Civil Engineering Association

This is the third edition of CSA N289.2, Ground motion determination for seismic qualification of nuclear power plants. It supersedes the previous editions, published in 2010 and 1981.

The major changes to this edition include the following:

• Clause 4 has been revised to address microearthquake monitoring and induced seismicity.

• Clause 5 has been revised and restructured to provide more details on and differentiate between seismic source characterization and ground motion models (GMMs), and to address the weights associated with both.

• Clause 6 has been revised to address seismic hazard results for near-fault sites, while considering damage potential of earthquakes, and the development of scenario earthquakes.

• A new Clause 7, on evaluation of seismic hazards considering local site conditions, has been introduced to provide a procedure to account for local conditions and for various sources of uncertainty.

• A new Clause 8, an independent peer review, has been introduced to enhance the confidence level of seismic hazard assessment and evaluations.

• A new informative annex (Annex B) has been introduced for processing earthquake motions recorded at the plant site.

• Another new informative annex (Annex C), a bibliography, has been introduced to include recent references and publications associated with the scope of this Standard.

• This Standard has been aligned with recently published CSA Group standards, CNSC Regulatory Documents, and industry documents.

Standards in the CSA N289 series of Standards are developed in response to a recognition by the utilities and industries concerned with nuclear facilities in Canada of a need for the documentation of standards applicable to the seismic design and qualification of nuclear structures, systems, and components (SSCs) of nuclear power plants. Users of this Standard should recognize that it has the force of law only when adopted by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) or the appropriate regulatory body (in countries other than Canada).

The CSA N289 series of Standards consists of five Standards. Some of the objectives of each Standard are summarized as follows:

a) CSA N289.1-18, General requirements for seismic design and qualification of nuclear power plants, provides guidelines for identifying structures and systems requiring seismic qualification based on nuclear safety considerations;

b) CSA N289.2:21, Ground motion determination for seismic qualification of nuclear power plants, determines the appropriate seismic ground motion parameters for a particular site;

c) CSA N289.3:20, Design procedures for seismic qualification of nuclear power plants, provides design requirements, criteria, and methods of analysis for

i) determining the design response spectra and ground motion time-histories to be used in the analysis;

ii) establishing design criteria for SSCs, and supports that require seismic qualification; and

iii) performing seismic analyses, including the effects of the soil-structure interaction;

d) CSA N289.4-12, Testing procedures for seismic qualification of nuclear power plant structures, systems and components, provides design requirements and methods for seismic qualification of specific components and systems by testing methods; and

e) CSA N289.5-12, Seismic instrumentation requirements for nuclear power plants and nuclear facilities, establishes the requirements for seismic instrumentation and for seismic-related inspection of structures and systems before and after a seismic event.

The CSA N-Series Standards provide an interlinked set of requirements for the management of nuclear facilities and activities. CSA N286 provides overall direction to management to develop and implement sound management practices and controls, while the other CSA Group nuclear Standards provide technical requirements and guidance that support the management system.

This Standard works in harmony with CSA N286 and does not duplicate the generic requirements of CSA N286; however, it can provide more specific direction for those requirements. Users of this Standard are reminded that the design, manufacture, construction, commissioning, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities in Canada are subject to the provisions of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and its Regulations. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) can therefore impose additional requirements to those specified in this Standard.