Design stability and safety margins of the ETRR-2 core cooling system regarding seismic loads

Abstract

Abstract The seismic design of a nuclear power plant includes two levels of design earthquake, the safe shutdown earthquake (SSE) and the operating basis earthquake (OBE). The OBE and SSE are considered in the nuclear power plant design as required by the IAEA safety regulations. A typical piping model for the ETRR-2 core cooling system includes ASME-class 1, 2 and 3 piping and was analyzed with regard to both IAEA safety regimes. A load combination, as stated by the IAEA Safety Guide 50-SG-S2, has been considered. The safety guide requires that the OBE should equal to at least one half SSE and that the plant should be shut down if exposed to earthquake intensity greater than the OBE. The results reflect the requirement for the precise design of a supporting system to accommodate for higher seismic peaks more than 0.2 g and the system needs to be more flexible.