How the international safeguards regime can benefit from efforts to enhance the identification method used for UF6 cylinders

Improvements to the current methods used by nuclear industry to track and  identify uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) cylinders would benefit International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, nuclear inspectorates, and regulatory authorities, as well as facility operators. A move towards a standardized UF₆ cylinder identifier is gaining momentum within industry. A National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) team has analyzed how a cylinder identification and monitoring system could be useful to IAEA safeguards and has also engaged industry stakeholders to seek feedback on concepts related to unique cylinder identification and monitoring. While industry initiative is central to developing a system for identifying UF₆ cylinders, the IAEA has been monitoring the maturation of identification/tracking technologies in support of possible safeguards use at facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle.

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