The main function of ACCERT (The Algorithm for the Capital Cost Estimation of Reactor Technologies) is to provide an item-by-item estimate of the cost of a facility, at present a nuclear reactor complex, primarily nuclear power stations. The core of ACCERT is the large number of algorithms that have been developed and will continue to be developed. ACCERT is also a general methodology for identifying and organizing the individual items that are estimated using the ACCERT algorithms. ACCERT also summarize status and results; to save results and pull information from previous analyses; and to provide an interactive dynamic graphical user interface for a wide range of functions and visualizations.
The software comprises three major components:
- Relational Database
- Creation, editing, and linking of different element types
- Report generation (queries)
- Search
- Equation solvers (extraction of information from elements and evaluation/updating of fields in the database)
- Algorithms
- Escalation
- Cost aggregation
- Interactive Graphical User Interface
- Dynamic windows
ACCERT is designed for integration with the NEAMS Workbench and relies on input files using Workbench's SON format. Instructions for installing ACCERT both with and without Workbench are provided in this README.
Documentation for ACCERT can be found here.