Exploration of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) Application in Nuclear Power Plant Structures

Abstract Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), as a rapidly developing high-performance cement-based material in recent years, has three major characteristics: high strength, high ductility, and high durability. Based on these characteristics, UHPC offers the potential for conducting “ultra-long life” highways or bridges. Therefore it was initially applied in bridge structures. Due to the safety requirements of nuclear power plants and the fact that most nuclear power plants are distributed along the coast, the material properties of UHPC are very suitable for the structures of nuclear power plants. Currently, UHPC has been preliminarily applied in Nuclear Power Plants. In this paper, a new type of containment structure called UHPC containment is proposed and studied. The finite element analysis is carried out on the UHPC containment by varying the different tensile strength and reinforcement ratios. The results obtained from finite analysis are compared with those from the current pre-stressed concrete containment structures to discuss the feasibility of applying UHPC in such structures. The findings suggest that reasonable use of UHPC can contribute to the enhanced safety of containment structures. Finally, this study proposed required material characteristics and design methods for this new type of UHPC containment structure.