Research on Vibration-induced Noise Simulation of Main Control Room of High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor

Noise in the main control room is one of the major concerns for operational safety of the nuclear power plant. In this paper, the impact of the main steam pipeline vibration on the noise level in the main control room of the high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is investigated by using a structural finite element model and an acoustic boundary element model. A finite element model for frequency response analysis of the nuclear island of one HTGR conceptual design, and a boundary element model for acoustic analysis of the main control room in the frequency domain, are established respectively, to predict the noise levels in the main control room dominated by vibration transfer from the main steam pipelines. The influence patterns of various main steam pipes are explored, and the wall vibration that contributes most to the noise level of the main control room is identified based on acoustic contribution analysis. A method for optimizing the main control room noise through physical partitioning is proposed. The results show that, horizontal vibrations of the main steam pipeline generate higher noise levels in the control room compared to vertical vibrations. The maximum noise caused by the vibration of the main steam pipeline exceeds 60 dB. The walls near the main steam isolation valve room and the ceiling contribute the most to the indoor noise in the control room. Through physical partitioning, the noise level of the control room can be reduced significantly.