Reformulation RELAP5-3D in FORTRAN 95 and Results Available to Purchase

RELAP5-3D is a nuclear power plant code used worldwide for safety analysis, design, and operator training. In keeping with ongoing developments in the computing industry, we have re-architected the code in the FORTRAN 95 language [2], the current, fully-available, ANSI standard FORTRAN language. These changes include a complete reworking of the database and conversion of the source code to take advantage of new constructs. The improvements and impacts to the code are manifold. It is a completely machine-independent code that produces machine independent fluid property and plot files and expands to the exact size needed to accommodate the user’s input. Runtime is generally better for larger input models, many prior user-reported problems have been resolved, and the program is better tested. Other impacts of code reformulation are improved code readability, reduced maintenance and development time, increased adaptability to new computing platforms, and increased code longevity. Comparison between the pre- and post-conversion code are made on the basis of programming metrics and code performance.