Validation of Numerical Model of Embalse Nuclear Power Plant Based on Free Field and In-House Records of a Seismic Event

FEDERICO PINTO; MARCELO A. CEBALLOS; RICARDO J. ROCCA; CARLOS A. PRATO

Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canad¨¢

Conferencia; 19th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology; 2007

North Carolina State University

The Embalse NPP, located in Córdoba, Argentina, is currently being reassessed in order to pursue a renewal of the operating license, due in 2010. New information pertaining to the seismicity of the region has warranted an updated dynamic analysis in order to verify the adequacy of the reactor building to perform as intended in the original design under the Maximum Credible Earthquake. A dynamic finite element model has been setup, from which a synthetic model representing the first 60 fixed-base modes is extracted and incorporated in the SASSI computer program. The model has been verified and calibrated using actual acceleration records obtained during a minor seismic event (PGA = 1.4% g) that took place in 2003. This paper presents the modeling procedure followed in order to obtain the synthetic model and the results of the calibration, where it is seen that the model accurately represents the behavior of the structure recorded during the 2003 seismic event both in the free field and at two locations inside the reactor building.