The Central Registry and DOE/EH Toolbox Codes
The Central Registry provides information about Department of Energy (DOE) toolbox codes. The toolbox codes are, in principle, a small number of standard computer codes having widespread application.
The codes are routinely used by DOE to perform calculations and develop data used to establish the safety basis for DOE facilities and operations, and to support the variety of safety analyses and safety evaluations developed for these facilities.
DOE conducted a survey of design codes currently in use to determine which should be included in an initial set of toolbox codes. In total, six codes were identified as toolbox codes:
- ALOHA
- CFAST
- EPICODE
- GENII
- MACCS2
- MELCOR.
Code-specific guidance reports have been issued identifying applicable regimes in accident analysis, default inputs, and special conditions for using each of the six toolbox codes.
In addition, a gap analysis was performed on each toolbox code to determine the actions needed to bring the code into compliance with SQA criteria. On average, the cost to bring these codes up to the Central Registry’s rigorous SQA standards is estimated at over $300,000 per code.
The developers of each Central Registry toolbox code are responsible for ensuring that the codes are maintained in accordance with established requirements. The DOE Office of Quality Assurance Programs (EH-31) is working closely with the code developers to ensure that adequate technical support and training are available for this task.
While DOE lists the toolbox codes and provides information for them on the Central Registry Web site, most of these codes were developed outside of DOE (e.g., in the private sector or by other federal agencies). Access to these codes or their use may be subject to agreements, conditions and restrictions established by the code owners or federal agencies. In most cases, the most current versions accepted for use by DOE are listed, although other versions may be in use or available in archives or from code owners.