Nuclear Safeguards and Nonproliferation Education at Texas A&M University. Claudio Gariazzo Associate Research Engineer Texas A&M University

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1 Nuclear Safeguards and Nonproliferation Education at Texas A&M University Claudio Gariazzo Associate Research Engineer Texas A&M University

2 Overview Introduction Texas A&M University Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute Zero Power teaching reactor Faculty competencies Curriculum Practical education Research Structure and topics International Engagement and Outreach Conclusions 1 MW TRIGA research reactor

3 Who are we? Largest nuclear engineering department in U.S. 298 undergraduate students 147 graduate students Nationally ranked programs (public Zero Power teaching reactor institutions) Undergraduate, ranked 2nd Graduate, ranked 2nd Only department in U.S. with 2 nuclear reactors on campus World-renowned faculty and research staff Strong, exceptional facilities 1 MW TRIGA research reactor

4 Enrollment 445 Nuclear Engineering 9,261 Undergraduate Engineering Students Fall 2013: University Total: 53,337 students College of Engineering: 12,414 students (23.3% of university) 445 Nuclear Engineering Students (3.6% of COE) 3,153 Graduate Engineering Students of 53,337* Texas A&M University Students 1 MW TRIGA research reactor

5 Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M Two academic discipline options with a wealth of subareas of study Nuclear Engineering Powering the world with clean, safe, sustainable next-generation energy. Enhancing nuclear security through defense and environmental efforts. Harnessing the world s fastest computers to solve important science and engineering problems. Providing advanced methods for manufacturing and materials. Radiological Health Engineering (health physics) Fighting cancer through diagnostic imaging and therapy. Protecting the environment by ensuring the safe use and disposal of radioactive materials. Protecting the public from disease through food irradiation and medical sterilization. Enabling space exploration by protecting astronauts and critical equipment.

6 Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M Graduate School (PhD)

7 Graduate Degree (MS Nuclear Nonproliferation) Course Description NUEN 601 Nuclear Reactor Theory Neutron-nucleus interactions; neutron energy spectra; transport/diffusion theory; multi-group approximations; etc. NUEN 604 Rad. Interaction & Shielding Principles of radiation interactions and transport; sources, detectors, shielding, photon interactions, dosimetry, buildup factors, etc. NUEN 605 Rad. Detection and Nuclear Materials Measurements Lab-based course for special nuclear materials measurements; advanced radiation detection instrumentation; detection, identification, & quantification NUEN 606 Rx Analysis/Experimentation Perturbation theory; delayed neutrons and reactor kinetics; lattice physics calculations; reactivity coefficients NUEN 650 Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control Political and technological issues with nuclear proliferation and arms control; verification technologies; proliferation resistance in fuel cycle; international/domestic safeguards NUEN 651 Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Nuclear Material Safeguards Study of fuel cycles and application of nuclear material safeguards (CS, NMA, PPS, etc.) NUEN 656 Critical Analysis of Nuclear Security Data Project-based capstone course analyzing nuclear security event data NUEN 681 Seminar Topics not covered in NUEN courses; include faculty, student, and guest presentations

8 Nuclear Security & Nonproliferation Faculty/St af William Charlto n David Boyle Research Themes Accomplishme nts Proliferation Risk Analysis Safeguards Systems & Instrument Development Combating Nuclear Terrorism Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Arms Control Ensuring the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy First university to mount and record radiation data from a crane used in port operations Activities Sunil Chiray ath Craig Mariann o Developed SINRD detector with LANL for testing by IAEA First university to establish benchscale reprocessing of SNF Developed PRAETOR tool and latency method for proliferation risk analysis GNEII program cited by White House as the 5th most important US science and technology activity in the Middle East Methodology for determining which states will go nuclear Int l. research and education: India, Russia, Switzerland, UAE, England Claudi o Gariaz zo NSSPI Expenditures FY13 More than $2.4 million

9 Nuclear Nonproliferation and Safeguards Education at TAMU Led to the establishment of the Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) in 2007 Program Educational Objectives To produce leaders in the development of technological solutions to prevent, detect, and deter proliferation and combat nuclear terrorism. These graduates can: apply engineering techniques to design safety, safeguards, and security systems for nuclear facilities understand the international security policy implications of technology developments synthesize and critically evaluate technical data from diverse sources to aid in detecting proliferation perform quantitative measurements of nuclear and radiological materials and detect sources of radiation outside of regulatory control apply science and engineering as part of a comprehensive nuclear security program including nuclear forensics and consequence management perform fundamental and applied research independently and in small multidisciplinary groups that can lead to the creation of new knowledge in the field of nuclear nonproliferation

10 NSSPI Array of Activities Students Graduate and UG courses in safeguards, security, and safety Program emphasizes both science and policy concerns Founded first INMM student chapter Hands-on Safeguards Education Faculty / Scientist Exchange NSSPI faculty travel to the National Labs to teach courses National Lab researchers maintain joint faculty appointments Short courses at National Laboratories Direct, practical experience with safeguards technology International Collaborations International programs and education support INMM and ESARDA conferences and workshops Workshops Domestic and international Global nuclear security topics Research Informing the Public Paulo s Corner daily news digestnews and research on global nuclear issues Searchable database of articles on NSSPI website Innovative research on all aspects of safeguards, security, and nonproliferation Distance Education Lectures given to international students through video conferencing Nuclear Safeguards Education Portal (NSEP)

11 Program Elements TAMU University Course Inventory Nuclear engineering core discipline courses Nonproliferation specific technical courses Elective courses to provide increased breadth of knowledge Prerequisite course material via asynchronous online learning modules Technical research applied specifically to the mission area Practical experiences including training sessions and internships at national and international research facilities and visits to commercial fuel cycle facilities Extracurricular learning opportunities via the TAMU student chapter of INMM

12 The Product of this Program Students produced from this program will have a strong disciplinary background in traditional nuclear engineering ability to apply engineering principles to nuclear nonproliferation issues an introduction to the policy aspects of nuclear nonproliferation These students typically will seek employment at US national laboratories government intelligence nuclear industry insurance industry security consultants and vendors International entities (IAEA, WINS, JRC, etc.) academia

13 Nonproliferation Education TAMU has one of the most robust technical nonproliferation education programs in the world Program includes: graduate and undergraduate courses Accredited MS degree in Nuclear Engineering with a specialization in Nuclear Nonproliferation Interdisciplinary nuclear forensics certificate Tabletop exercises involving political and technical aspects of global nuclear security Other facts: Approximately 35 students in the program 46 M.S. and 17 Ph.D. degrees awarded since the inception of NSSPI Selected Selected Courses Courses NUEN NUEN Radiation Radiation Detection Detection and and Nuclear Nuclear Materials Materials Measurement Measurement NUEN NUEN Nuclear Nuclear Nonproliferation Nonproliferation and and Arms Arms Control Control NUEN NUEN Nuclear Nuclear Fuel Fuel Cycles Cycles and and Nuclear Nuclear Material Material Safeguards Safeguards NUEN NUEN Critical Critical Analysis Analysis of of Nuclear Nuclear Security Security Data Data NUEN NUEN Nuclear Nuclear Security Security System System Design Design CHEM CHEM Radiochemistry Radiochemistry and and Nuclear Nuclear Forensics Forensics MATH MATH Inverse Inverse Problems Problems in in Nuclear Nuclear Forensics Forensics

14 Course Inventory General Nonproliferation Courses NUEN 650 Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control NUEN 605 Radiation Detection and Nuclear Materials Measurement INTA 620 International Security INTA 617 Nuclear Deterrence Safeguards Courses NUEN 651 Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Nuclear Material Safeguards Physical Security Courses NUEN 489 Nuclear Security System Design INTA 689 Threat Assessment INTA 657 Terrorism in Today s World Forensics Courses NUEN 656 Critical Analysis of Nuclear Security Data CHEM 689 Radiochemistry and Nuclear Forensics MATH 644 Inverse Problems in Nuclear Forensics

15 Practical Experiences in Nuclear Nonproliferation Disaster City simulations Nuclear facilities experience Hands-on education at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex International research opportunities Undergraduate Graduate Early professional engagement through professional organizations

16 Practical Experience: Disaster City Exercise Exercise designed for emergency responders and interested students to respond to a hypothetical (yet realistic) radiological event such as a loose radioactive source or a detonated radiological dispersal device Student benefit: understanding field applications of equipment experiencing a real-world scenario where appropriate procedures mean greatly

17 Practical Experience: Nuclear Facilities Experience International NFE in Japan with support from the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security (ISCN) of the Japan Atomic Energy Authority Included: Hiroshima Peace Park and survivor Monju FBR R&D, Mihama NPP ISCN HQ, PFPF, and TRP Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo) JNFL Rokkasho Enrichment Plant, and Reprocessing Plant American NFE to New Mexico and Texas facilities URENCO USA WIPP SNL

18 Practical Experience: Oak Ridge National Laboratory TAMU students gain practical experience on NDA equipment for safeguards and security applications at ORNL Undergraduate/graduate students Technical/policy students American/International students Expanded to include basic security education from Y-12 National Security Complex subject matter experts

19 Research NSSPI Research Program Areas Combating Nuclear Terrorism A framework for detecting smuggled HEU, etc. Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Rapid attribution with XRF, spent fuel forensics, etc. Safeguards Systems & Instrument Development Projects focus on small teams with multiple disciplines in each team, typically with at least one policy expert per team: Engineering (nuclear, Pu measurement in spent fuel, IAEA instruments, etc. Proliferation Risk Analysis Proliferation pathways analysis tools, nuclear latency, etc. Ensuring the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy Development of high density LEU fuels, proliferation resistance methodologies, etc. Arms Control Analysis of the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, etc. mechanical, electrical, chemical, industrial, and computer science) Mathematics and Statistics Physics Chemistry Political & Social Science International Affairs Agricultural and Life Sciences

20 Combatting Nuclear Smuggling Strategic analysis of smugglers Analysis of environmental effects Analysis of background signatures Detector systems development

21 Nuclear Forensics Pre-detonation Signature development for lowburnup CANDU and LMFBR Pu Analytical inverse models for research reactor and commercial power reactor spent fuel samples Analysis of trace U isotopes in ore samples Post-detonation Preprocessor for rapid analysis of HEU and Pu IND s Field sampling unit for in-field alpha-spec measurements Integration of prompt diagnostic with radiochemical flowsheet Estimate the deterrence value of forensics and attribution

22 Safeguards Instrumentation Development PWR dry cask storage remote monitoring system CANDU dry cask re-verification TMFD for inline Pu measurements at aqueous reprocessing plants SINRD for pyroprocessing materials Active interrogation DDA and neutron coincidence counting Epithermal neutron multiplicity counter for MOX materials Spent fuel safeguards NRF, XRF, PG SINRD, PNAR, CIPN

23 Nonproliferation Assessments Proliferation risk analysis with MAUA Proliferator game analysis using agent-based modeling Terrorism risk analysis using pathways models for State level nuclear security risks Latency assessments using Petri Net simulations Bayesian analysis for assessment of nuclear trade and blackmarket impacts

24 Novel Detection Systems for Arms Verification Measurements Research areas Developing a new type of field multichannel analyzer Use 3 orders of magnitude less power Improved computer control Integrated Circuit detectors Charged particles Neutrons Gammas Flat Crystal spectrometers for XRF Use crystals to isolate energies Improved signal-to-noise ratio of direct XRF measurements

25 International Engagement NSSPI is heavily involved in international activities Observer status at the IAEA General Conference Research collaborations with Russia, France, India, and Japan Educational collaborations in UAE, Russia, India, UK, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Jordan Nuclear Facilities Experience for students in Japan, UK, France

26 International Engagement TAMU students conducting experiments at research facilities JRC Ispra ANSTO International workshops UKNI Arms Control exercise Tomsk Summer School

27 International Engagement TAMU doctoral students providing lectures in India Guest lectures at universities around the world Brazil Indonesia UAE India Thailand

28 Nuclear Safeguards Education Portal Module characteristics text, graphics, videos, wikis, quizzes Currently deployed: Basic Radiation Detection Nuclear and Atomic Physics The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Introduction to Statistics Containment and Surveillance Nuclear Material Accountancy Physical Protection Systems Nuclear Security Threats Safeguards Terminology Treaties and Legal Issues > 11,000 users in 2012

29 Conclusions NSSPI is an incredibly capable and productive group working in a vibrant and growing area of research and education Our greatest strength is our ability to connect across the TAMU campus but with a strong focus on nuclear engineering and the operational policy aspects

30 Thank you for your attention! Questions? Claudio Gariazzo Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute Texas A&M University

31 BACKUP SLIDES

32 Graduate Degree (MS) Course Description NUEN 601 Nuclear Reactor Theory Neutron-nucleus interactions; neutron energy spectra; transport/diffusion theory; multi-group approximations; etc. NUEN 604 Rad. Interaction & Shielding Principles of radiation interactions and transport; sources, detectors, shielding, photon interactions, dosimetry, buildup factors, etc. NUEN 623 Nuclr. Engr. Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Thermodynamics and unified treatment of mass, momentum, and energy transport with application to nuclear engineering systems NUEN 606 Rx Analysis/Experimentation Perturbation theory; delayed neutrons and reactor kinetics; lattice physics calculations; reactivity coefficients NUEN 624 Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Stress Analysis Advanced heat transport in solids and fluids including boiling phenomena, isothermal elasticity, thermoelasticity, viscoelasticity, etc. NUEN 610 Design of Nuclear Reactors Advanced reactor design NUEN 681 Seminar Topics not covered in NUEN courses; include faculty, student, and guest presentations

33 Graduate Degree (MS Nuclear Materials) Course Description NUEN 601 Nuclear Reactor Theory Neutron-nucleus interactions; neutron energy spectra; transport/diffusion theory; multi-group approximations; etc. NUEN 604 Rad. Interaction & Shielding Principles of radiation interactions and transport; sources, detectors, shielding, photon interactions, dosimetry, buildup factors, etc. NUEN 661 Nuclear Fuel Performance Nuclear fuel phenomena and performance NUEN 606 Rx Analysis/Experimentation Perturbation theory; delayed neutrons and reactor kinetics; lattice physics calculations; reactivity coefficients NUEN 662 Nuclear Materials Under Extreme Conditions Materials degradation under reactor environments; radiation-induced microstructure changes; corrosion; etc. MSEN 601 Fundamental Materials Science and Engineering Fundamentals of microstructure properties and relationship of materials NUEN 681 Seminar Topics not covered in NUEN courses; include faculty, student, and guest presentations

34 Spent Fuel Safeguards Combined SINRD-PNAR instrument developed with LANL Designed by LANL and TAMU Built by LANL Measured spent fuel in Japan in June 2013 with JAEA

35 Reactor Analysis Simulate actinide and fission product inventories (with systematic and random error component estimates) of irradiated fuels for various reactor systems using linked MCNP/ORIGEN LWR, CANDU, LMFBR, NRX, PBMR, and SMR

36 Consequence Management The resources and equipment required to evaluate and mitigate radioactive contamination over a large area This includes land areas, people and agriculture Research Developing of portals and techniques to detect radiation on livestock Evaluation of radionuclide deposition resulting from Fukushima Evaluating potential doses received to search and rescue dogs while working in contaminated areas

37 Robotics and Radiation Detection All Hazard robots may not be best for high radiation environments Developing specialized robots to: Take and transmit spectra from extreme radiation environments Ability to take and analyze samples on board remote vehicle

38 Selected Recent Theses and Dissertations B. Goddard, Quantitative NDA Measurements of Advanced Reprocessing Product Materials Containing U, Np, Pu, and Am (2013) M. Grypp, An Analysis of a Spreader Bar Crane Mounted Gamma-Ray Radiation Detect... (2013) Matt Sternat, Development of Technical Nuclear Forensics for Spent Research Reactor Fuel (2012) Chris Myers, Quantitative Methodology for Assessing State Level Nuclear Security (2012) N. Chandregowda, Assessment of Verification of Spent Fuel in MACSTOR KN-400 CANDU.. (2012) C. Conchewski, Physical Security System Sensitivity to DBT Perturbations (2012) A. Goodsell, Flat Quartz-Crystal X-Ray Spectrometer for Nuclear Forensics (2012) A. LaFleur, Development of SINRD to Measure in Nuclear Fuel (2011) E.T. Gitau, Safeguards Approach for Pebble Bed Reactors (2011) M. Mella, Proliferation Pathways Analysis for StateLevel Proliferation (2011) C. Ryan, Determining the Impact of Concrete for Radiation Portal Monitoring Systems (2011) G. Hundley, Nuclear Terrorism Pathways Analysis (2010) A. Stafford, SNF Self-Induced XRF To Predict Pu To U Content (2010) K. Miller, An Inverse Source for Radiation Portal Monitor Applications (2010) J. Feener, Safeguards For Uranium Extraction (UREX) +1A Process (2010) R. Metcalf, New Tool for Proliferation Resistance Evaluation (2009) C. Freeman, Bayesian Network Analysis of Nuclear Acquisitions (2008) A. Thornton, Development of a Portable Neutron Coincidence Counter for Field Measurements (2008) D.G. Ford, Assessment Tool for Nuclear Weapon Acquisition Pathways (2008)