Numerical analysis of liquid metal and coolant interaction

A two dimensional multi-phase and multi-component thermal hydraulic code is developed for analyzing the interaction of hot liquid metal and coolant. Three separate phases and components are the coolant vapor, the coolant liquid and the liquid metal. The model is based on the conservation of mass, momentum and energy for each of phases and components. The calculation system is that initially a single hot liquid metal drop is immersed into the coolant which is contained in a cubic vessel, and a vapor film is initialized surrounding the hot liquid metal. A pressure pulse is applied to the system in the coolant from the bottom of the vessel. A base case is analyzed and the results show that under the action of the pressure pulse, local flow of the coolant liquid is formed and causes the interfacial instability and the deformation of the molten metal drop. After the initial pressure pulse passes through the molten metal drop and the initial vapor film collapses, the molten metal drop does not substantially change its dimension. The effect of the ambient pressure and the initial pressure pulse are analyzed. (author)