Seismic Analysis of Reactor Coolant System Considering the Effect of Sloshing in Pressurizer

Housner proposed a simple mechanical analogue for evaluating the fluid dynamic effect of earthquake on the rigid liquid storage tank. The plausibility of Housner-method is supported by experimental study. Subsequently, Haroun and Vetelsos have extended Housner-method to deformable liquid storage tanks. Previous studies concluded that the dynamic behavior of liquid storage tank is affected by fluid in the tank. However, the coolant of the vessel has been treated as mass in many cases of reactor coolant system (RCS) seismic analysis. In this study, the effect of sloshing in pressurizer (PZR) on the RCS seismic analysis is investigated. To evaluate the sloshing effect of the coolant contained in the PZR, several seismic analyses are performed. The analyses results show the sloshing effect is negligible on the response spectra, and the forces and moment at the PZR supports. From the analysis results, it is concluded that the sloshing does not affect the dynamic responses of PZR, and the conventional structural analysis methodology is appropriate