Seismic demand assessment for SMRs considering local geotechnical characteristics and permafrost through large-scale computing and hybrid simulations

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Small modular reactors (SMRs) have power capacities from 10 MW(e) up to 300 MW(e). They are designed to serve remote communities where the infrastructure for constructing large-capacity nuclear power plants (NPPs) or electric power transmission is limited. Significant parts of SMRs are manufactured at a facility and shipped and installed on a site. Unlike the large-scale NPPs for which the sites can be carefully selected considering various geotechnical hazards, the SMRs may need to be installed on unfavourable sites as they are designed to serve small remote communities with limited transmission networks. Considering the potentially unfavourable site conditions, nonlinear modelling of near-field soil is inevitable for accurately predicting seismic demands to SMR equipment. This research project is to develop methods with which the seismic demands on the equipment of SMRs can be realistically assessed. Three main research tasks are proposed. Firstly, a simulation method will be developed where the far-field soil of an SMR site can be modelled in a semi-automatic manner using borehole log data. The far-field soil will be analyzed in a supercomputer. The near-field soil, which might behave in a nonlinear range due to soil-structure interaction, will be modelled in a dedicated open-source program. A numerical analysis method will be developed to integrate the two domain models concurrently. Secondly, a parametric study will be carried out to investigate the impact of nonlinear near-field soil and the freeze and thaw of permafrost. Thirdly, an advanced hybrid (experimental-numerical) simulation method will be developed, which can model the interaction of a partially embedded SMR with nearfield soil. The hybrid simulation method can be scaled up for large-scale testing. Through the project, at least three HQPs will be trained with an in-depth understanding of nonlinear soil-structure interaction, which is an essential research area for the design and assessment of SMRs. The research results will put the Canadian nuclear industry at the forefront of SMR design and deployment.