Journal
EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING & STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS
Volume 52, Issue 4, Pages 998-1015Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/eqe.3798
Keywords
earthquake-simulator experiments; equipment isolation; mid-height seismic isolation; nuclear power plants; safety-class equipment
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This paper presents an innovative seismic isolation solution for safety-class equipment in advanced nuclear power plants. A tall and slender carbon steel vessel was tested to represent various equipment in a nuclear power plant. The test results demonstrate the feasibility of mid-height seismic isolation and its ability to reduce horizontal spectral accelerations.
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. These outcomes are not specific to the spherical sliding bearings used in the experiments but are broadly applicable to mid-height, seismically isolated equipment.
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