The Next Generation Autonomous Data Acquisition Module for use in New and Retrofit IAEA Safeguards Applications Involving FixedPortable Nuclear Detection

摘要

The radiation monitoring module currently used by the IAEA in the VIFM(VXI Integrated Fuel Monitoring)systems is approaching an age of 10+years.While efforts have been made to extend the lifespan of the aging ADAM(Autonomous Data Acquisition Module)through the procurement of end of life components and increased maintenance,the fact remains that the ADAM is rapidly approaching end of life.In recognition of this fact,the Canadian Safeguards Support Program and the IAEA have been actively engaged in the specification and design of a successor for the ADAM. The next generation ADAM has to take into account the changes in technology that have occurred over the last decade,extensive field experience with both unattended and portable systems as well as the need to maintain a backwards compatibility with existing hardware and software.In the development of the next generation system,it has also been recognized that a specially built system for which the IAEA is the sole customer poses special problems in terms of manufacturability,long term maintainability,software defect identification and evolution of the design,all of which are owing to the combination of the limited deployment resulting from a solitary customer and limited support budgets.To mitigate this effect,the next generation instrument has been designed to account for the IAEA's requirements as well as to meet commercial requirements for a number of non-IAEA applications. In terms of the commercial requirements,a number of novel features not typically found in instruments used by the IAEA have been incorporated into the design.These include direct Ethernet connectivity with browser style and computer interface,both USB client and server capabilities,DSP based multichannel counting,timing and PHA functionality,the use of USB based memory devices,built in GPS,WiFi, Bluetooth and GPRS wireless connectivity and the ability to operate autonomously for unlimited periods in un-powered outdoor applications.In addition,IAEA specific requirements have also been incorporated, including the use of encrypted authentication,the ability to transparently emulate multiple data collection instrument communications interfaces and the ability to utilize triple redundant data storage. This paper describes the above identified instrument,its other possible uses and provides background as to how and why the various capabilities have been incorporated.