The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) Handbook contains criticality safety benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments that were performed at various critical facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by criticality and safety analysts as well as nuclear data evaluators to validate calculational techniques and data. The handbook is produced by the ICSBEP working group, under the aegis of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). While co-ordination and administration of the ICSBEP is undertaken by the NEA, each participating country is responsible for the administration, technical direction, and priorities of the project within their respective countries. Access to some of the information and data included in this handbook may be restricted.
The evaluated criticality safety benchmark data in the 2024 edition are presented in nine volumes. These volumes span over 81 000 pages and contain 598 evaluations with benchmark specifications for 5 168 critical, near-critical or subcritical configurations, 51 criticality alarm placement/shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each, and 246 configurations which have been categorised as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications.
New to the handbook are one benchmark for fundamental physics, FUND-LLNL-DT-PE-PNDA-001, a pulsed-neutron die-away (PNDA) measurement of polyethylene and polymethyl methacrylate targets, and one critical benchmark, HEU-MET-INTER-013, a highly enriched uranium (HEU) benchmark with seven configurations that features hafnium. This edition also includes a major update and revision to HEU-MET-FAST-028, the evaluation of the critical measurement of the HEU core for Flattop. The cover art is from the PNDA measurement, a first of a kind benchmark for the ICSBEP handbook, completed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States.
Even if you have had access to the online version of the Handbook in previous years, the request must be renewed for each new edition.
If you have already been authorised access to the 2024 edition, you can access it through the link below:
Access the 2024 ICSBEP Handbook online (on NEA GitLab)
If you have already been authorised access to the 2022/2023 edition, you can access it through the link below:
Access the 2022/2023 ICSBEP Handbook online (password protected | reminder)
If you have already been authorised access to the 2021 edition, you can access it through the link below:
Access the 2021 ICSBEP Handbook online (password protected | reminder)
If you have already been authorised access to the 2020 edition, you can access it through the link below:
Access the 2020 ICSBEP Handbook online (password protected | reminder)
If you have already been authorised access to the 2019 edition, you can access it through the link below:
Access the 2019 ICSBEP Handbook online (password protected | reminder)
If you have already been authorised access to the 2018 edition, you can access it through the link below:
Access the 2018 ICSBEP Handbook online (password protected | reminder)