Session: 01-08: Nuclear Plant Operation, Modification, Life Extension, Maintenance and Life Cycle - VIII

Paper Number: 135725

135725 - Modular Structure Selection and Design of Hualong Reactor Plant 

Abstract: 

The Chinese nuclear power industry has entered a period of safe and efficient development, facing challenges such as an aging workforce, labor shortages, and significant energy and resource consumption in the construction process. Modular design and construction technology has been proven effective in the latest third-generation nuclear power projects, offering a means to reduce on-site construction, minimize safety hazards, shorten construction periods, and lower overall project costs. The modular design and construction concept involve segmenting the various structural elements of a nuclear power plant based on their layout and stress characteristics, prefabricating them in a factory, and transporting them to the site for assembly.

There are various structural forms of modular construction. This paper analyzes multiple modular construction technologies, examines the specific characteristics of the Hua-long Pressurized Reactor, selects a structural modular type suitable for the Hua-long Pressurized Reactor, and provides a detailed explanation of the modular design calculations for the internal structural buildings within the reactor facility.

The internal structure of the reactor building plays a crucial role in the main construction period, occupying a significant portion of the critical path in nuclear power construction. Therefore, expediting the implementation of internal structure modular design is essential for shortening the main construction period. The main structure of the internal structure building includes shear wall and thick floor slab structures, which bear large and complex loads. Traditional reinforced concrete construction involves substantial on-site work and long construction times. After comprehensive analysis, it is determined that a steel-concrete structure is suitable for internal structure modular design. This choice is based on the efficiency and good load-bearing performance of steel-concrete structures, meeting the requirements of internal structure load-bearing and construction.

The advantages of steel-concrete structures over traditional reinforced concrete structures include: 1) Steel-concrete structures are both convenient to construct and place steel plates in the most favorable outer layer for bending, resulting in higher flexural carrying capacity. 2) When subjected to in-plane shear, the strong shear resistance of steel plates allows for relaxing shear-to-compression ratio limits, saving materials. 3) Concrete cracks are not exposed, durability is improved, and with steel plate constraints, component stiffness is increased. 4) When the structure's ultimate failure mode is controlled by the yielding of the tensile side steel plate, excellent ductility is exhibited. Therefore, the internal structure walls of the reactor building adopt a double steel plate concrete structure design, while the floor slabs adopt a single steel plate concrete structure design.

For practical engineering, this paper conducts design calculations for steel plate concrete walls and single steel plate concrete floor slabs, referencing the "Technical Code for Steel-Concrete Structures of Nuclear Power Stations" (GB/T 51340-2018) for validation. The final steel plate concrete structure design scheme is determined. Modular design is expected to become a development trend for the next generation of nuclear power plants, and this paper aims to provide insights for subsequent nuclear power technology research and development.

 

Presenting Author: Man Xu China Nuclear Power Engineering Co,Ltd

Presenting Author Biography: I am a senior structural engineer in China Nuclear Power Engineering Co. I have 5 years of experience in structural design, mainly responsible for the structural force calculation and drawing of nuclear power plants under construction by CNNC, and later transformed to be a full-time scientific researcher, responsible for the research and development of modularization technology.

Authors:

Man Xu China Nuclear Power Engineering Co,Ltd
Minghao Tang China Nuclear Power Engineering Co,Ltd
Xiaopan Jia China Nuclear Power Engineering Co,Ltd