Effect of Opening on the Response of Containment Model to Pressure Loading

The Containment Studies Facility (CSF) is being set up in BARC for studying various containment related thermal hydraulic and other phenomena which occur during simulated accident conditions in Nuclear power Plants. The facility consists of a concrete containment model having a volumetric scale ratio of 200:1 with respect to the actual containment of Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor. The structure is designed for pressure of 1.73 Kg/cm2 for specified leak tightness. Adequacy to withstand design pressure is checked by test as well as numerical analysis before commissioning of the facility. Accordingly Containment building model has been analyzed by finite element method for internal design pressure and dead weight. Analysis has been carried out for the structure with and without the opening in the containment. Effect of opening on the response of containment has been studied. The paper includes the modeling methodology, maximum deflection and stress amplification around the opening for various models.© 2006 ASME