Fluid-Elastic Instability of Normal Square Tube Bundles in Two-Phase Cross Flow

Author(s):  
Woo Gun Sim ◽  
Mi Yeon Park

Some knowledge on damping and fluid-elastic instability is necessary to avoid flow-induced-vibration problems in shell and tube heat exchanger such as steam generator. Fluid-elastic instability is the most important vibration excitation mechanism for heat exchanger tube bundles subjected to the cross flow. Experiments have been performed to investigate fluid-elastic instability of normal square tube bundles, subjected to two-phase cross flow. The test section consists of cantilevered flexible cylinder(s) and rigid cylinders of normal square array. From a practical design point of view, fluid-elastic instability may be expressed simply in terms of dimensionless flow velocity and dimensionless mass-damping parameter. For dynamic instability of cylinder rows, added mass, damping and critical flow velocity are evaluated. The Fluid-elastic instability coefficient is calculated and then compared to existing results given for tube bundles in normal square array.

Author(s):  
Ryoichi Kawakami ◽  
Seinosuke Azuma ◽  
Toshifumi Nariai ◽  
Kazuo Hirota ◽  
Hideyuki Morita ◽  
...  

Abstract The in-plane (in-flow) fluid-elastic instability (in-plane FEI) of triangular tube arrays caused tube-to-tube wear indications as observed in the U-bend regions of tube bundles of the San Onofre Unit-3 steam generators[1]. Several researches revealed that the in-plane FEI is likely to occur in a tightly packed triangular tube array under high velocity and low friction conditions, while it is not likely to occur in a square array tube bundle. In order to confirm the potential of steam-wise fluid-elastic instability of square arrays, the critical flow velocity in two-phase flow, (sulfur hexafluoride-ethanol) which simulates steam-water flow, was investigated. Two types of test rigs were prepared to confirm the effect of the tube diameter and tube pitch ratio on the critical velocity. In both rigs, vibration amplitudes were measured in both in-flow and out-of-flow directions in various flow conditions. In any case, in-flow fluid elastic instability was not detected. Based on the results of the tests, it is concluded that the flow interaction force is small for concern to occur the fluid-elastic instability in the in-flow direction of the square tube bundles of steam generators.


1989 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 478-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Pettigrew ◽  
J. H. Tromp ◽  
C. E. Taylor ◽  
B. S. Kim

An extensive experimental program was carried out to study the vibration behavior of tube bundles subjected to two-phase cross-flow. Fluid-elastic instability is discussed in Part 2 of this series of three papers. Four tube bundle configurations were subjected to increasing flow up to the onset of fluid-elastic instability. The tests were done on bundles with all-flexible tubes and on bundles with one flexible tube surrounded by rigid tubes. Fluid-elastic instabilities have been observed for all tube bundles and all flow conditions. The critical flow velocity for fluid-elastic instability is significantly lower for the all-flexible tube bundles. The fluid-elastic instability behavior is different for intermittent flows than for continuous flow regimes such as bubbly or froth flows. For continuous flows, the observed instabilities satisfy the relationship V/fd = K(2πζm/ρd2)0.5 in which the minimum instability factor K was found to be around 4 for bundles of p/d = 1.47 and significantly less for p/d = 1.32. Design guidelines are recommended to avoid fluid-elastic instabilities in two-phase cross-flows.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 577-589
Author(s):  
Ning Sun ◽  
Rui-jia Cheng ◽  
Ya-nan Zhang ◽  
Bao-qing Liu ◽  
Bengt Sunden

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Zhang ◽  
M. J. Pettigrew ◽  
N. W. Mureithi

Two-phase cross flow exists in many shell-and-tube heat exchangers. Flow-induced vibration excitation forces can cause tube motion that will result in long-term fretting-wear or fatigue. Detailed vibration excitation force measurements in tube bundles subjected to two-phase cross flow are required to understand the underlying vibration excitation mechanisms. Some of this work has already been done. Somewhat unexpected but significant quasiperiodic forces in both the drag and lift directions were measured. These forces are generally larger in the drag direction. However, the excitation force frequency is relatively low (i.e., 3–6 Hz) and not directly dependent on flow velocity in the drag direction. On the other hand, much higher frequencies (up to 16 Hz) were observed in the lift direction at the higher flow velocities. The frequency appears directly related to flow velocity in the lift direction. The present work aims at (1) providing further evidence of the quasiperiodic lift force mechanism, (2) determining the effect of cylinder position on such quasiperiodic drag and lift forces, and (3) verifying the existence of quasiperiodic drag and lift forces in a more realistic larger tube array. The program was carried out with two rotated triangular tube arrays of different width subjected to air/water flow to simulate two-phase mixtures from liquid to 95% void fraction. Both the dynamic lift and drag forces were measured with strain gauge instrumented cylinders.


Author(s):  
Shahab Khushnood ◽  
Zaffar M. Khan ◽  
M. Afzaal Malik ◽  
Zafarullah Koreshi ◽  
Mahmood Anwar Khan

Flow-induced vibration in steam generator and heat exchanger tube bundles has been a source of major concern in nuclear and process industry. Tubes in a bundle are the most flexible components of the assembly. Flow induced vibration mechanisms, like fluid-elastic instability, vortex shedding, turbulence induced excitation and acoustic resonance results in failure due to mechanical wear, fretting and fatigue cracking. The general trend in heat exchanger design is towards larger exchangers with increased shell side velocities. Costly plant shutdowns have been the motivation for research in the area of cross-flow induced vibration in steam generators and process exchangers. The current paper focuses on the development of a computer code (FIVPAK) for the design (natural frequencies, variable geometry, tube pitch & pattern, mass damping parameter, reduced velocity, strouhal and damage numbers, added mass, wear work rates, void fraction for two-phase, turbulence and acoustic considerations etc.) of tube bundles with respect to cross flow-induced vibration. The code has been validated against Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers (TEMA), Flow-Induced Vibration code (FIV), and results on an actual variable geometry exchanger, specially manufactured to simulate real systems. The proposed code is expected to prove a useful tool in designing a tube bundle and to evaluate the performance of an existing system.


1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Pettigrew ◽  
C. E. Taylor

Fluidelastic instability is the most important vibration excitation mechanism for heat exchanger tube bundles subjected to cross-flow. Most of the available data on this topic have been reviewed from the perspective of the designer. Uniform definitions of critical flow velocity for instability, damping, natural frequency and hydrodynamic mass were used. Nearly 300 data points were assembled. We found that only data from experiments where all tubes are free to vibrate are valid from a design point of view. In liquids, fluid damping is important and should be considered in the formulation of fluidelastic instability. From a practical design point of view, we conclude that fluidelastic instability may be expressed simply in terms of dimensionless flow velocity and dimensionless mass-damping. There is no advantage in considering more sophisticated models at this time. Practical design guidelines are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anwar Sadath ◽  
Harish N. Dixit ◽  
C. P. Vyasarayani

Dynamics of cross-flow heat exchanger tubes with two loose supports has been studied. An analytical model of a cantilever beam that includes time-delayed displacement term along with two restrained spring forces has been used to model the flexible tube. The model consists of one loose support placed at the free end of the tube and the other at the midspan of the tube. The critical fluid flow velocity at which the Hopf bifurcation occurs has been obtained after solving a free vibration problem. The beam equation is discretized to five second-order delay differential equations (DDEs) using Galerkin approximation and solved numerically. It has been found that for flow velocity less than the critical flow velocity, the system shows a positive damping leading to a stable response. Beyond the critical velocity, the system becomes unstable, but a further increase in the velocity leads to the formation of a positive damping which stabilizes the system at an amplified oscillatory state. For a sufficiently high flow velocity, the tube impacts on the loose supports and generates complex and chaotic vibrations. The impact loading on the loose support is modeled either as a cubic spring or a trilinear spring. The effect of spring constants and free-gap of the loose support on the dynamics of the tube has been studied.


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Blevins

Multimode fluid elastic instability analysis is made of heat exchanger tubes in cross flow. The stability analysis predicts that the flow velocity for onset of tube instability in nonuniform flow is lowered by participation of multiple tube modes with similar natural frequencies.


Author(s):  
M. Afzaal Malik ◽  
Badar Rashid ◽  
M. Anwar Khan ◽  
Khawaja Sajid Bashir ◽  
Shahab Khushnood

A considerable research has been carried out in the field of Cross-Flow Induced Vibrations (CFIV) in tube bundles of process exchangers and nuclear steam generators. Various excitation mechanisms such as vortex shedding, turbulent buffeting, fluid-elastic instability and acoustic resonance and other parameters like natural frequencies, damping, wear work rates at the loose tube supports and various geometric tube arrangements have been the focus in single and two-phase cross-flow. In the current research work, CFIV has been studied by using Bondgraph approach. The Bondgraph models have been subjected to simulation using the software (20-SIM). Results obtained have shown a strong usefulness of Bondgraph approach to complex CFIV systems.


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