High Energy Pipe Break analysis for the pipelines of a nuclear power plant: No standard case

Abstract The aim of this study is to show the application of the High Energy Pipe Break (HEPB) a level 3 methodology analysis, applied to the study of the pipelines of a standard pressurized water reactor. In particular, in this paper, a numerical approach for simulating the pipe impact against a reinforced concrete column is provided in order to evaluate a correct design of the column in terms of steel rebar and column dimension. Moreover, to finalize the problem, the coupled analysis (thermofluidynamic and mechanical) to calculate a real thrust force on the pipe is provided and the results of the new numerical analysis is shown.