ABSTRACT

In nuclear power plants a large number of commodities such as piping, HVAC, conduits, and cable trays communicate between adjacent buildings. Such commodities supported by two adjacent buildings can be subjected to significant relative movements due to settlement and seismic event. For plants where adjacent structures are seismically separated and not founded on a common base mat, unless adequate care is taken, the design of such commodities may be based on significantly underestimated relative movements.

This paper discusses these issues in depth and provides suggestions and/or recommendations on how the design can appropriately account for such relative movements. In addition, since there is no current industry guidance on how to combine these relative movements, this paper presents a new formulation for combining applicable relative movements.

Authors:
Javad Moslemian, Nezar Abraham - Sargent & Lundy