Advances in computer simulation of fast breeder reactor thermohydraulics

This paper attempts to review the current status of the computer simulation technology of Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) thermohydraulics. Typical computer codes currently in use in the LMFBR world are discussed in conjunction with their numerical methods and models. The emphasis at this stage of the code development efforts has been on the refinement and optimization of the computational procedures including higher order accurate scheme, more sophisticated turbulence models, complicated two-phase flow numerical modeling and fast matrix solver. The recent increased interests in computer simulation in the LMFBR design and safety evaluations appear to stimulate needs toward much more computing power as well as more efficient numerical methods to solve a class of gigantic size of the problems. (author)