RADTRAD Industry Users Group FAQ Page

Below is a list of frequently asked questions (and answers!) about the RADTRAD code and the Industry User's Group.

Where Did RADTRAD Come From?

When Terry Heames left Sandia National Labs and was asked to bring the code to the utilities, he made a deal with NRC Research. This deal essentially let Terry and Serco help the utilities develop new models and turn them over to the NRC free of charge for them to evaluate and include in the NRC RADTRAD code. The theory was that Serco could develop concepts that the industry wanted to see and place them in the NRC code system. This has worked reasonably well.

Some of the original models requested by the NRC have been found inadequate. Two examples are the Henry aerosol deposition model and the Brockmann pipe deposition model. Other options have been extended, for example the code can use many more compartments, paths, and nuclides. Dose can now be determined in all compartments, decay and daughtering now covers deposited nuclides, source terms can vary substantially (in form, location, and release) and atmospheric dilution can be path dependent all due to utility request. Similarly the NRC requested a homogeneous deposition model be included and that limits be placed on spray decontamination. Both groups wanted to see different edits. The Serco-RADTRAD version 3.10 code performs all these.

Note the use of Serco-RADTRAD versus RADTRAD. The NRC requested control over the name RADTRAD and asked Serco to add the corporate name to the code name to show uniqueness.

When is the next scheduled RADTRAD training course?

The 2017 RADTRAD 3.10 training will be held in Clearwater, FL in October during the RADTRAD Users Group Annual Meeting. Non-members are welcome to attend this meeting for a fee. More information on this will be available by August 1, 2018. Contact Bruce Letellier (Bruce.Letellier@serco-na.com) for details or to reserve a training slot.

What is the status of the V&V package for RADTRAD?

The V&V package for RADTRAD 3.03 and Serco-RADTRAD 3.10 are available from Nuclear Services Devision, Serco. Contact Bruce Letellier (Bruce.Letellier@serco-na.com) for details.

Why should we buy your V&V package when all we have to do is run the acceptance test cases that come with the code?

The acceptance test cases used for the V&V of RADTRAD 2.20 and 3.01 were designed for the LOCA scenario only. The Serco V&V package has a comparison with all accidents in the RG 1.183 guidelines (i.e. the BWR FHA, MSLB, and CRDA as  well as the PWR FHA, MSLB, SGTR, LRA, and REA scenarios). It currently exempts the EQ case, the sump (suppression pool) iodine revolatilization option, and the pH analysis. It also verifies that the GUI input is handled correctly, hence the user will be able to validate his inputs  by using the edit of the input opposed to the list of numbers in the input data file.

Have Additional Questions?

Please post your questions in the box below. Your question will be addressed immediately and posted along with a response within a few working days. If an e-mail address is included, the response will be sent to the indicated address. Please review the 'RADTRAD Software Error Notices' tab before submitting your question.

If you have posted a question and have not received a response, please e-mail Bruce.Letellier@serco-na.com.

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This Page Was Last Updated on 11/5/2021