Data testing and CRISY

The release of any new evaluated nuclear data file is followed by an intensive data testing activity in addition to the data testing by the evaluating organization. The new cross-section library ENDF/B-VI has been released recently. Data checking of a new library is done typically in two stages, In the first stage, one checks the quality (accuracy, plausibility, and consistency) of the published data. In the second stage, one calculates integral quantities depending on the data that are experimentally known with a high accuracy, such as the critical mass of benchmark assemblies, and reaction rates. Experience has shown that data on critical benchmarks are sometimes incomplete or inconsistent. Therefore, the authors developed a critical assemblies documentation system (CRISY). CRISY consists of an electronic spreadsheet (where data from the literature are translated to input data needed for transport calculations) and of an accompanying documentation of the references and the analysis of the data in the literature that led to the description of the assembly that was adopted in CRISY. This elucidates the best possible description of critical assemblies that were published.