Mechanical Response of a BWR to Loads Imposed by External Events

In the case of external events (e.g. earthquake or explosion pressure wave) the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and its internal components are excited to mechanical vibrations. In such cases it is important to know the dynamic component stress for the assessment of the mechanical integrity of the system.
For this reason a theoretical global vibration model based on the finite element method (FEM) was developed for a German BWR. The model comprises the RPV including the main coolant pumps (MCP), the control element drives, the core flux measuring pipes and the RPV internals.