Development of an RF Tagging Method for Use in Monitoring International Nonproliferation Treaty Compliance

41267 November 21, 1996 RANDTEC, Inc. The Department of Energy is committed-to supporting the nuclear non-proliferation community in its efforts to develop effective means for treaty verification of nuclear material stockpiles. Tag and seal systems have an important role as part of the overall verification process. Specifically, radio frequency (RF) tags placed on nuclear material containers are capable of working with advanced sensors to store and forward (upon receiving an authenticated request) sensor and tamper data over protected authenticated communication links. Some or all of the tamper data can be provided by seals which work in conjunction with the RF tags to create, send, or store alarm information in the event of a container tamper attempt. This project will apply RF tag and seal remote monitoring systems to the larger arena of international container monitoring. Detailed requirements for an optimum non-proliferation verification system will be defined, including RF frequency selection, sensor compatibility, and data authentication. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Phase I should confirm the feasibility of developing an effective and affordable remote monitoring approach. A complete system based on these results should be an effective tool for conducting on-site inspection of nuclear material storage vaults. Military and commercial applications for automated asset security and inventory control are also expected.