Nuclear safeguardsNew center will work to improve methods to detect, prevent the spread of nuclear weapons
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has awarded the University of Michigan $25 million to establish the Center for Verification Technology. A team from thirteen universities will work with eight national labs to analyze nuclear nonproliferation efforts, improve technologies for monitoring weapons-grade materials and detecting secret weapon tests, and train the next generation of nonproliferation experts.
A University of Michigan engineering professor will lead a new $25 million project to help nations with nuclear power safeguard their materials.
The project also will improve monitoring of nations that do not observe the international nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
A U-M release reports that the project, funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), establishes the Center for Verification Technology. The team from thirteen universities will work with eight national labs to analyze nuclear nonproliferation efforts, improve technologies for monitoring weapons-grade materials and detecting secret weapon tests, and train the next generation of nonproliferation experts.
“Preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is one of the top priorities both in the U.S. and around the world,” said Sara Pozzi, associate professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences at U-M and director of the new center.
In addition to Pozzi, five U-M professors are part of the collaboration and two emeritus faculty serve on the project’s advisory board.
The international Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has been in force since 1970, with 190 countries currently abiding by it. Nations without nuclear weapons promise to stay that way, and those with nuclear weapons pledge to disarm. For those with nuclear power, this means oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In particular, the IAEA works with cooperating nations to keep close tabs on special nuclear materials — plutonium, uranium-235, and uranium-233. In high concentrations, these materials can be used to make nuclear weapons.
To confirm the peaceful use of nuclear power, the IAEA inspects sites such as reactors and fuel processing facilities. Inspectors use measurement techniques to verify that the amount and concentration of nuclear material present matches the facility’s records. This way, the international community finds out if nuclear material goes missing.
The collaboration will develop new tools to measure these materials without the costly and time-consuming process of opening the storage containers. One method looks for groups of neutrons emitted when short chain reactions occur, a hallmark of such materials. Pozzi’s group is developing new neutron detectors for these measurements.
