Leveraging the intrinsic features of commercial off-the-shelf weighing indicators to build confidence in international safeguards measures

New applications of process monitoring are being studied to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of international safeguards. One of the new measures being evaluated is the use of feed and withdrawal station weight data to detect excess production at gas centrifuge enrichment plants. Recognizing that process data can be challenging to fully authenticate, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is considering alternative approaches that can build confidence in the raw data. Certain features of commercial off-the-shelf scale indicators could be leveraged to build this confidence. This paper explains some intrinsic features of the scale indicators, such as weight tickets and check sums; proposes a theoretical architecture for the joint use of scale indicators by the plant operator and the IAEA; and explains how the intrinsic features could be leveraged to build confidence in the raw process data and the conclusion that no excess low-enriched uranium was produced.