1. 3. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
April 29 – May 18, 2018
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Mark Snell
2. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you should be able to:
• Describe information useful in characterizing a facility
and operations to support PPS design and evaluation
• Identify targets to protect
• Demonstrate the use of selected theft categorization
tables
• Recognize the process for vital area identification
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3. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
INFCIRC/225/Revision 5
• 3.44 State categorization and unacceptable radiological
consequence.
• 4.1 – 4.49 Attractiveness (Cat 1, 2, 3), levels of
protection for theft targets. Defines the facility, protected
area, limited area, vital area, inner area.
• 5.1 – 5.58 Attractiveness (URC / HRC) levels of
protection for sabotage targets (vital areas). Defines the
facility.
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4. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Facility Characterization Areas of Investigation
• Investigate anything that impacts performance of the
physical protection system
Physical conditions
Facility operations
Facility policies and procedures
Regulatory requirements
Safety considerations
Legal issues
Corporate goals and objectives
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5. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Physical Conditions
• Site boundaries, fencing, barriers, weather, and
environment
• Buildings (construction materials for walls, ceilings and
floors), rooms, and access points
• Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, communication
paths and types, power distribution system,
environmentally controlled areas, and locations of
hazardous materials
• Consult drawings and then “Walk-Down” the facility
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6. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Facility Operations
• Operational activities
Products and processes
Operational hours
Number of employees
Visitors and vendors
Senior executive location
• On-site location and movement of materials
Material characteristics
Storage and staging locations
Shipping and receiving process
Tracking mechanisms
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Split into two slides with
more detail
7. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Facility Policies and Procedures
• Written policies and procedures
Facility and corporate documents
• Training policies and procedures
• Other indications of corporate culture
• Unwritten policies and practices
Interview staff
Observe routine work
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8. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Regulatory Requirements
• International agreements
• State and local requirements
• Regulatory authority
• Industry practice
• Building codes
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9. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Safety Considerations
• Safety regulations and requirements
Safety requirements sometimes conflict with security
requirements
Safety and security requirements must both be considered in
facility and process design
• Use safety documents for sabotage target analysis
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10. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Legal Issues
• Most complex and difficult
• Legal issues include:
Security liability (provide reasonable security)
Failure to protect (negligence liability)
Overreaction (excessive force, invasion of privacy, guard
instructions and training)
Labor / employment issues
(labor unions, work practices)
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11. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Corporate Goals and Objectives
• Management’s role in security
• Is security identified as a goal or objective?
• Determination of security culture
Underlying assumptions (attractive target?)
Espoused values (intent of management?)
Visible artifacts
(equipment and practices?)
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12. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Other Information
• Political environment
• Surrounding community relations
• Facility and local law enforcement liaison
• Mutual aid agreements
• Local threat information
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13. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Targets—What Are They?
Target: Nuclear material, equipment, systems, or devices
that are subject to danger, risk of harm, or loss
• Theft Targets
Nuclear or radioactive materials
• Sabotage Targets
Nuclear or radioactive materials
Process or support equipment needed to prevent unacceptable
radiological consequences
• Focus for this course will be on theft and sabotage of:
Nuclear materials
Nuclear facilities
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14. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
State Physical Protection Regime Objectives*
• Protect against theft of nuclear material in use, storage,
and transport
• Ensure implementation of rapid and comprehensive
measures to locate and recover lost or stolen material
• Protect nuclear material and facilities against sabotage
• Mitigate or minimize the radiological consequences of
sabotage
* Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material
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15. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
IAEA Significant Quantities
Significant quantity (SQ): The approximate amount of
nuclear material for which the possibility of manufacturing a
nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded
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16. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
IAEA Categorization of Nuclear Material
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Material Form Category I Category II Category IIIc
1. Plutoniuma Unirradiatedb 2 kg or more Less than 2 kg but more
than 500 g
500 g or less but more
than 15 g
2. Uranium-235 Unirradiatedb
- Uranium enriched to 20% 235U or
more
5 kg or more Less than 5 kg but more
than 1 kg
1 kg or less but more
than 15 g
- Uranium enriched to 10% 235U
but less than 20% 235 U
10 kg or more Less than 10 kg but more
than 1 kg
- Uranium enriched above natural
but less than 10% 235 U
10 kg or more
3. Uranium-233 Unirradiatedb 2 kg or more Less than 2 kg but more
than 500 g
500 g or less but more
than 15 g
4. Irradiated Fuel (The
categorization of irradiated fuel
in the table is based on
international transport
considerations. The State may
assign a different category for
domestic use, storage, and
transportation taking all relevant
factors into account.)
Depleted or natural
uranium, thorium or low-
enriched fuel (less than
10% fissile content)d/e
View in NSS-13
hardcopy
Note: This table is not to be used or interpreted independently of the text of the entire publication.
a All plutonium except that with isotopic concentration exceeding 80% in plutonium-238.
b Material not irradiated in a reactor or material irradiated in a reactor but with a radiation level equal to or less than 1 Gy/h (100 rad/h) at 1 m unshielded.
c Quantities not falling in Category III and natural uranium; depleted uranium and thorium should be protected at least in accordance with prudent management practice.
d Although this level of protection is recommended, it would be open to States, upon evaluation of the specific circumstances, to assign a different category of physical protection.
e Other fuel which by virtue of its original fissile material content is classified as Category I or II before irradiation may be reduced one category level while the radiation level from the
fuel exceeds 1 Gy/h (100 rad/h) at one meter unshielded.
18. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Radiological Sabotage
• No classification scheme has been adopted for sabotage
targets
• INFCIRC/225/Rev.5 specifies that PPS should protect
against unacceptable radiological consequences (URC)
Specifies measures for PPS that protect against high radiological
consequences (HRC)
Identifying what constitutes URC / HRC is the responsibility of
the State
• Possible basis for URC definition
Quantitative (safety criteria)
Qualitative (relative risk)
• PPS should protect against any sabotage scenarios that
exceed URC criterion 18
19. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Types of URC / HRC Criteria
• Release- or dose-based criteria
Maximum allowable release or dose
Could make use of existing safety limits
Requires detailed dispersion modeling
• Design limit criteria
Specifies an unacceptable plant state that must be prevented (core
damage for example)
Requires less analytical effort
Is generally more conservative
• Analyzed condition criteria
Requires protection against sabotage actions that would place plant in a
condition that has not been proven safe by safety analysis
Requires less analytical effort
Is generally more conservative
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3 slides, provide examples, Mark or
John H could provide
20. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Two Ways Sabotage Can Occur
• Directly
Adversary applies energy directly to the nuclear / radioactive
material to cause dispersal
Adversary must gain access to area in which material is located
Example: Explosive or incendiary device used to disperse the
material
• Indirectly
Adversary uses energy present in the material or process system
to cause dispersal
Requires initiating a process upset condition and disabling the
systems designed to mitigate the upset
Example: Disable primary cooling system (initiating event) and
backup cooling capability (mitigating systems), and allow
material to overheat
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21. Direct and Indirect Sabotage
RADIOACTIVE
MATERIAL
Direct Sabotage Indirect Sabotage
Initiating Event of
Malicious Origin
Disablement
Event
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22. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Sabotage Prevention
Vital Area: An area inside a protected area containing
equipment, systems or devices, or nuclear material, the
sabotage of which could directly or indirectly lead to high
radiological consequences
• INFCIRC/225/Rev.5 – Protect vital areas that contain:
Inventories of nuclear or radioactive material with potential to
exceed HRC if dispersed (direct scenarios)
A minimum set of equipment needed to prevent indirect
sabotage scenarios
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23. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Vital Area Example for Reactors
• Protect areas that ensure all critical safety functions can
be performed
Reactivity control
• Control rod SCRAM components and systems
Decay heat removal
• Heat removal system components, including control and coolant
source
Process monitoring
• Instrumentation for pressure, coolant level, etc.
Reactor coolant makeup
Support functions
• Electrical power, switchgear, cooling, startup, and controls
• We will discuss vital areas again during Week 3
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24. Facility Characterization & Target Identification
Key Takeaways
• To design a PPS, we need
Facility information on physical conditions; facility operations;
policies, procedures, requirements; safety issues; legal issues;
and corporate goals and objectives
Use sources such as design documents, layout drawings,
procedures manuals, operational records, environmental reports,
and safety analyses
• Two types of targets are considered in this course
Theft targets (nuclear materials) (first two weeks of class)
Sabotage targets (final exercise)
• Nuclear materials
• Equipment needed to prevent radiological release
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