Mechanical Behaviour of the Reactor Vessel Support of a Pressurized Water Reactor: Tests and Analysis

摘要

The PWR reactor vessel is supported by a steel ring laying on the reactor pit. This support has to ensure a good behaviour of the vessel in the event of accidental conditions (earthquake and pipe rupture). A new evolution of the evaluation methods of the applied forces has shown a significant increase in the design loads used until now. In order to take into account these new forces, we carried out a test on a representative mock-up of the vessel support (scale 1/6). This test was performed by CEA, EDF and FRAMATOME. Several static equivalent forces were applied on the experimental mock-up. Displacements and strains were simultaneously recorded. The results of the test have enabled to justify the design of the pit and the ring, to show up a wide safety margin until the collapse of the structures and to check our hypothesis about the transmission of the forces between the ring and the pit. (ERA citation 12:020333)