Structural Analysis Approach for Risk Assessment Under BDBE

Abstract

Based on the lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, it is recognized the importance of the risk assessment and mitigation for failure consequences to avoid catastrophic failure of pressure equipment during severe accidents (SA) and excessive earthquake. The objectives of structural design (from the first layer to the third layer of the defense-in-depth) is strength confirmation under assumed loading conditions. On the other hand, ones of risk assessment and mitigation (the forth layer of the defense-in-depth) is prediction of realistic failure scenarios. Through investigation of failure locations and modes of main components under both severe accident and excessive earthquake, different failure modes from DBE(Design Basis Events) were identified for BDBE(Beyond Design Basis Events). To clarify these modes, the failure mechanisms were studied with some strength experiments. For most of failure modes, their dominant parameters are inelastic strain rather than stress. So that large scale inelastic analysis methods were studied and extended to very high temperature and large strain. By using above results, this paper has proposed the new structural analysis approach for risk assessment under BDBE. This is the extension of “design by analysis” concept. However it is clearly different from design approach from next viewpoints. (1) Additional failure modes to design condition Such additional failure modes induced by excessive loadings are considered for as local failure, creep rupture, creep buckling, ratcheting collapse and so on. (2) Identification of dominant failure modes Design codes require conservative evaluation against all of assumed failure modes. On the other hand, risk assessment needs adequate failure scenarios, where failure locations, modes and their order are important. For that reason, dominant failure modes have to be identified. To identify dominant modes, failure mode map concept was proposed. (3) Best estimation To estimate realistic accident phenomena, the best estimation is required. Therefore, dominant strength parameters and criteria without safety margins should be adopted. Through strength mechanism investigations, plastic and creep strain are recognized as more dominant parameters than stress for many failure modes. So that realistic inelastic analyses are recommended for BDBE.