Safety Software Quality Assurance - Central Registry

A significant improvement in the quality assurance of safety software used at the Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities was achieved with the establishment of a list of "toolbox" codes that are compliant with the DOE Safety Software Quality Assurance (SSQA) requirements of DOE O 414.1D, Quality Assurance, and its safety software guidance, DOE G 414.1-4. The toolbox codes are used by DOE contractors to perform calculations and to develop data used to establish the safety basis for DOE facilities and their operation, and to support the variety of safety analyses and safety evaluations developed for these facilities. The following list of toolbox codes comprises the DOE Safety Software Central Registry.

Prior to inclusion into the Central Registry an evaluation, sometimes referred to as a gap analysis, of each code was conducted to identify any "gaps" between the SQA practices being allowed and DOE's requirements and criteria for safety software. Code-specific guidance reports are developed where needed to identify applicable regimes in accident analysis, default inputs, and special conditions for using the toolbox codes for DOE applications. These documents as well as general information are available through the toolbox code links provided above.

The codes in the Central Registry were mostly developed outside of DOE (e.g., in the private sector or other Federal agencies). Access to the toolbox codes or their use is subject to agreements, conditions and restrictions established by the code owners or Federal agencies.

The Chief Health, Safety and Security Officer (HS-1) is responsible for managing the Safety Software Central Registry. However, the toolbox code owners are responsible for ensuring that the codes are maintained in accordance with established requirements.

Use of the Central Registry toolbox codes is not mandatory. However, using the codes offers a number of advantages to the DOE and its contractors. Some of these advantages include: 1) the gap analysis evaluation performed provides valuable information on the code regarding application of SQA requirements, 2) the evaluation extends beyond the DOE safety software quality assurance criteria to the review of the code's capability to properly perform safety basis calculations, 3) the DOE specific guidance documents identify limitations and vulnerabilities not readily found in other code documentation, and 4) due to the established pedigree, assessments of the toolbox code by Field Office and site contractors may be reduced in scope.

For more information on the Central Registry contact Subir Sen.