Abstract:

This paper provides a summary of the Software Verification and Validation (V&V), which has been performed on the nuclear safety-relevant elements in Flownex that are currently used in the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) safety case. M-Tech Industrial (M-Tech) and PBMR have embarked on a rigorous V&V process to guarantee the integrity of engineering analyses and to satisfy the statutory requirements regarding the licensing and operating of nuclear plants in South Africa and abroad.

Tools used in the verification of Flownex Nuclear include test plans and procedures, code reviews, user testing, automated testing and regression testing; all implemented under an ISO 9001:2000 quality management system at MTech, the code developers. Validation of Flownex Nuclear is performed by comparing the results of the theoretical models with benchmark data obtained from appropriate methods or sources such as analytical data, experimental data, plant data and data obtained form other codes such as Spectra, XNet and Star CD in both separate effect and integrated tests. To further enhance the Flownex V&V effort and to ensure that the Flownex capabilities comply with the latest requirements on High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR) analysis, M-Tech is an active participant in international standard problems and conferences, like CRP-5, ICAPP and HTR-TN.