For complex systems, a typical Event Tree may result in 1015 or more paths. SOLOMON addresses this problem by providing a structured approach to managing the complex models needed for such studies, bringing power and flexibility to minimise the calculational and administrative overhead.
SOLOMON is an integrated package, designed specifically to enhance productivity in risk evaluation using the Event Tree formalism. Features include:
- intuitive user interface - improves data management and reduces model development times;
- supernodes - slashes the time taken to evaluate results by simplifying Event Trees;
- prior path dependency - cuts development time by incorporating several event sequences into a single model;
- system model integration - enhances the implementation and assessment of model variants, reducing the need for expert elicitation;
- multi-branching nodes - flexible input structure avoids the need for unnecessary model simplifications;
- uncertainties and sensitivities - allows rapid assessment of phenomenological and system uncertainties using automatically-generated importance measures;
- pre-defined end categories - enables efficient evaluation of consequence frequencie
SOLOMON employs a system of nodes, or control points, to represent the top events in a tree. Using colour-coded model representation and intuitive dialogs, the Windows-based Graphical User Interface guides the user through the complex process of constructing an Event Tree model. The structured approach provided by SOLOMON allows rapid navigation around the most complex models, cutting development time and minimising costly mistakes.
SOLOMON 's powerful combination of dedicated keywords and the functionality of the C programming language allows rapid development of even the largest Event Trees. Enhancements to models are readily accommodated and the results are open to scrutiny, providing a clearly auditable trail for QA purposes. For the more advanced user, direct access to the keyword input provides the most efficient means of updating the model.
Compiled code guarantees the shortest possible execution times, and the supernode concept allows the user to rapidly assess the results. Developed exclusively for SOLOMON, supernodes give the user an intuitive method of combining nodes to collapse a large Event Tree down to a manageable size, either for convenient display or for export to other applications. Multiple simplified Event Trees can be built to focus on key aspects of the calculation, starting anywhere within the tree.
Prior path dependency is another key feature of SOLOMON, letting the user take account of decisions made earlier in the tree (such as systems availability), when calculating parameters for input to a model or the probability of a node.
Uncertainties arise in many of the phenomena considered in Event Trees. SOLOMON identifies the most important phenomena at each branch point and lets the user apply uncertainty distributions to the governing parameters. The resulting uncertainty distribution for each end category can be displayed in the Probability and Cumulative Density Function viewer, or exported to a spreadsheet for more sophisticated data handling.
SOLOMON builds on Serco Assurance's wealth of experience developing software solutions for industry.
A natural consequence of the SOLOMON development strategy is that it is a generalised decision-making tool; thus it can readily be applied to problems requiring consequence-driven decisions. SOLOMON has been successfully applied to safety-critical problems, such as Level 2 Probabilistic Safety Assessments of a number of nuclear reactor designs (both Western and Eastern European).
SOLOMON is now available for IBM-compatible PCs running Microsoft Windows 9x or later. SOLOMON also requires a suitable C compiler to run (a 16-bit version is available for older operating systems).
Evaluation Versions
The evaluation version of SOLOMON provides an introduction to the main features and use of the code. It includes a series of worked examples illustrating the construction of a simple model, as well as a brief description of a generic plant model provided as an example of a 'real world' application.
An evaluation version of SOLOMON (that does not need a compiler to be installed on your PC) is available in a set of downloadable files - see below.
Alternatively, if you wish to receive the evaluation version on CD please contact the ANSWERS manager (contact details below).
To view Installation instructions (in PDF format) click here.
To download the ZIP file containing the executables and demonstration files click here.
To view the file "An Introduction and Tutorial Guide to Using the SOLOMON Code" (in PDF format) click here.
To view the file "The SOLOMON Containment Event Tree Program - A User Guide" (in PDF format) click here.
For further information, please contact:
The ANSWERS Manager
Serco Assurance
Winfrith Technology Centre
Dorchester
Dorset DT2 8ZE
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)1305 851213
F: +44 (0)1305 851105
E: answers@sercoassurance.com