A numerical analysis of molten metal drop and coolant interaction

The interaction of molten metal drop and coolant is numerically analyzed to investigate the mechanism of fragmentation in vapor explosion. The numeric al study is carried out by using a developed simulation code based on multi -phase thermal hydraulic model, which includes physical phenomena required for the analysis: heat transfer, mass cl-lange, liquid evaporation and trea tment of surface. Several computational techniques are also implemented to improve the efficiency and stability of the numerical scheme. The obtained numerical results allow that the growth of spikes on the molten metal drop surface is similar to that observed in Ciccarelli's experiment. The numeric al study suggests that quick growth of spikes is the essential mechanism of fragmentation, which is caused by Taylor instability.