SAFEGUARDS MODELING OF TRISO FUEL FABRICATION
FACILITIES

Sustained global interest in advanced reactors has necessitated the development of safeguards systems and models for their associated fuel fabrication facilities. High temperature gas reactors (HTGRs) are planning on utilizing high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) Tri-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) particle fuel. A TRISO fuel fabrication facility converts a HALEU starting material to TRISO fuel through a variety of physical and chemical processes. The presence of HALEU in comparison to low enriched uranium (LEU) impacts safeguards performance and requires deeper analysis. A TRISO fuel fabrication facility model is built within the Separation and Safeguards Performance Model (SSPM), to investigate the impact HALEU has on meeting safeguards requirements. Page’s trend test on SITMUF shows the lower throughput aids the facilities ability to meet safeguards requirements; however, with increasing throughput, material balance period, and uranium enrichment, safeguards by design is required to ensure safeguards limits are met.