Recent advances in dynamic modelling of UK nuclear facilities

Overview

The speaker will present recent project examples which illustrate the rapid development in modelling seen in this field.

The regulatory requirements of the UK nuclear sector are driving ever-increasing demand for complex soil-structure interaction modelling. This is driven by the need to update the safety cases of existing assets as they age, and the demanding design requirements of new nuclear power stations. With ever-increasing computational power at our disposal, it has become practicable for seismic geotechnical engineers to consider taking on more complex numerical modelling than historically possible, reducing conservative simplifications and enabling more accurate modelling of complex problems.

These include detailed modelling of piled foundations and explicit modelling of entire nuclear power islands. The speakers in this meeting will present recent project examples which illustrate the rapid development in modelling seen in this field.