Recent Advances in Seismic Response Analysis of Cylindrical Liquid Storage Tanks

Abstract

Japan is in a seismically active area and experiences many damaging earthquakes with loss of life. In 1995, the Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake caused major destruction in Kobe City and in 2011 the Great Eastern Japan earthquake and tsunami caused major destruction in the Pacific coast areas of northeastern Japan. Additionally, recent relatively less destructive earthquakes include the 2003 Tokachi-Oki earthquake, the 2004 Niigataken Chuetsu earthquake, the 2005 Miyagiken-Oki earthquake, the 2007 Noto-Hanto earthquake, and the 2007 Niigataken Chuetsu-Oki earthquake. In particular, the Great Eastern Japan, Noto-Hanto, Miyagiken-Oki, and NiigatakenChuetsu-Oki earthquakes occurred near nuclear power facilities and have been accompanied by enhanced public concern for seismic safety of nuclear plants. Within the Japanese national government, the Nuclear Safety Commission revised the Regulatory Guide for Reviewing Seismic Design of Nuclear Power Reactor Facilities (Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, 2006) in 2006. This revised Regulatory Guide required seismic safety design of buildings, structures and equipment for larger seismic motions. In addition, seismic probabilistic safety assessment (seismic PSA) (American Nuclear Society, 2007; Atomic Energy Society of Japan, 2007) was urged, for which accurate evaluation techniques for seismic response of equipment installed in the nuclear power plants were needed. Large cylindrical liquid storage tanks in nuclear power plants are classified as equipment requiring high seismic safety because many are containers storing cooling water used in normal plant operation and in accidents. Their seismic evaluation is done on the basis of the Technical Codes for Aseismic Design of Nuclear Power Plants (Japan Electric Association [JEA], 2008) published by the Japan Electric Association. The seismic evaluation methods used in the conventional seismic design of the tanks (Kanagawa Prefecture, 2002; High Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan [KHK], 2003; Architectural Institute of Japan [AIJ], 2010) such as the Technical Codes examine the bending vibration mode (beam-type vibration) which mainly affects the seismic resistance of the tanks, but they do not consider high order vibration modes (oval-type vibration) which are excited in the tank wall by large vibrations and cause oscillation patterns that look like petals of a flower. Therefore, it is necessary to reveal the influence of oval-type vibration on vibration characteristics and seismic safety and to consider the vibration in the seismic design of