[en] For the development of advanced laser remote monitoring technique which detects very trace impurities diffusing in atmosphere within very short time, a preliminary study has been carried out using iodine and a high repetition rate wavelength tunable laser. In this experiment, iodine placed at 15 m from the laser is irradiated by the high repetition rate tunable laser light and excitation and detection characteristics are studied. By using the high repetition rate laser, signal to noise ratio (S/N) is improved, and within a few seconds, data with high accuracy are obtained. Based on these experimental data, a simple calculation is carried to evaluate detection limitation of the method. As the result, it can be shown that it will be possible to detect iodine with the concentration of sub-ppb with this technique. (author)

[en] To establish an alternative technique of He-3 neutron detector as a safeguards application, we have started an R and D project to develop a new type of neutron detector (Pu NDA) using ZnS ceramic scintillator with support of the Japanese government. The detector design is basically referenced from PCDF-PCAS (Plutonium Canister Assay System) which has 22 He-3 tubes in total and is used for a MOX canister measurement. In order to prove the technology and performance after the fabrication, we are planning to conduct two-stage of demonstration activity. The first stage of the demonstration will implement the confirmation of flatness response profile for vertical axis, determination of detector parameters and basic performance comparison using Cf source and MOX powder around June 2013. After some modifications will have been completed, the second stage of the demonstration activity will be conducted around December 2013. During the activity, we plan to perform the performance comparison between the current PCAS and the new Pu NDA regarding Pu mass and counting statistics. It is expected that the new Pu NDA will prove good performance for establishment of alternative technique instead of He-3 neutron detector. (author)

No abstract available

[en] JAEA has been developing analytical techniques for ultra-trace amounts of nuclear materials in the environmental samples in order to contribute to the strengthened safeguards system. Development of essential techniques for bulk and particle analysis of the environmental swipe samples has been established as ultra-trace analytical methods of uranium and plutonium. In January 2003, JAEA was qualified as a member of the IAEA network analytical laboratories for environmental samples. Since then, JAEA has conducted the analysis of domestic and the IAEA samples. JAEA is developing the analytical techniques to improve the analytical ability for the safeguards environmental samples. For bulk analysis, study is focused on the improvement of reliability of isotope ratio measurements by ICP-MS. New chemical separation techniques are under development and a desolvation module is introduced to reduce the polyatomic interferences. In particle analysis, the sample preparation procedure for SIMS method is modified to measure the ²³⁴U/²³⁸U and ²³⁶U/²³⁸U ratios for individual particles. We are also developing fission track-TIMS method to measure uranium isotope ratios in particles of sub-micrometer size. A screening instrument of X-ray fluorescent analysis is equipped to measure elemental distribution on a swipe surface. (author)