Three-dimensional two-fluid numerical treatment of a reactor vessel in TRAC. [PWR]

A three-dimensional two-fluid finite difference model has been used in TRAC (Transient Reactor Analysis Code) to represent a pressurized water reactor vessel. Mesh cells may be blocked off completely to represent large flow obstructions such as downcomer walls. The hydrodynamic volumes and flow areas may also be reduced in order to provide a porous matrix simulation of smaller scale strucuture. The finite difference equations are semi-implicit so that stability time scales are associated with material movement and not wave propagation. The block matrix structure is reduced during the implicit pass to a single element seven stripe system which is easily solved iteratively. This procedure has successfully performed numerous simulations of both full sized reactor accidents and smaller scale experments. It has proven to be a useful feature of the TRAC effort.