Nuclear inspectors can rely on Non-Destructive Assay (NDA) techniques or Destructive Analysis (DA) techniques when verifying material inventories at nuclear facilities: they carry out reliable and rapid non-destructive assay analysis in the field, and take samples for more accurate off-site analysis in the laboratory.
In contrast to Destructive Analysis techniques, which analyse samples by chemical or radiometric methods, Non-Destructive Assay techniques measure the radiation emitted by the items (passive interrogation) or the radiation induced by an external source (active interrogation). Most uranium and plutonium isotopes emit radiations that are specific for the isotopes, and that allow to assess the presence and the amount of the element, including in a sealed container.
A significant advantage of NDA techniques is timeliness: after nuclear materials have been packaged and sealed, it is more convenient to apply NDA techniques for verification, rather than re-opening the containers for sampling. In several situations, NDA tools are sufficient for verifying safeguards compliance, saving time and money.
The JRC is constantly developing and validating new non-destructive assay (NDA) techniques
The performance of digital systems, together with data-driven algorithms, has enormously improved and they become powerful assets in the context of international nuclear safeguards
The JRC continuously evaluates and improves gamma spectrometry for determining the isotopic composition of uranium and plutonium.