Verification and validation benchmarks. Metadata

Title

• Main Title Verification and validation benchmarks.

Creator

• Author: Oberkampf, William Louis
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Trucano, Timothy Guy
  Creator Type: Personal

Contributor

• Sponsor: United States. Department of Energy.
  Contributor Type: Organization

Publisher

• Name: Sandia National Laboratories
  Place of Publication: United States

Date

• Creation: 2007-02-01

Language

• English

Description

• Content Description: Verification and validation (V&V) are the primary means to assess the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations. V&V methods and procedures have fundamentally improved the credibility of simulations in several high-consequence fields, such as nuclear reactor safety, underground nuclear waste storage, and nuclear weapon safety. Although the terminology is not uniform across engineering disciplines, code verification deals with assessing the reliability of the software coding, and solution verification deals with assessing the numerical accuracy of the solution to a computational model. Validation addresses the physics modeling accuracy of a computational simulation by comparing the computational results with experimental data. Code verification benchmarks and validation benchmarks have been constructed for a number of years in every field of computational simulation. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been proposed for the construction and use of V&V benchmarks. For example, the field of nuclear reactor safety has not focused on code verification benchmarks, but it has placed great emphasis on developing validation benchmarks. Many of these validation benchmarks are closely related to the operations of actual reactors at near-safety-critical conditions, as opposed to being more fundamental-physics benchmarks. This paper presents recommendations for the effective design and use of code verification benchmarks based on manufactured solutions, classical analytical solutions, and highly accurate numerical solutions. In addition, this paper presents recommendations for the design and use of validation benchmarks, highlighting the careful design of building-block experiments, the estimation of experimental measurement uncertainty for both inputs and outputs to the code, validation metrics, and the role of model calibration in validation. It is argued that the understanding of predictive capability of a computational model is built on the level of achievement in V&V activities, how closely related the V&V benchmarks are to the actual application of interest, and the quantification of uncertainties related to the application of interest.
• Physical Description: 67 p.

Subject

• Keyword: Numerical Solution
• Keyword: Radioactive Wastes
• Keyword: Nuclear Reactors-Computer Programs-Verification.
• Keyword: Construction
• STI Subject Categories: 12 Management Of Radioactive Wastes, And Non-Radioactive Wastes From Nuclear Facilities
• Keyword: Analytical Solution
• Keyword: Metrics
• Keyword: Radioactive Waste Disposal-Computer Programs-Verification.
• Keyword: Nuclear Weapons
• Keyword: Physics
• Keyword: Benchmarks
• Keyword: Verification Radioactive Waste Disposal-Computer Programs-Verification.
• STI Subject Categories: 45 Military Technology, Weaponry, And National Defense
• Keyword: Reactors
• Keyword: Computer Software-Verification.
• Keyword: Reliability
• Keyword: Validation
• Keyword: Calibration
• Keyword: Storage
• Keyword: Validation.
• Keyword: Safety
• Keyword: Computer Programs-Verification.
• Keyword: Accuracy

Collection

• Name: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports
  Code: OSTI

Institution

• Name: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
  Code: UNTGD

Resource Type

• Report

Format

• Text

Identifier

• Report No.: SAND2007-0853
• Grant Number: AC04-94AL85000
• DOI: 10.2172/901974
• Office of Scientific & Technical Information Report Number: 901974
• Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metadc885246