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Structural response of rectilinear containment to overpressurization

Conference ·
OSTI ID:97008

Containment structures for nuclear reactors are the final barrier between released radionuclides and the public. Containment structures are constructed from steel, reinforced concrete, or prestressed concrete. US nuclear reactor containment geometries tend to be cylindrical with elliptical or hemispherical heads. The older Soviet designed reactors do not use a containment building to mitigate the effects of accidents. Instead, they employ a sealed set of rectilinear, interconnected compartments, collectively called the accident localization system (ALS), to reduce the release of radionuclides to the atmosphere during accidents. The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology that can be used to find the structural capacity of reinforced concrete structures. The method is applicable to both cylindrical and rectilinear geometries. As an illustrative example, the methodology is applied to a generic VVER-440/V213 design.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
97008
Report Number(s):
ANL/RE/CP--86313; CONF-950740--57; ON: DE95014246
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English