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Lessons learned from full-scale vibration tests on nuclear power plant auxiliary structure in Switzerland

Abstract

The Beznau Nuclear Power Plant is located in northern Switzerland. The plant is owned and operated by the Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke AG (NOK) in Baden, Switzerland. It is a twin unit plant (2 x 350 MWe) which was designed in the early 1960's and placed into commercial operation between 1969 and 1971. In connection with a major backfit project, which will improve the safety of the plant against external events, the free-standing boric water tanks had to be relocated and were replaced by two boric water tanks in a new building (the so called BOTA-building). It enabled to plan and perform full scale vibration tests.The scope of experimental investigation was to determine the eigenfrequencies and damping values for fundamental soil-structure interaction. The vibration tests allowed identification of the important modes of the soil-structure system in the range 3 to 15 Hz. The excitation was strung enough to generate accelerations in the structure comparable to those of a small earthquake. From the comparisons of computed and measured results it is concluded that the rocking frequency can be reasonably well predicted by either Finite Element or Lumped Parameter models with springs simulating the soil-foundation stiffness, provided in the case of the latter the  More>>
Authors:
Berger, E; [1]  Tinic, S [2] 
  1. Basler and Hofmann AG, Consulting Engineers, Zurich (Switzerland)
  2. Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke AG, Baden (Switzerland)
Publication Date:
Jul 01, 1988
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
INIS-XA-N-006
Resource Relation:
Conference: International ENEA/ISMES/ENS specialist meeting on 'On-site experimental verification of the seismic behaviour of nuclear reactor structures and components', Bologna-Brasimone (Italy), 4-7 May 1987; Other Information: 6 refs, 11 figs, 1 tab; PBD: 1988; Related Information: In: International ENEA/ISMES/ENS specialist meeting on 'On-site experimental verification of the seismic behaviour of nuclear reactor structures and components'. Proceedings, 430 pages.
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; BEZNAU-1 REACTOR; BEZNAU-2 REACTOR; EARTHQUAKES; EIGENFREQUENCY; EXPERIMENT PLANNING; FINITE ELEMENT METHOD; FOUNDATIONS; GROUND MOTION; MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS; REACTOR SAFETY; SEISMIC ISOLATION; SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTIONS
OSTI ID:
20473410
Research Organizations:
ANDIN, Italian National Association for Nuclear Engineering (Italy); ANS-Italy, Italian Section of the American Nuclear Society (Italy); CEC, Commission of the European Communities (Belgium); FIEN, Italian Nuclear Energy Forum (Italy); SNI, Italian Nuclear Society (Italy); University of Bologna, Bologna Faculty of Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Section (Italy)
Country of Origin:
IAEA
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
TRN: XA04N0127048652
Availability:
Available from INIS in electronic form
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
page(s) 129-140
Announcement Date:
Jun 25, 2004

Citation Formats

Berger, E, and Tinic, S. Lessons learned from full-scale vibration tests on nuclear power plant auxiliary structure in Switzerland. IAEA: N. p., 1988. Web.
Berger, E, & Tinic, S. Lessons learned from full-scale vibration tests on nuclear power plant auxiliary structure in Switzerland. IAEA.
Berger, E, and Tinic, S. 1988. "Lessons learned from full-scale vibration tests on nuclear power plant auxiliary structure in Switzerland." IAEA.
@misc{etde_20473410,
title = {Lessons learned from full-scale vibration tests on nuclear power plant auxiliary structure in Switzerland}
author = {Berger, E, and Tinic, S}
abstractNote = {The Beznau Nuclear Power Plant is located in northern Switzerland. The plant is owned and operated by the Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke AG (NOK) in Baden, Switzerland. It is a twin unit plant (2 x 350 MWe) which was designed in the early 1960's and placed into commercial operation between 1969 and 1971. In connection with a major backfit project, which will improve the safety of the plant against external events, the free-standing boric water tanks had to be relocated and were replaced by two boric water tanks in a new building (the so called BOTA-building). It enabled to plan and perform full scale vibration tests.The scope of experimental investigation was to determine the eigenfrequencies and damping values for fundamental soil-structure interaction. The vibration tests allowed identification of the important modes of the soil-structure system in the range 3 to 15 Hz. The excitation was strung enough to generate accelerations in the structure comparable to those of a small earthquake. From the comparisons of computed and measured results it is concluded that the rocking frequency can be reasonably well predicted by either Finite Element or Lumped Parameter models with springs simulating the soil-foundation stiffness, provided in the case of the latter the embedment is taken into account. The prediction of the amplitude of structural response appears to be more difficult, as shown by the differences in the mode shapes. In the frequency range 8 to 10 Hz the agreement between computed and test results was less satisfactory. The actual structural behaviour turned out to be more complex than expected and needs further investigation with the aid of more refined models for the soil-structure system.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1988}
month = {Jul}
}