Upgrade of the transport monitoring system of nuclear materials

Yuasa, Wataru ; Uchida, Shinichi ; Hayashi, Akihiko; Inose, Shoichi; Ouchi, Yuichiro 

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed a transport monitoring system (TMS), which tracks the movement of nuclear material convoys in real time, and which is consistent with the physical protection requirements for transport of Category 1 nuclear materials. The TMS has been used for land transport of MOX fuels since 2005. JAEA solved some problems that were observed during operational experience and upgraded the system by adding the following features. In the case of emergency during transport, the upgraded TMS can send much more detailed visual information of the accident site to the TCC, which is useful for planning and executing an effective response. This paper presents the features of the TMS and the results obtained from operational experiences.