• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.1079-1089
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• 2017

Nuclear power plants under expansion and under construction in China are mostly located in coastal areas, which means they are at risk of suffering strong earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis. This paper presents a safety analysis for a new reinforced concrete containment vessel in such events. A finite element method-based model was built, verified, and first used to understand the seismic performance of the containment vessel under earthquakes with increased intensities. Then, the model was used to assess the safety performance of the containment vessel subject to an earthquake with peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 0.56g and subsequent tsunamis with increased inundation depths, similar to the 2011 Great East earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Results indicated that the containment vessel reached Limit State I (concrete cracking) and Limit State II (concrete crushing) when the PGAs were in a range of 0.8-1.1g and 1.2-1.7g, respectively. The containment vessel reached Limit State I with a tsunami inundation depth of 10 m after suffering an earthquake with a PGA of 0.56g. A site-specific hazard assessment was conducted to consider the likelihood of tsunami sources.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.429-438
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• 2020

To shorten the construction times of nuclear facility structures, three high-strength concrete mixtures were developed with specific consideration given to their curing temperatures, their economic efficiency, and the practicality of their quality control. This study was conducted to examine the temperature rise profiles of these three concrete mixtures and the potential for early-age thermal cracking in the primary containment vessel of a nuclear reactor with a wall thickness of 1200 mm. The one-layer placement height of the concrete for the primary containment vessel was increased from the conventional 3 m to 3.5 m. A nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted using the thermal properties of concrete determined from the isothermal hydration and adiabatic hydration tests, and tuned through comparisons made with temperature rise profiles obtained for 1200-mm-thick mock-up wall specimens cured at temperatures of 5, 20, and 35℃. The hydration heat performance of the three concrete mixtures and their potential to produce thermal cracking in nuclear facilities indicate that the mixtures have considerable potential for practical application to the primary containment vessel of a nuclear reactor at various curing temperatures, fulfilling the minimum requirements of the ACI 301 and minimizing the likelihood of the occurrence of thermal cracks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.7
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• pp.884-894
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• 2015

Background: Fibers in concrete resist the growth of cracks and enhance the postcracking behavior of structures. The addition of fibers into a conventional reinforced concrete can improve the structural and functional performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. Methods: The influence of fibers on the ultimate internal pressure capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) was investigated through a comparison of the ultimate pressure capacities between conventional and fiber-reinforced PCCVs. Steel and polyamide fibers were used. The tension behaviors of conventional concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete specimens were investigated through uniaxial tension tests and their tension-stiffening models were obtained. Results: For a PCCV reinforced with 1% volume hooked-end steel fiber, the ultimate pressure capacity increased by approximately 12% in comparison with that for a conventional PCCV. For a PCCV reinforced with 1.5% volume polyamide fiber, an increase of approximately 3% was estimated for the ultimate pressure capacity. Conclusion: The ultimate pressure capacity can be greatly improved by introducing steel and polyamide fibers in a conventional reinforced concrete. Steel fibers are more effective at enhancing the containment performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers. The fiber reinforcementwas shown to bemore effective at a high pressure loading and a lowprestress level.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2014

To evaluate the behavior of the advanced unbonded pre-stressed concrete containment vessel (UPCCV) for one typical China nuclear power plant under Japan's March 11 earthquake, five nonlinear time history analysis and a nonlinear static analysis of a 1:10 scale UPCCV structure have been carried out with MSC.MARC finite element program. Comparisons between the analytical and experimental results demonstrated that the developed finite element model can predict the earthquake behavior of the UPCCV with fair accuracy. The responses of the 1:10 scale UPCCV subjected to the 11 March 2011 Japan earthquakes recorded at the MYG003 station with the peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 781 gal and at the MYG013 station with the PGA of 982 gal were predicted by the dynamic analysis. Finally, a static analysis was performed to seek the ultimate load carrying capacity for the 1:10 scale UPCCV.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.512-527
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• 2004

This paper describes the finite element (FE) analysis results of a 1/4 scale model of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) by considering the tension stiffening effect, which is a result of the bond effect between the concrete and the steel. The tension stiffening model is assumed to be an exponential form based on the relationship between the average stress and the average strain of the concrete. The objective of the present FE analysis is to evaluate the ultimate internal pressure capacity of the PCCV, as well as its failure mechanism, when the PCCV model is subjected to a monotonous internal pressure beyond is design pressure capacity. With the commercial code ABAQUS, the FE analysis used two concrete failure criteria: a 2-dimensional axi-symmetric model with modified Drucker-Prager failure criteria and a 3-dimensional model with a damaged plasticity mod디. The results of our FE analysis on the ultimate pressure capacity and failure modes of PCCV have a good agreement with the experimental data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.485-497
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• 2024

Ring beam is the main anchorage zone of the tendons in the nuclear power prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV). Its safety is crucial and has a great influence on the overall performance of PCCV. In this paper, two half-scale ring beams were tested to investigate the mechanical performance of the anchorage zone in the PCCV under multidirectional pressure. The effect of working condition with different tension sequences was investigated. Additionally, a half axisymmetric plane model of the containment was established by the finite element simulation to further predict the experimental responses and propose the local reinforcement design in the anchorage zone of the ring beam. The results showed that the ultimate load of the specimens under both working conditions was greater than the nominal ultimate tensile force. The original reinforcement design could meet the bearing capacity requirements, but there was still room for optimization. The ring beam was generally under pressure in the anchorage area, while the splitting force appeared in the under-anchor area, and the spalling force appeared in the corner area of the tooth block, which could be targeted for local strengthening design.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.639-646
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• 2006

A nonlinear finite element analysis is carried out to predict the ultimate internal pressure and failure mechanism of a 1/4 scale prestressed concrete containment vessel(PCCV) model using the commercial code ABAQUS. Therefore, this paper is mainly focused to compare the influence of concrete material model, tension stiffening parameter, uplift phenomenon and basemat. From the analysis results, nonlinear behavior of the PCCV showed a substantially different aspects in accordance with the nonlinear material model for the concrete as well as tension stiffening parameter. The boundary conditions beneath the basemat are considered to be a fixed condition and a nonlinear spring element to compare the influence of the uplift. The finite element analysis is considered with and without a basemat to find out the influence of the basemant itself. From the analysis results, the nonlinear behavior of the PCCV is entirely similar for the two cases.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.77-86
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• 2008

This paper describes the nonlinear analyses of a 1:4 scale model of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) using an axisymmetric model and a three-dimensional model. These two models are refined by comparison of the analysis results and with testing results. This paper is especially focused on the analysis of behavior under pressure and the temperature effects revealed using an axisymmetric model. The temperature-dependent degradation properties of concrete and steel are considered. Both geometric and material nonlinearities, including thermal effects, are also addressed in the analyses. The Menetrey and Willam (1995) concrete constitutive model with non-associated flow potential is adopted for this study. This study includes the results of the predicted thermal and mechanical behaviors of the PCCV subject to high temperature loading and internal pressure at the same time. To find the effect of high temperature accident conditions on the ultimate capacity of the liner plate, reinforcement, prestressing tendon and concrete, two kinds of analyses are performed: one for pressure only and the other for pressure with temperature. The results from the test on pressurization, analysis for pressure only, and analyses considering pressure with temperatures are compared with one another. The analysis results show that the temperature directly affects the behavior of the liner plate, but has little impact on the ultimate pressure capacity of the PCCV.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.8
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• pp.3043-3066
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• 2024

In various small modular reactor (SMR) designs currently under development, the conventional concrete containment building has been replaced by a metal containment vessel (MCV). In these systems, the gap between the MCV and the reactor pressure vessel is filled with gas or vacuumed weakly, effectively suppressing conduction and convection heat transfer. However, thermal radiation remains the major mode of heat transfer during normal operation. The objective of this study was to investigate the heat-transfer mechanisms in integral pressurized water reactor (IPWR)-type SMRs under various gas-filled conditions using computational fluid dynamics. The use of thermal radiation shielding (TRS) with a much lower emissivity material than the MCV surface was also evaluated. The results showed that thermal radiation was always the dominant contributor to heat loss (48-97%), while the conjugated effects of the gas candidates on natural convection and thermal radiation varied depending on their thermal and radiative properties, including absorption coefficient. The TRS showed an excellent insulation performance, with a reduction in the total heat loss of 56-70% under the relatively low temperatures of the IPWR system, except for carbon dioxide (13%). Consequently, TRS can be utilized to enhance the thermal efficiency of SMR designs by suppressing the heat loss through the MCV.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.2069-2087
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• 2023

In nuclear power plant (NPP) accidents, the containment is subject to high temperatures and high internal pressures, which may further trigger serious chain accidents such as core meltdown and hydrogen explosion, resulting in a significantly higher accident level. Therefore, studying the mechanical performance of a containment under high temperature and high internal pressure is relevant to the safety of NPPs. Based on similarity principles, the 1:3.2 scale model of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) of a NPP was designed. The loading method, which considers the thermal-pressure coupling conditions, was used. The mechanical response of the PCCV was investigated with a simultaneous increase in internal pressure and temperature, and the failure mechanism of the PCCV under thermal-pressure coupling conditions was revealed.