Seismic test on a one-fifth scale HTGR core model

Olsen, B.E.; Neylan, A.J.; Gorholt, W.

doi:10.1016/0029-5493(76)90028-5

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…This problem has practical relevance because a broadly similar response has been observed, during earthquakes, in slender water tanks and petroleum cracking towers (Housner 1956), ancient Greek and Roman stone temples (Fowler and Stillwell 1932), and stacks of graphite blocks in the core of nuclear reactors (Olsen et al 1976). Of course, during an earthquake the foundation does not remain stationary, and hence earthquake-induced oscillations are more complex; a good understanding of the free -rocking response is essential before going on to forced rocking, as we shall discuss.…”

Section: Introduction: Simple Rocking Model (Srm)mentioning

confidence: 87%

Free Rocking of Prismatic Blocks

Lipscombe¹,

1993

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This paper investigates both experimentally and theoretically the free rocking of a prismatic block supported by a stationary , horizontal foundation: the block is tilted, almost to the point of overturning, and released from this position. It is shown that the standard mathematical model for this problem is often inaccurate. A critical review of the implicit assumptions behind the standard model reveals that the free-rocking response of short blocks depends crucially on bouncing after each impact; out-of-plane effects are significant in very short blocks. The response of slender blocks is found to be easier to predict. Rocking has been observed during earthquakes in structures that consist of fairly rigid, unbonded elements, e.g. stacks of graphite blocks in nuclear reactors. and ancient Greek columns, and also in slender structures with foundations unable to resist uplift.

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Section: Introduction: Simple Rocking Model (Srm)mentioning

confidence: 87%

Free Rocking of Prismatic Blocks

Lipscombe¹,

1993

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“…Although the KP-FHR is a novel design, some of the reactor's components are like those used in other designs. As an example, many high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) designs use graphite reflector block assemblies similar to KP-FHR, [6][7][8][9][10][11] the difference being that in KP-FHR, the blocks float in the liquid coolant. None of the past studies involved experiments at the scale and level of complexity described in this paper.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the seismic response of a molten salt nuclear reactor

Mir

Whittaker

Kosbab

et al. 2023

Earthq Engng Struct Dyn

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One Generation IV nuclear reactor, which uses a fluoride salt as a coolant, graphite reflector blocks as a moderator, and circulating buoyant TRISO pebbles as fuel is at an advanced stage of development. To characterize the seismic behavior of components of this reactor, validate numerical models for analysis, and develop recommendations for design, a set of earthquake-simulator experiments on a scaled model of the reactor vessel and its internals was executed on a sixdegree-of-freedom earthquake simulator. The model was seismically isolated at its base using two types of spherical sliding bearings. The scaled model involved representations of the prototype reactor vessel, core barrel, reflector blocks, coolant, and spherical fuel pebbles. The material and geometric properties of different test components were selected based on a dynamic similitude scaling analysis and an approximate length scale of 0.4. Four sets of three-component earthquake motions were used as inputs for testing. Instrumentation on the test specimen recorded the dynamic responses of the outer vessel, core barrel, and reflector-block assembly, the hydrodynamic responses (sloshing and hydrodynamic pressure) of the liquid coolant, pebble consolidation under earthquake shaking, and the behavior of the isolation systems. This paper describes the design of the experiments and presents key results from the tests. The dynamic responses of the outer vessel, core barrel, and the reflector blocks revealed that the components responded as a unit for the intense shaking used in the experiments. The sloshing response of the fluid in a thin annulus near the perimeter of the vessel was heavily damped. The change in the packing fraction of the pebble bed under repeated, intense 3D earthquake shaking was less than 3%. Seismically isolating the vessel substantially reduced demands on its internal components.

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