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Mid–height seismic isolation of equipment in nuclear power plants

Journal Article · · Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/eqe.3798· OSTI ID:1963087
 [1];  [2];  [2]
  1. Univ. at Buffalo, The State Univ. of New York, NY (United States); University at Buffalo
  2. Univ. at Buffalo, The State Univ. of New York, NY (United States)
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An innovative seismic isolation solution for designers of safety-class equipment in advanced nuclear power plants is introduced. The test specimen was a tall, slender, carbon steel vessel that could represent a reactor vessel, steam generator, or a heat exchanger in a nuclear power plant: 240 inches tall, outer diameter of 60 inches, and wall thickness of 1 inch. The vessel was supported by three radial mounts at its mid-height, near its center of gravity, on a steel frame. The vessel was subjected to three-component ground motions using a 6DOF earthquake simulator. The specimen was filled with water for testing to indirectly account for the fluid and internal equipment present inside a prototype vessel. Three configurations were tested: non-isolated, isolated using single Friction Pendulum (SFP) bearings, and isolated using triple Friction Pendulum (TFP) bearings. The test results demonstrate that mid-height seismic isolation is practical and enables a significant reduction in horizontal spectral accelerations. Furthermore, these outcomes are not specific to the spherical sliding bearings used in the experiments but are broadly applicable to mid-height, seismically isolated equipment.

Research Organization:
Univ. at Buffalo, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
Grant/Contract Number:
AR0000978
OSTI ID:
1963087
Journal Information:
Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, Journal Name: Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 52; ISSN 0098-8847
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (8)

Earthquake-simulator test results: Mid-height isolated tall, slender vessel dataset January 2022
Seismic probabilistic risk assessment for seismically isolated safety-related nuclear facilities journal March 2017
Extreme earthquake response of nuclear power plants isolated using sliding bearings journal May 2017
Using seismic isolation to reduce risk and capital cost of safety-related nuclear structures journal January 2018
Seismic isolation: A pathway to standardized advanced nuclear reactors journal February 2022
Towards standardized nuclear reactors: Seismic isolation and the cost impact of the earthquake load case journal January 2022
Analytical and Experimental Seismic Studies of Transformers Isolated with Friction Pendulum System and Design Aspects journal November 2001
Seismic Isolation: History, Application, and Performance—A World View journal May 1990

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Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
earthquake-simulator experiments
equipment isolation
mid-height seismic isolation
nuclear power plants
safety-class equipment