The performance of nonstructural components in nuclear power plants (NPPs), which is primarily based on experience and historical data, has been attracting increased interest from researchers following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. This disaster demonstrated the importance of using batteries in NPPs as an auxiliary power system, where such systems can provide the necessary power to mitigate the risk of serious accidents. However, little research has been conducted on such nonstructural components (e.g., auxiliary battery power systems) to evaluate their performance following the post-Fukushima safety requirements, recommended by several nuclear regulators worldwide [e.g., Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC)]. To address this research gap, the current study investigates the lateral performance of an auxiliary battery power system similar to those currently existing/operational in NPPs in Canada. The rack system was experimentally tested under displacement-controlled quasi-static cyclic fully-reversed loading that simulates lateral seismic demands, following the FEMA 461 guidelines “Interim testing protocol for determining the seismic performance characteristics of structural and nonstructural components”. Following a brief summary of the experimental program, the test results are presented in terms of the rack hysteretic response, damage sequence, stiffness degradation, ductility capacity, member strains, and local deformations. Subsequently, a simplified mechanistic model and a concentrated plasticity model in OpenSees have been developed and calibrated using the experimental results. The results show that without detailed modeling of the rack system connections (i.e., L-shaped connection and sliding nuts), incorrect performance prediction of such systems may result. The findings of the current study can be utilized, within the next generation of performance-based seismic design approaches, to enhance the robustness and improve the reliability of damage state predictions of auxiliary battery power systems in critical facilities.

核电厂（NPPs）中非结构性组件的性能主要基于经验和历史数据，自2011年福岛第一核电站核灾难以来，吸引了研究人员的越来越多的兴趣。这次灾难证明了在NPPs中使用电池作为电池组的重要性。辅助电源系统，其中此类系统可以提供必要的电源以减轻严重事故的风险。但是，针对这种非结构性组件（例如，辅助电池电源系统）的研究很少，以评估福岛核电站后的安全要求（根据全球数个核监管机构的建议[例如，核监管委员会（NRC）和核安全）委员会（NSC）]。为了弥补这一研究空白，当前的研究调查了辅助电池电源系统的横向性能，该系统类似于加拿大国家核电厂中现有/正在运行的系统。根据FEMA 461准则，对机架系统进行了位移控制的准静态循环全反转载荷实验，该载荷可模拟横向地震需求，确定结构和非结构部件抗震性能的临时试验方案”。在对实验程序进行简要总结之后，将根据机架的滞后响应，损伤顺序，刚度退化，延展性，构件应变和局部变形来给出测试结果。随后，在OpenSees中开发了简化的力学模型和集中的可塑性模型，并使用实验结果进行了校准。结果表明，如果不对机架系统连接（即L型连接和滑动螺母）进行详细建模，则可能会导致此类系统的性能预测不正确。在下一代基于性能的抗震设计方法中，可以利用当前研究的结果来增强关键设施中辅助电池电源系统的稳健性并提高其损伤状态预测的可靠性。