Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Behavior of Nuclear Power Plant Containment under Aircraft Crash

  • RESEARCH PAPER
  • Published:
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the present study, a real nuclear power plant (NPP) outer containment structure has been considered for a safety check and the model has been simulated by Abaqus/implicit software. The Three Mile Island (TMI) containment structure has been taken into consideration for the analysis. The dimension of containment is 54.5 m height (without dome) and 45 m inner diameter. A step-by-step analysis was carried out to evaluate the stresses on the NPP wall due to aircraft crash with induced fire. At starting, the impact load 90 MN was applied to the NPP structure using force history curve of Boeing 707-320 aircraft and the angle of impact was considered as normal to the target. After impact, the nodal temperatures were applied to the model through heat transfer analysis using jet fuel curves due to fuel burning. Lastly, the impact and heat transfer effect were combined to get thermal stress behavior. The time gap between the impact of plane’s nose and plane’s wing was kept 0.18 s. Heat transfer analysis has been performed after that time because fuel is stored in wings. The most severe region for the effect of fire is upto 10 m height from the foundation because the maximum fuel will flow to the lowermost of structure. The place of impact was assumed at mid-height of cylindrical portion of TMI containment. The concrete damaged plasticity model for concrete material and Johnson–cook model for steel bar has been taken to incorporate the concrete behavior and reinforcement behavior, respectively. For heat transfer and thermal stress analysis, the parameters and properties of the material at different temperatures were taken from Euro-code 2. From the analysis it can be inferred that there was no global damage due to impact, heat as well as thermal stress in the wall, but certain local damage was found on the outside of the wall.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22
Fig. 23

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbas H, Paul DK, Godbole PN, Nayak GC (1995) Reaction-time response of aircraft crash. Compos Struct 55:809–817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abbas H, Paul DK, Godbole PN, Nayak GC (1996) Aircraft crash upon outer containment of nuclear power plant. Nucl Eng Des 160:13–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ABAQUS (Software) (2016) Documentation of Version 2016, ABAQUS Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA

  • Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CEN) (2004) Eurocode 2: design of concrete structures-Part 1.2: General Rules-Structural Fire Design, EN1992-1-2, Sections 3 and 4, Brussels, Belgium

  • Grote DL, Park SW, Zhou M (2001) Dynamic behaviour of concrete at high strain rates and pressures. Int J Impact Eng 25:869–886

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeon S, Jin B, Kim Y (2012) Assessment of the fire resistance of a nuclear power plant subjected to a large commercial aircraft crash. Nucl Eng Des 247:11–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang MRH, Chorzepa MG (2014) Aircraft impact analysis of nuclear safety-related concrete structures. Eng Fail Anal 46:118–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kukreja M (2005) Damage evaluation of 500 MWe Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor nuclear containment for aircraft impact. Nucl Eng Des 235:1807–1817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin F, Li H (2017) Nuclear containment structure subjected to commercial aircraft crash and subsequent vibrations and fire. Nucl Eng Des 322:68–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu Y, Xu K (2004) Modeling of dynamic behavior of concrete material under blast loading. Int J Solid Struct 41:131–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riera JD (1968) On the stress analysis of structures subjected to aircraft impact forces. Nucl Eng Des 8:415–426

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riera JD (1980) A critical reappraisal of nuclear power plant safety against accidental aircraft impact. Nucl Eng Des 57:193–206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadique MR, Iqbal MA, Rawsan A, Gupta NK (2018) Response of outer containment of an NPP against aircraft crash and induced fire. Thin-Walled Struct 126:182–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sinha BP, Kurt H, Tulin LG (1964) Stress–strain relations for concrete under cyclic loading. J Am Concr Inst 61:195–210

    Google Scholar 

  • Sugano T, Tsubota H, Kasai Y, Koshika N, Orui S (1993) Full-scale aircraft impact test for evaluation of impact force. Nucl Eng Des 140:373–385

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, UP, India

    A. Rawsan & P. R. Maiti

Authors
  1. A. Rawsan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. R. Maiti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Rawsan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rawsan, A., Maiti, P.R. Behavior of Nuclear Power Plant Containment under Aircraft Crash. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Civ Eng 45, 207–218 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-020-00468-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-020-00468-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation