Safety assessment of a nuclear power plant building subjected to an aircraft crash

Abstract

This paper presents a safety assessment of a nuclear building subjected to an aircraft crash using numerical analysis. For impact simulation, the reinforced concrete (RC) Primary Auxiliary Building (PAB) of the Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNP) is fully modeled and an aircraft model of a Boeing 767-400 is used. The Riera function is used to verify the analysis result of impact force–time history. The IRIS test is used to verify the structural behavior of the RC wall under impact loading. The safety assessment of the building is performed with regard to different impact scenarios. The safety of the nuclear building under aircraft crash, including (1) global structural safety, (2) local structural safety, and (3) vibration safety are evaluated and discussed. The results show that the global and local structural safety of the PAB is ensured in all impact scenarios. However, the vibration safety of the building is not ensured. In accordance, the regulatory guide of United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC), shutdown of the nuclear power plant is required.