[en] The irradiated fuel bundle counters for CANDU 600 MW reactors provide the IAEA with a secure and independent means of estimating the inventory of the spent fuel storage bay at each inspection. Their function is straightforward: to count the bundles entering the storage area through the normal transfer ports. However, location, reliability, security and operating requirements make them highly ΣintelligentΣ instruments which have required a major development program. Moreover, the bundle counters incorporate principles which apply to many unattended safeguards instruments. For example, concealing the operating status from potential diverters eases reliability specifications, continuous self-checking gives the inspector confidence in the readout, independence from continuous station services improves tamper resistance, and the detailed data display provides tamper indication and a high level of credibility. Each irradiated fuel bundle counter uses four Geiger counters to detect the passage of fuel bundles as they pass sequentially through the field-of-view. A Microprocessor analyzes the sequence of the Geiger counter signals and determines the number and direction of bundles transferred. The readout for IAEA inspectors includes both a tally and a printed log. The printer is also used to alert the inspector to abnomal fuel movements, tampering, Geiger counter failures and contamination of the fuel transfer mechanism. (author)