Nuclear

Service Offering - Technical Consultancy
“Atkins is as close as a
supplier can be to being part
of our business. Our goals are
their goals also.”
Dave Kendall
Head of Fleet Programmes, British Energy
Nuclear Generation
Case Study
Seismic Modelling of an AGR Nuclear Reactor
Core - British Energy
The core of an AGR consists of stacks of graphite bricks providing
vertical channels for fuel assemblies, control rods and coolant
flow. These bricks are stacked and interconnected by a system
of keys and keyways allowing the core to expand and contract
thermally whilst retaining its cylindrical shape. As the reactor
ages the graphite core can become cracked. Atkins is currently
investigating the seismic implications of graphite cracking via
FE analysis.
An FE model of each graphite brick has been created in
LS-DYNA. The model simulates the graphite core under seismic
loads and outputs loads and displacement of the graphite bricks
under seismic conditions so that the control rod insertion path
alignment can be assessed.
Nuclear Generation
Service Offering - Technical Consultancy