Fluid-Structure Interaction Effects Modeling for the Modal Analysis of a Nuclear Pressure Vessel

Abstract

The present paper deals with the modal analysis of a nuclear reactor with fluid-structure interaction effects. The proposed study aims at describing various fluid-structure interaction effects using several numerical approaches. The modeling lies on a classical finite element discretization of the coupled fluid-structure equation, enabling the description of added mass and added stiffness effects. A specific procedure is developed in order to model the presence of internal structures within the nuclear reactor, based on periodical homogenization techniques. The numerical model of the nuclear pressure vessel is developed in a finite element code in which the homogenization method is implemented. The proposed methodology enables a convenient analysis from the engineering point of view and gives an example of the fluid-structure interaction effects, which are expected on an industrial structure. The modal analysis of the nuclear pressure vessel is then performed and highlights of the relative importance of FSI effects for the industrial case are evaluated: the analysis shows that added mass effects and confinement effects are of paramount importance in comparison to added stiffness effects.