Thermal stress analysis of reactor containment building considering severe weather condition

•We examine that through-wall crack risk in cold weather is high.•It is predicted that cracking in concrete wall will not happen in hot region.•Cracking due to hydration heat can be controlled by appropriate curing condition.•Temperature differences between inner and outer face is relatively small in hot weather.

Prediction of concrete cracking due to hydration heat in mass concrete such as reactor containment building (RCB) in nuclear power plant is a crucial issue in construction site. In this study, the numerical analysis for heat transfer and stress development is performed for the containment wall in RCB by considering the severe weather conditions. Finally, concrete cracking risk in hot and cold weather is discussed based on analysis results. In analyses considering severe weather conditions, it is found that the through-wall cracking risk in cold weather is high due to the abrupt temperature difference between inside concrete and the ambient air in cold region. In hot weather, temperature differences between inner and outer face is relatively small, and accordingly the relevant cracking risk is relatively low in contrast with cold weather.