Safety assessment of the steel structures of nuclear power plants units considering special operation conditions

Abstract

Special operation conditions of steel structures nuclear power plants units (elevated temperature of the surrounding environment, the need to consider the simultaneous action of several episodic impacts etc.) require using of special approaches to their safety assessment. Among the wide variety of steel structures at nuclear power plantsunits, the supporting structures of equipment and pipelines play an essential role in ensuring its safety. At the same time, state building codes oriented towards traditional steel structures that are subjected to standard loads and impacts, and do not consider mensioned special operating conditions. Regulatory acts on nuclear and radiation safety in this aspect contain general regulatory requirements, which is due to the modern concept of the development of the regulatory-legal framework of Ukraine for ensuring the safety of nuclear plants. Therefore, the existing regulatory and methodological support does not sufficiently cover the aspects of safety assessment of supporting structures, taking into account the special operation conditions. The article proposes approaches to assessing the safety of equipment and pipelines supporting structures nuclear power plants units, which consider both the special operation conditions and the degree of responsibility for ensuring safety during and after seismic hazards.