Seismic Evaluation of Non-Seismically Designed Existing Magnox Nuclear Power Plants

by R. R. Kunar, Principia Mechanics Ltd, London, England,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Structural Engineering in Nuclear Facilities

Abstract:

Special procedures included on-site testing with a portable shake table, low vibration testing using a structural dynamics analyser, and on-site inspections. The low vibration testing was most invaluable in detecting differences between 'as-built' conditions and the engineering drawings. From the point of view of economics, this was more effective than conducting full structural surveys to determine the as-built conditions. The testing results also provided confidence in the answers from numerical models. The philosophy adopted for the Magnox reactors in the seismic assessment was to determine what peak ground accelerations the sites can sustain and then evaluate the chances of exceeding the ground accelerations over the remaining lifetime of the plants. The peak ground acceleration for each site was determined on the basis of the criteria of safe shutdown and prevention of significant off-site radiological exposure.

Subject Headings: Shake table tests | Dynamic structural analysis | Seismic tests | Power plants | Structural safety | Vibration | Nuclear power

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