Design considerations for new civil structures of nuclear fuel cycle facilities

The analysis and design of the civil structures of nuclear fuel cycle facilities (NFCF) are much more stringent and conservative when compared to the regular industrial structures. In India, the guidelines and stipulation for analysis and design of nuclear power plants (NPP) are enumerated by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). However, the nuclear fuel cycle facilities are yet to be included in the gamut of these stipulations. The term 'Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facility' normally indicate buildings for fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, fuel reprocessing and waste management, other than the NPPs. Hence, the analysis and design of these facilities are presently being conducted with the national (BlS, AERB) and international (ASCE, ACI, IAEA) standards under the tutelage of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Safety Council. In this paper, the various aspects involved in the analysis and design of nuclear fuel cycle concrete buildings would be discussed