Sloshing in Pools under Earthquake-Like Ground Motions

Abstract

Spent-fuel elements from nuclear reactors are stored in pool structures while waiting to be reprocessed. Very large pools are being considered for future use and because of the large size, modularization into cells might be desirable. However, the effect of modularization on earthquake resistance needs to be investigated. Hydrodynamic pressures and water slosh-height are important considerations. Because of a lack of experimental data on large pools, the validity of using available hydrodynamic analytical techniques remains uncertain. Therefore, two experiments involving moderately large swimming pools near the Nevada Test Site were carried out during two high-yield, underground nuclear events. The results indicated that a linear hydrodynamic theory could be used and that damping in the water was nearly zero for the pool sizes studied. Spectral displacements at low frequencies govern the slosh and amplitude, but reported values at these frequencies, unfortunately, are not always accurate.