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Earthquake response of head-mounted equipment in advanced nuclear reactors

Journal Article · · Earthquake Spectra
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [1]
  1. University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
  2. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Atlanta, GA, USA
  3. Kairos Power, Alameda, CA, USA
+ Show Author Affiliations

The seismic response of safety-related equipment mounted on the head of an advanced reactor, including pumps, control rod drive mechanisms, and reactor monitoring devices, will affect the design and layout of many advanced reactors. High earthquake-induced accelerations in such equipment may challenge their seismic qualification and trigger the need for additional support framing on the reactor head. Base isolation is a design solution that can drastically reduce seismic demands on equipment. This article describes a set of earthquake-simulator experiments conducted on a scale-model of a base-isolated reactor vessel including four representations of head-mounted equipment, with frequencies spanning from 4.5 to 27 Hz. Dynamic responses of the head-mounted equipment, including displacements, accelerations, and strains, were measured in the experiments for three support conditions: conventional, and seismically isolated using single concave Friction Pendulum (SFP) bearings and triple Friction Pendulum (TFP) bearings. Seismic isolation was effective at reducing equipment responses (accelerations, displacements, and strains) with respect to those in the conventionally supported vessel across a range of seismic inputs. Companion numerical studies highlight the accuracy to be expected in the calculation of different response quantities for lightly damped equipment. The importance of characterizing damping in head-mounted, safety-related equipment through physical experiments to support design and risk assessment is made clear through the numerical simulations.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
NONE; AR0000978
OSTI ID:
1994019
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2580170
Journal Information:
Earthquake Spectra, Journal Name: Earthquake Spectra Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 39; ISSN 8755-2930
Publisher:
SAGE PublicationsCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (7)

Validation of a numerical model of a seismically isolated, cylindrical, fluid‐filled vessel journal March 2022
Characterizing the seismic response of a molten salt nuclear reactor journal March 2023
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
Mid-height seismic isolation of equipment in nuclear power plants: Numerical simulations and design recommendations journal July 2023
Dynamic responses of submerged components in advanced reactors: experimental and numerical studies journal August 2022
Simple Procedure for Seismic Analysis of Liquid-Storage Tanks journal August 2000

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