Development of Canadian Seismic Design Approach and Overview of Seismic Standards

Abstract

Historically the Canadian seismic design approaches have evolved for CANDU® nuclear power plants to ensure that they are designed to withstand a design basis earthquake (DBE) and have margins to meet the safety requirements of beyond DBE (BDBE). While the Canadian approach differs from others, it is comparable and in some cases more conservative.

The seismic requirements are captured in five CSA nuclear standards which are kept up to date and incorporate lessons learnt from recent seismic events.

This paper describes the evolution of Canadian approach, comparison with others and provides an overview and salient features of CSA seismic standards.