PSACOIN level 0 intercomparison-an international verification exercise on a hypothetical safety assessment case study

A comparison of probabilistic system assessment (PSA) codes relevant to radioactive waste disposal is reported. This level-0 intercomparison was the first of a series of planned code verification exercises and was based on a simple model describing a hypothetical disposal system. PSA codes deal with uncertainty and variability in input parameters using a Monte Carlo approach, so that the analysis of the intercomparison results was complicated by the random fluctuation associated with the output variables to be estimated. The exercise was an important step in the process of assuring the quality of computer programs involved. The methodology could be useful in different contexts, whenever large Monte Carlo outputs affected by random variability are to be analyzed