have responsibility.
Impact
Discovery and innovation is a vital element of a sustainable program in nuclear forensics, and research promotes the validation of techniques, approaches and signatures for effective use as part of a comprehensive nuclear security infrastructure. As more States both contemplate and develop national nuclear forensics capabilities, the demands on the science supporting nuclear forensics will increase to best address law enforcement and nuclear security requirements as well as the confidence in the findings from an examination. Research further serves as a mean to promote confidence in nuclear forensics by involving investigators, law enforcement applications and nuclear science working collectively with shared goals and objectives. For this reason, the IAEA attaches importance to on-going efforts to share common experiences from coordinated research programmes with the intention of involving new participants to work with established experts and focusing on contributing meaningfully to advancing nuclear security globally.
Relevance
Successful implementation of nuclear forensics requires the identification of data characteristics, or signatures, that provide information on the origin and history of nuclear and other radioactive materials that may be encountered out of regulatory control. These signatures may include stable and radiogenic isotopes, trace elements, morphological characteristics and other indicators bearing on the formative geology or processing of nuclear materials. Similar indicators may be used to identify radioactive sources, The ability to identify which signatures, or groups of signatures, are indicative of stages of the nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive source production is important to both nuclear forensic examination and subsequent interpretations. This CRP J02003 yielded a wealth of information from uranium ores, uranium ore concentrates, intermediate uranium products, nuclear fuels, spent nuclear forensics and radioactive sources that can be used to aid identification and interpretation as part of a nuclear security investigation. In addition it enabled investigators with diverse knowledge of the nuclear fuel cycle to share insights into recommended techniques and methods to measure and predict these signatures building confidence the conclusions drawn from an examination.