Benchmarking Monte Carlo Codes for Criticality Safety Using Subcritical Measurements

Monte Carlo codes that are used for criticality safety evaluations are typically validated using critical experiments in which the neutron multiplication factor is unity. However, the conditions for most fissile material operations do not coincide to those of the critical experiments. This paper demonstrates that Monte Carlo methods and nuclear data can be validated using subcritical measurements whose conditions may coincide more closely to actual configurations of fissile material.