Obtaining the Codes
How to Obtain NRC-Developed Computer Codes
In general, the NRC allows distribution of its reactor and radiation safety codes, tools to domestic organizations (utilities, vendors, academic institutions, commercial enterprises) and international organizations located in countries that participate in the Code Applications and Maintenance Program (CAMP), Cooperative Severe Accident Research Program (CSARP) or Radiation Protection Computer Code Analysis and Maintenance Program (RAMP).
Specific procedures for obtaining NRC codes are as follows:
On this page:
TRACE/RELAP5
If you are a domestic commercial organization:
- Fill out, sign and return this non-disclosure agreement. When complete, you may mail to the address listed on the form or email it to safetycodes@nrc.gov.
- There are 2 levels of support provided:
- $5,000/year. The user becomes a member of the domestic user group and is granted technical support and periodic code updates.
- $1,000 one time fee for shipping and handling. The user is entitled to installation assistance only.
- Code distribution and all payment transactions will be handled by the NRC contractor responsible for code distribution (in this case, Information System Laboratories, Inc).
If you are a domestic academic institution or NRC contractor:
- Fill out, sign and return this non-disclosure agreement. When complete, you may mail to the address listed on the form or email it to safetycodes@nrc.gov.
- The code is provided for no fee, although no technical assistance is provided.
If you are an international governmental organization located in a CAMP member country:
- Access to the code is provided through your country's CAMP representative.
If you are an international non-governmental organization located in a CAMP member country:
- Access to the code is provided through your country's CAMP representative.
- In addition, you are required to fill out, sign and return this non-disclosure agreement.
If you are an international organization located in a non-member country:
- You may request the code through the NRC's Office of International Programs.
PARCS
PARCS exists both as a stand-alone program and as a coupled version to both RELAP5 and TRACE. In general, distribution of the stand-alone version and the RELAP5-coupled version is handled directly by University of Michigan. The TRACE-coupled version is bundled directly into the TRACE distribution package so access to PARCS is automatic when requests for TRACE are made.
SNAP
NRC sponsors SNAP plugins for TRACE, PARCS, MELCOR, and several other NRC codes. You can download the SNAP code directly, but access to download SNAP is by registration only. You must fill out, sign, and return this non-disclosure agreement. When complete, you may mail the NDA to the address listed on the form or email it to safetycodes@nrc.gov. There is no charge to domestic users for obtaining the code. We ask users to please provide feedback and submit bug reports via GitHub. Members of the CAMP and CSARP organizations would also follow the above procedure as for domestic users (if this applies to you, please be sure to note your affiliation with CAMP or CSARP on the NDA). Note that NRC users should instead obtain SNAP via the NRC’s internal SNAP SharePoint resource (search for the “SNAP” site on the main NRC SharePoint page).
MELCOR/MACCS
If you are a domestic private (e.g., commercial) organization:
- Fill out, sign and return this non-disclosure agreement*. When complete, you may email it to safetycodes@nrc.gov.
- The following one-time fees apply:
- MELCOR: $2,500
- MACCS: $4,000 (a discounted rate of $1,500 applies if you previously paid for MACCS v3)
- MelMACCS: $1,000
- SecPop: $1,000
- Sandia National Laboratories, the NRC contractor responsible for MELCOR/MACCS distribution, handles all payment transactions.
If you are a U.S. government organization/contractor, or U.S. academic institution:
If you are an international organization:
- Access to the code is provided through the Cooperative Severe Accident Research Program (CSARP).
- If your organization is not a CSARP member, you must have the approval of the CSARP member organization in your country and fill out, sign and return this non-disclosure agreement* to safetycodes@nrc.gov.
- If your organization is interested in joining CSARP, please contact the NRC's Office of International Programs.
*Submit separate non-disclosure agreements if you are requesting both MELCOR and MACCS. On the MACCS non-disclosure agreement, you may enter "MACCS code suite" to request all MACCS codes, or you may request individual codes within the MACCS code suite (i.e., "MACCS," "MelMACCS," and/or "SecPop"). Note that SecPop is not provided for international use.
FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN
Distribution of FRAPTRAN and FRAPCON is handled by NRC's contractor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Requests for obtaining the codes can be made from the FRAPCON website. You will need to fill out, sign, and return a non-disclosure agreement available from that website.
SAPHIRE
The current version of SAPHIRE is generally distributed through the SAPHIRE Users Group:
- Fill out, sign and return this non-disclosure agreement. When complete, you may mail to the address listed on the form or email it to safetycodes@nrc.gov.
- The Idaho National Laboratory, the NRC contractor responsible for SAPHIRE code developement, will provide technical assistance to SAPHIRE Users Group members. Additional infomation can be found on the SAPHIRE Users Group website.
LEAPOR
Distribution of LEAPOR is handled by the NRC staff. Requestors will need to fill out, sign, and return this non-disclosure agreement. When complete, it may be mailed to the address listed on the form or sent to safetycodes@nrc.gov. The code is provided at no cost; however, no technical assistance is provided.
xLPR
xLPR was jointly developed by the NRC's Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The two organizations have collaborated to make the code available for request through EPRI's website.
There are no fees, but prospective users must satisfy certain citizenship requirements and sign an End User License Agreement.
Prospective users may initiate the request process for the current version of xLPR.
A copy of the xLPR code and supporting materials will be made available for download after a request is approved.
ASME Section III, Division 5 Design Tool
Distribution of the ASME Section III, Division 5 Design Tool is handled by the NRC staff.
Requestors will need to fill out, sign, and return this non-disclosure agreement. When complete, it may be mailed to the address listed on the form or sent to safetycodes@nrc.gov. The tool is provided at no cost; however, no technical assistance is provided. The downloadable package contains the Python scripts, user manuals, and Excel data files containing examples that can be run using the tool. The Python scripts are to be run in conjunction with the Anaconda Distribution 3.7 software, which is publicly available for download.
FAVOR
Distribution of FAVOR is handled by the NRC staff. Requestors will need to fill out, sign, and return this non-disclosure agreement. When complete, it may be mailed to the address listed on the form or sent to safetycodes@nrc.gov. The code is provided at no cost; however, no technical assistance is provided.