International Safeguards In The Design Of Facilities For Long Term Spent Fuel Management

This publication is the fifth in the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series to provide guidance on the inclusion of safeguards in nuclear facility design and construction. It is principally intended for designers and operators of facilities for long term spent fuel management; however, vendors, national authorities and financial backers can also benefit from the information provided. The publication complements the general considerations addressed in International Safeguards in Nuclear Facility Design and Construction, IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NP-T-2.8.

This publication is the second in the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series to provide guidance on the inclusion of safeguards in nuclear facility design and construction. It is principally intended for designers and operators of nuclear reactor facilities; however, vendors, national authorities and financial backers can also benefit from the information provided. It is introductory rather than comprehensive in nature, complementing the Guidance for States Implementing Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols, IAEA Services Series No. 21, and other publications in that series. The publication complements the general considerations addressed in International Safeguards in Nuclear Facility Design and Construction, IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NP-T-2.8.

The 1990s saw significant developments in the global non-proliferation landscape, resulting in a new period of safeguards development. The current publication, which is the second revision and update of IAEA/NVS/1, is intended to give a full and balanced description of the safeguards techniques and equipment used for nuclear material accountancy, containment and surveillance measures, environmental sampling, and data security. New features include a section on new and novel technologies. As new verification measures continue to be developed, the material in this book will be reviewed periodically and updated versions issued.

This Safety Guide has been developed through a series of technical meetings and represents an international consensus on useful design principles. These principles will be effective in maintaining fuel subcritical, removing residual heat, providing radiation protection and containing radioactive materials for the lifetime of the facility.

This publication provides a global overview of the status of spent fuel and radioactive waste management programmes, inventories, current practices, technologies and trends. It presents information on national arrangements for the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, and on current waste and spent fuel inventories and their future estimates. Achievements, challenges and trends in the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste are also addressed. This second edition has been developed with a basis of national profiles submitted by Member States, complemented with openly available Joint Convention National Reports. The data reported are fully dependent on the input from the States and by the assumptions made to transform these data into the waste classes defined in IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSG-1, Classification of Radioactive Waste

This publication is part of a series that aims to inform nuclear facility designers, vendors, operators and State governments about IAEA safeguards and how associated requirements can be considered early in the design phase of a new nuclear facility. This particular publication is applicable to the design of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. Safeguards by design dialogue undertaken early in the design and construction of reprocessing plants, facilitates the implementation of safeguards throughout all the life cycle stages of the facility. The potential to reduce costs, avoid retrofits and achieve efficiencies both for the operator and for IAEA Member States, are important drivers for the early consideration of safeguards in a nuclear facility design project.

This report presents guidelines to the designers of water cooled power reactors which will minimize the impact of IAEA safeguards on plant operations and ensure efficient and effective acquisition of safeguards data to the mutual benefit of the Member State, the plant operator and the IAEA. These guidelines incorporate the IAEA's experience in establishing and carrying out safeguards at currently operating nuclear power plants, the ongoing development of safeguards techniques and the feedback of experience from plant operators and designers on the impact of IAEA safeguards on plant operation.