Fluid-Structure Interaction Numerical Analysis of the Spent Fuel Pool and Storage Racks Under Earthquake

Abstract

Spent fuel pool and storage racks are important nuclear security structures and components. In order to prevent it from structural failure, which includes the loss of the structural integrity of the spent fuel pool and stability of the spent fuel storage racks, also includes the possibility of fallen down of storage racks under seismic loading. Besides the necessary static analysis of structures, the influence of seismic loading on the interaction between water and structure should be fully considered, Especially concerned the analysis of the shaking effect of water sloshing on the storage racks, the displacement and the possibility of fallen down of the storage racks. The present paper is concerned with the problem of modeling the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) in filled liquid and filled with spent fuel pool. The study focuses on the sloshing phenomena and on the coupling computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis with the finite element stress analysis (FEA) code LS-DYNA. By the results of the response of seismic, such as the displacement of the storage racks, pressure exerted on the plate of racks and the walls of the pool. This paper also evaluates the seismic performance of the structure and the safety margin. Various numerical methods can be used for analysis of liquid storage pools, among these we mention explicit finite element, implicit Lagrangian-Eulerian, hybrid finite element, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics volume of fluid. In this article the coupled sloshing dynamics in a rectangle pool were studied using a model developed in LS-DYNA environment. The main solution methodology is based on explicit time integration. In order to demonstrate the FSI results of the FEA models of the spent fuel pool on seismic analysis, a 3D FEA models were developed. The Finite element model composed of the spent fuel pool (steel plate concrete), spent fuel storage racks, cushion block, water and air. Solid element modeling is used in concrete, cushion block, water and air. Steel plate and storage racks employ the shell element. The constitutive model of solid element is linear elastic. And the constitutive model of fluid element is described by the Gruneisen equation. Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation is thought of as algorithms that perform automatic rezoning. It realized the advection of water and air in the ALE multi-material group.