Earthquake simulator experiments of a seismically-isolated molten salt reactor

Earthquake-simulator experiments on a scale model of a fluoride-salt cooled high temperature reactor were executed on a six-degree-of-freedom shaking table to characterize the dynamic behavior of the vessel and its internal components and to develop recommendations for analysis and design. The model included a reactor vessel, core barrel, reflector blocks, coolant, and spherical fuel pebbles, and was seismically isolated at its base using two types of spherical sliding bearings. The material and geometric properties of the different test components were selected based on a dynamic similitude scaling analysis and an approximate length scale of 0.4. Four sets of three-component earthquake motions were used as inputs for testing. Instrumentation on the test specimen was designed to record the dynamic responses of the outer vessel, core barrel, and reflector-block assembly, the hydrodynamic responses (sloshing and hydrodynamic pressure) of the liquid coolant, pebble consolidation under earthquake shaking, and the behavior of the isolation systems. The generated data could aid modelling and design of reactor components and help characterize the benefits of seismically isolating advanced nuclear reactors.