Mid-height isolated tall, slender vessel

First-of-a-kind earthquake-simulator experiments were conducted at the University at Buffalo to examine mid-height seismic isolation as a design solution for protecting tall, slender equipment. The test specimen was a 240-inch-tall vessel with an outer diameter of 60 inches, which could represent a reactor vessel, a steam generator, or a heat exchanger in an advanced nuclear power plant. The vessel was supported at its mid-height on a steel support frame. It was tested in non-isolated and isolated configurations for a range of earthquake motions. Spherical sliding bearings were used to isolate the vessel. The generated data, which included accelerations at different locations on the vessel and its internals, axial strains in internals, pressure at different elevations on the vessel wall, and isolation-system displacements and forces, can be used by analysts to validate numerical models in commercial finite element programs. Although the focus herein was on safety-class equipment in advanced nuclear power plants, the results are applicable to tall, slender equipment regardless of industry sector.