Validation is the process of ensuring that the data, method of solution, code or calculational route is adequate for the solution of a particular problem. This may be achieved by comparison with experimental data and standard analytical solutions, or by comparison against another computer program. Except for very simple situations that can be solved analytically, validation of a complex code such as MONK is based on comparisons with high quality experiments.

MONK is distributed with a validation database comprising critical experiments covering uranium, plutonium and mixed systems over a wide range of moderation and reflection. The experiments selected are regarded as being representative of systems that are widely encountered in the nuclear industry, particularly with respect to chemical plant operations, transportation and storage. The validation database is subject to on-going review and enhancement.

A categorisation facility is available in MONK to assist the criticality analyst in determining the type of system he is assessing and to enable him to quickly check that a calculation is adequately covered by validation cases.

The validation base of the code is listed below. You can look at the complete document for Validation Document No27, by clicking on the title.

The continuing expansion of the MONK Validation database draws on the output of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP).