Historical role of the Tokai reprocessing plant in the establishment of safeguards technologies

保障措置技術確立のための東海再処理工場の歴史的な役割

山村 修; 山本 隆一; 野村 茂雄

Yamamura, Osamu; Yamamoto, Ryuichi; Nomura, Shigeo

東海再処理工場がIAEAによる保障措置技術開発の実証の場として機能し、我が国の核不拡散政策の実践例となり、大型商用再処理工場である六ヶ所再処理施設の保障措置技術の確立に貢献した経緯について、東海再処理工場のプロセス設計思想との比較,核燃料物質の管理手法,査察の効果と効率向上への取組み、今後の展開等の視点から分析評価した。

This paper describes the role of Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) for the safeguards (SG) technology development by Japan and IAEA and its application to the first large commercial plant in Japan. Through several negotiations between Japan and USA, TRP accepted the full scope application of IAEA's SG, the development of U-Pu mixed conversion process, and the experimental work of IAEA for development of SG activities. Results under the TASTEX, which was research and development program by an agreement made during Japan and USA negotiation on reprocessing, were reflected to the INFCE, which was organized by the change in US atomic energy policy. Most of the current SG technologies being applied by IAEA were developed at this time. Both effectiveness and reliability of such technologies have been validated extensively through the 30 years operation of TRP.