Advanced Reactor Security-by-Design with AVERT® Physical Security
(AVERT-PS) Modeling and Simulation

The variety of envisioned advanced reactor designs, site configurations, and deployment locations presents facility and site designers with a wide range of new security considerations. While there are many new challenges in addressing these considerations, there are unique opportunities for security advancements through Security-by-Design (SeBD) of these new facilities and sites. Advancements in more effective and efficient security can be made while also advancing safety and safeguards through an integrated analysis of requirements and holistic solutions development. Developing these solutions depends upon subject matter expertise with access to, and proficiency in, advanced analysis tools. Future regulatory approaches to advanced reactor security are likely to be more performance-based. Advanced modeling and simulation tools will enable applicants to demonstrate required security system performance effectiveness for a variety of site configurations and deployment locations. The ability to rapidly evaluate the impact of facility and site design concepts and changes on security system performance is aided by modeling and simulation tools. Analysis tools developed by physical protection subject matter experts at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) such as PathTrace© and Scribe3D© can help with identifying security risks and vulnerabilities as well as opportunities for initial design improvements. This initial work can inform and enable detailed, site-specific modeling and simulation analysis efforts in commercial tools. Here we describe the application of the AVERT® Physical Security (AVERT-PS) modeling and simulation software from ARES Security Corporation (ARES) to a generic Small Modular Reactor (SMR) model developed by SNL with initial security analysis done by using PathTrace© and Scribe3D©, described in SAND2021-0768, U.S. Domestic Small Modular Reactor Security by Design. The work focuses on the process for importing and configuring the model in AVERT-PS for subsequent analysis of active delay features and variations of on-site security and off-site response force levels, timeliness, and capacities for sabotage scenarios with the capability of AVERT-PS to enable rapid update and testing of security system designs and evaluate the resulting performance impacts.