Seismic analysis of RCS with finite element model for advanced PWR

Reactor Coolant Pumps (RCPs) are very important to the safe operation of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), especially during the earthquake, which needs detailed seismic analysis of individual RCPs and the boundary conditions, for example, at the nozzles. In this paper, three-dimensional finite element model of Reactor Coolant System (RCS) is constructed from a systematic perspective to perform dynamic evaluation, in which the boundary conditions could be given. The seismic spectrum analysis with three orthotropic directions is performed to obtain the stress and displacement response, which shows that the maximum Tresca stress locates in the connection part of SG with RCP and the maximum displacement occurs at the surge line. Sensitivity analysis of spectrum input angle and stiffness of supports is performed, which may be useful to further design and analysis. Furthermore, direct integration method is used to perform time-history analysis, and the boundary conditions of RCP, the loads, acceleration and displacement at nozzles are obtained, which could support the detailed analysis of RCP components. Besides, the lumped mass model of RCS is also constructed to compare with three-dimensional finite element model, which means that for the complicated geometry the 3-D model is better than the lumped mass model. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.