This paper presents probabilistic analysis of structural capacity of pre-stressed concrete containments subjected to internal pressure. The conventional design methods for containments are based on allowable stress codes which ensure certain factor of safety between expected load and expected structural strength. Such an approach may give different values of structural reliability in different situations. In recent years, two international round robin exercises have been conducted aimed at predicting the capacity of lined and unlined pre-stressed concrete containments used in nuclear industry. These exercises involved experimental testing and numerical analysis of the models. The first exercise involved ¼ scale steel-lined Pre-stressed Concrete Containment Vessel (PCCV) which was tested at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in USA. The second used an unlined containment being tested by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Tarapur, India. These studies are essentially deterministic studies that have helped validate the analysis methodology and modelling techniques that can be used to predict pre-stressed concrete containment capacity and failure modes. The paper uses these two examples to apply structural reliability method to estimate the probability of failure of the containment. 2 coefficients of variation of the applied pressure and containment radius are the most important parameters. The variability of the probability of failure is decreased at higher pressures, but the coefficients of variation still play an important role.
Purpose
The relatively low capital cost and contributions to mitigating global warming have favoured the continuous construction and operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) across the world. One critical phase in the operation of nuclear plants for ensuring the safety and security of radioactive products and by-products is decommissioning. With the advent of digital twinning in the building information modelling (BIM) methodology, efficiency and safety can be improved from context-focus access to regulations pertaining to demolition of structures and the cleaning-up of radioactivity inherent in nuclear stations. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to propose a BIM-driven framework to achieve a more regulation-aware and safer decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework considers task requirements, and landscape and environmental factors in modelling demolition scenarios that characterise decommissioning processes. The framework integrates decommissioning rules/regulations in a BIM linked non-structured query system to model items and decommissioning tasks, which are implemented based on context-focussed retrieval of decommissioning rules and regulations. The concept’s efficacy is demonstrated using example cases of digitalised NPPs.
Findings
This approach contributes to enhancing improvements in nuclear plant decommissioning with potential for appropriate activity sequencing, risk reduction and ensuring safety.
Originality/value
A BIM-driven framework hinged on querying non-structured databases to provide context-focussed access to nuclear rules and regulations and to aiding decommissioning is new.
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