In the fast reactors, rapid and accurate identification of a fuel failure event is essential for ensuring safety operation. Isotopic analysis of krypton (Kr) and xenon (Xe) using resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) is an effective identification tool, in which Kr and Xe atoms are resonantly ionized by a pulsed laser at 216. 7 nm and 249. 6 nm, respectively, and then three isotopic ratios: 78Kr/80Kr, 82Kr/80Kr and 126Xe/129Xe are measured to detect the location of the failed fuel assembly. In this paper, we report on the required analytical precision of RIMS estimated from simulation studies as well as the analytical performance of our spectrometer to evaluate the availability of RIMS to the failed fuel identification technique in the fast reactors. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.