Model reduction methods for cylindrical structures in reactor internals considering the fluid–structure interaction

Abstract

Vibrational analysis of the complex structure of reactor internals using the finite element method leads to considerable computational expense. Additionally, fluid–structure interaction (FSI) effects due to liquid coolant result in a large number of fluid elements. Here, we describe a model reduction method based on Guyan theory to solve these complex numerical problems efficiently. The master degrees of freedom selection process, which is based on the shapes of vibrational modes, is discussed. We consider the structural characteristics of the cylindrical parts of the reactor, and include FSI effects. To verify the model reduction method, several numerical examples of simple cylindrical shells are described with and without the coolant. Practical application to the internals of an advanced pressurized reactor 1400 (APR1400) is discussed with various different conditions.