The Impact of advanced technologies on the efficiencies of safeguards and facility operations

Hoffheins, B.; Miyaji, Noriko ; Asano, Takashi ; Nagatani, Taketeru ; Ishiyama, Koichi ; Kimura, Takashi ; Kodani, Yoshiki

Following Japan's conclusion of the Additional Protocol and the IAEA's broader conclusion regarding the peaceful nature of Japan's nuclear activities, the Japan government and facility operators have worked with the IAEA to apply integrated safeguards to increase inspection efficiency and to ensure verification correctness and completeness. These safeguards approaches rely heavily on the implementation of advanced technologies such as unattended surveillance and non-destructive assay measurement, automated nuclear material accounting, solution monitoring and remote monitoring. These technologies have enabled random interim inspections; they have also reduced the level of effort required for nuclear material accounting and inspection activities. A more comprehensive understanding of the impact of advanced technologies on operation and inspection processes would be useful for developing methodologies to support better system design and evaluation of existing systems.