Abstract
For the new nuclear power plants, the hazard of liquefaction due to earthquakes should be excluded by appropriate site selection or eliminated by engineering measures. An important question is how to define a quantitative criterion for negligibility of the liquefaction hazard. In the case of operating plants, liquefaction can be revealed as a beyond-design-basis event. It is important to learn whether the liquefaction hazard has a safety relevance and whether there is a sufficient margin to the onset of liquefaction. The use of pseudoprobabilistic method would be practicable for the definition of probability of liquefaction, but it could result in overconservative results. In this paper, the applicability of the pseudoprobabilistic procedure is demonstrated for the sites in diffuse seismicity environment and for low hazard levels that are typical for nuclear safety considerations. Use of the procedure is demonstrated in a case study with realistic site-plant parameters.
Highlights
Seismic safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is ensured by adequate definition of the design basis earthquake and its effects and by the utilization of design methods justified by experimental evidences
Since the characterisation of earthquake hazard is inevitably burdened by epistemic and aleatoric uncertainties, the design shall provide for an adequate margin to protect the structures, systems, and components (SSCs) necessary to eliminate scenarios progressing to severe accident or an abrupt change to a severe plant condition (“cliff-edge effect”), even if a beyond-design-basis earthquake would happen
In the frame of post-Fukushima actions, margins above the design basis hazards have been investigated for the majority of operating plants
Summary
Seismic safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is ensured by adequate definition of the design basis earthquake and its effects and by the utilization of design methods justified by experimental evidences. In the frame of post-Fukushima actions, margins above the design basis hazards have been investigated for the majority of operating plants. Erefore, the liquefaction hazard should be investigated and evaluated for siting of new NPPs; see, e.g., IAEA [4] and IAEA [5]. E safety relevance of the liquefaction hazard for operating plants at soil sites could be necessary to assess, as it happened in the frame of the post-Fukushima stress test; see, e.g., HAEA [6] Liquefaction is one of those consequential phenomena that is causally correlated to the earthquake, but it does not necessarily occur with the earthquake. erefore, the liquefaction hazard should be investigated and evaluated for siting of new NPPs; see, e.g., IAEA [4] and IAEA [5]. e safety relevance of the liquefaction hazard for operating plants at soil sites could be necessary to assess, as it happened in the frame of the post-Fukushima stress test; see, e.g., HAEA [6]
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