Seismic Isolation

of the Jules Horowitz Reactor

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 1

 Seismic Isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor

1. The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR)

2. Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

3. Bearing pads characteristics - Qualification process

4. Impact on the construction works - layout and scheduling

5. Main conclusions

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 2

 Seismic Isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor

1. The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR)

2. Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

3. Bearing pads characteristics - Qualification process

4. Impact on the construction works - layout and scheduling

5. Main conclusions

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 3

 The JHR

KEY DATA:
Material Testing Reactor
Radioisotope production (mainly Mo-99)
CEA nuclear operator
International Consortium for construction and operation
Start of operation 2014, 2016 for Mo-99
Operating power up to 100 MWth
(depends on experimental programs)
70 MWth, at starting

THE SITE:
Built in CEA CADARACHE CENTER

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 4

 Final view
Nuclear auxiliaries
building (NAB)
51,12m x 46,75m Cold assembly
Reactor building (RB) workshop
H : 34,4m
: 36.6m
H : 44,9m

Cooling building
(secondary /
tertiary circuits)

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 5

 Auxiliary Building Nuclear Unit
on aseismic pads

Reactor Building

Reactor Pool

Aseismic pads

Hot cells &

storage pools
CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 6
 Seismic Isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor

1. The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR)

2. Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

3. Bearing pads characteristics - Qualification process

4. Impact on the construction works - layout and scheduling

5. Main conclusions

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 7

 Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

Ground motion
Moderate seismicity region considering international seismicity
Design ground motion consistent with French nuclear rules:
Magnitude 7.0 distance 18.5 km
Magnitude 5.8 distance 7.1 km

Horizontal aseismic isolation => significant diminution of the horizontal accelerations

Enveloppe des spectres SMS et Paleosisme de Cadarache

Without aseismicSans
isolation 0.7 g
appuis
0.3 g
Acclration (en g)

With aseismicAvec
isolation
appuis 0.12 g
0.1

Design spectra 0.01

0.1 1 10 100
0.6 Hz Frquence (en Hz) >9 Hz
CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 8
 Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

Rigid body mode

=>Uniform horizontal acceleration on the buildings levels
Strain limitation
Decrease of the efforts in the Civil structures, equipments and theirs anchorings

0.12g

0.12g

0.12g

0.12g

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 9

 Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR
Rigid body mode
=> High limitation of inner bending and torsion efforts

Key point for the design

of the pools assembly
40 m

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 10

 Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

Horizontal floor response spectra

Preliminary
estimation of
the spectra
without base
1.2 m/s isolation
Acceleration (m/s)

Effect of the
vertical ground
motion on the
horizontal
direction
Frquency (Hz)

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 11

 Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

Floor response spectra

Low horizontal acceleration on the equipments

The coupling between the vertical ground motion and the

horizontal accelerations has to be as low as possible
Limitation of corbelled structures
Effect of the main slab modes

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 12

 Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

Conclusion of the base isolation benefit for the JHR

The aseismic isolation cost is at least balanced by the:

Reduction of concrete reinforcement ratios
Easier and cheaper equipments seismic design
Reduction of the cost of the equipments seismic qualification
No necessary to qualify the equipments already qualified for other projects without
aseismic isolation

Safety: Intrinsic limitation of seismic risk (robustness)

Protection of the investment and experiments in case of an
hypothetical earthquake

Easier to manage potential ground motion revaluations

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 13

 Seismic Isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor

1. The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR)

2. Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

3. Bearing pads characteristics - Qualification process

4. Impact on the construction works - layout and scheduling

5. Main conclusions

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 14

 Pads characteristics Qualification process

195 elastomeric bearings pads

Dimensions: 900 x 900 mm
Thickness 181 mm
Elastomer: 120 mm (6x20mm)
Metallic Plates: 55 mm (5x5mm + 2x15mm)
Cover: 3 mm (x2)

Provider: FREYSSINET

Load per bearing: 550 tons

they could bear up to 10 times more
Low distortion - horizontal displacements
80 mm in case of the design earthquake
20 mm for static loads (shrinkage, thermal)

High robustness. The pads could bear an earthquake two times higher than the design
earthquake keeping a linear behaviour
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 Pads characteristics Qualification process

A testing program has been performed in 2006-2007

To be sure that the isolators respect the specified criteria

To measure the influence of different parameters in the stiffness and

damping characteristics :
Main parameters: frequency, distortion
Around 1.000 tests on specimens and scale one pads
Ageing
Artificial 18 month ageing tests

To determine the bearing pads characteristics

to be considered in the building calculations

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 16

 Seismic Isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor

1. The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR)

2. Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

3. Bearing pads characteristics - Qualification process

4. Impact on the construction works - layout and scheduling

5. Main conclusions

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 17

 Impact on construction works - layout and scheduling

Specific embedment of the structure

Local loads on bearings

Excavation to have a stiff soil foundation
20 m excavation in limestone
20 m

52 m

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 18

 Impact on construction works - layout and scheduling

Specific embedment of the structure

Necessary free displacement between the building and the soil
Reinforcement of the slopes for their stability during the reactor lifetime for any design condition
Reinforcement of the limestone slopes by nails for the global stability
Spayed concrete 20 cm thick wall for small block stability
Drainage
Reinforced shot concrete
Gap of two meters between the building and the slopes wall

for the maintenance (cleaning of drains)

Nuclear Unit
Building

Aseismic pads

1
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 Impact on construction works - layout and scheduling

Construction of an inferior raft

(mid 2009)

Nuclear Unit
Soil Building
slope

Superior raft
Pillars
Aseismic
Inferior raft bearing pads
Soil

Inferior raft
Anticipation of its construction

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 Impact on construction works - layout and scheduling

Construction of the pillars

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 21

 Impact on construction works - layout and scheduling

Installation of the 195 bearing pads

(end of 2009)

10 months production of the bearing pads

Anticipation of the fabrication process

Creation of a sandwich
(the pad between 2 metallic plates)

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 Impact on construction works - layout and scheduling

Bearing pads installation consistent with the following and ambitious goals:
1. Homogeneous repartition of loads on the bearing pads

2. Possibility to replace one or several pads without affecting the pillars

grout between the pad and the inferior plate

3. Anti-slide device around the pad

stops anchored in the plates

4. Accurate positioning in horizontality (less than 1 mm /m)

Grout Stops

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 Impact on construction works - layout and scheduling

Superior raft
Beginning of the pouring in june 2010

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 24

 Seismic Isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor

1. The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR)

2. Relevance of an aseismic base isolation for the JHR

3. Bearing pads characteristics - Qualification process

4. Impact on the construction works - layout and scheduling

5. Main conclusions

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 25

 Main conclusions

Relevance of an aseismic isolation for the RJH

Design of the building and equipments
Safety
Protection of the investment future revaluations

Impact on the layout and the scheduling

Displacement between buildings
Specific embedment Specific actions carried out by the
Construction scheduling project by anticipation

The testing program has been very useful

The pads were qualified -> easier discussion with the regulators
Accurate information for the calculations

The installation of the pads was performed without major difficulty

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 26

 Thank you for your attention

CEA L. GERMANE Seismic base isolation of the Jules Horowitz Reactor 27