MODELING AND SIMULATION IN THE DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF CONCEPTUAL SAFEGUARDS SYSTEMS

This paper summarizes recent work in modeling nuclear fuel-cycle processes and the materials measurement and accountability portion of integrated safeguards systems. Process variability, especially in the levels of in-process holdup and in scrap and waste sidestreams, impacts significantly on the design of dynamic materials accounting and control systems. In the absence of operating data from modern facilities, detailed dynamic models of process operation are required in order to evaluate systems design concepts. Numerical data are presented from the simulated operation of major portions of spent fuel reprocessing, plutonium nitrate-to-oxide conversion, and mixedoxide fuel-fabrication processes.