ABSTRACT
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) runs into several problems in achieving the goal of detecting the diversion of a significant quantity of nuclear material. These problems differ widely according to the type and size of plant and the nature of the process to which the IAEA is applying safeguards. It is relatively easy to achieve the ‘quantity’ goal and, in fact, to do much better than that at the most common type of reactor, the light water reactor. The United States introduced this type of reactor in the 1950s and the USSR introduced it soon afterwards. The only other type of reactor which is available on the commercial market for power reactors uses natural uranium as its fuel and is moderated by heavy water reactor (HWR). The main supplier of HWRs present day is Canada, although FR Germany has also supplied 2 HWRs to Argentina. The fast breeder reactor is fuelled by plutonium.
