Validation of Flow-Induced Vibration Prediction Codes: PIPO-FE and VIBIC Versus Experimental Measurements

Author(s):  
Yingke Han ◽  
Nigel J. Fisher

The PIPO-FE and VIBIC finite-element computer codes, developed and updated over the past 30 years, are used to calculate heat exchanger tube flow-induced vibration (FIV) response. PIPO-FE includes a linear forced-vibration analysis of heat exchanger tubes subjected to all major flow-induced excitation mechanisms, namely fluidelastic instability, random turbulence-induced excitation and periodic wake shedding. VIBIC is for both linear and non-linear transient dynamic simulations of heat exchanger tubes. When used to simulate a tube with clearance supports (non-linear case), VIBIC calculates tube wear work-rates to aid in the prediction of tube fretting-wear damage. All the excitation mechanisms included in PIPO-FE analyses can be simulated in VIBIC. In addition, VIBIC can model friction forces between a tube and its supports, squeeze film forces produced by the resistance of the fluid opposing the relative motion of the tube and supports, and constant loads. An important application of these codes is the analysis of the susceptibility of a heat exchanger tube to vibration damage. These codes may be used at the design stage to assess a new heat exchanger, or during the operational stage to investigate a tube failure and determine if the damage was caused by vibration. If a vibration problem exists, then the codes can be used to assess the effectiveness of any proposed design modifications. To properly assess tube vibration damage, the codes must predict vibration response accurately. This paper documents the validation process of code predictions against measurements from three flow-induced vibration experiments conducted at Chalk River Laboratories: 1. A single-span cantilever tube bundle subjected to two-phase air-water cross flow; 2. A single-span cantilever tube bundle subjected to single- and two-phase Freon cross flow; and 3. A single-span U-bend tube bundle subjected to single-phase water and two-phase air-water partial cross flow. PIPO-FE and VIBIC code predictions for fluidelastic instability ratio and the response to random turbulence-induced excitation are compared to each other for each of these three experiments. The predictions from the two codes are in good agreement. In addition, the predictions for frequency, damping ratio, fluidelastic instability ratio and the response to random turbulence-induced excitation from both codes are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

Author(s):  
M. Afzaal Malik ◽  
Badar Rashid ◽  
Shahab Khushnood

Flow-induced vibration (FIV) has been a major concern in the nuclear and process industries involving steam generator and heat exchanger tube bundle design. Various techniques and models have been developed and used for the analysis of cross-flow induced vibration of tube bundles. Bond Graph approach has been applied to existing FIV excitation models, followed by a comparative study. Results have been obtained using 20-SIM software. It is expected that the current approach will give a new dimension to the FIV analysis of tube bundles.


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

2004 ◽  
Vol 230 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 233-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahab Khushnood ◽  
Zaffar M. Khan ◽  
M.Afzaal Malik ◽  
Zafar Ullah Koreshi ◽  
Mahmood Anwar Khan

Author(s):  
Paul Feenstra ◽  
David S. Weaver ◽  
Tomomichi Nakamura

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the flow-induced vibration response and fluidelastic stability threshold of a model heat exchanger tube bundle subjected to a cross-flow of refrigerant 11 (R-11). The tube bundle consisted of a normal square array of 12 tubes with outer tube diameters of 7.11 mm and a pitch over diameter ratio of 1.485. The experiments were conducted in a flow loop that was capable of generating single-phase and two-phase cross-flows over a variety of mass fluxes and void fractions. The primary intent of the research was to improve our understanding of the flow-induced vibrations of heat exchanger tube arrays subjected to two-phase cross-flow. Of particular concern was the effect of array pattern geometry on fluidelastic instability. The experimental results are analysed and compared with existing data from the literature using various methods of parameter definition. Comparison of amplitude response in liquid flow with previous results shows a similar occurrence of symmetric vortex shedding that validates the scale model approach in single-phase flow. It was found that the introduction of a small amount of bubbles in the flow disrupted the vortex shedding and thereby caused a significant reduction in streamwise vibration amplitude. The fluidelastic stability thresholds for the present array agree well with results from previous studies. Furthermore, a good collapse of the stability data from various investigations is obtained when the fluid density is defined using the slip model of Feenstra et al. [1] and when an effective two-phase flow velocity is defined using the interfacial velocity model of Nakamura et al. [2].


2001 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 414-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Pettigrew ◽  
C. E. Taylor ◽  
B. S. Kim

Many shell-and-tube heat exchangers operate in two-phase flows. This paper presents the results of a series of experiments done on tube bundles of different geometries subjected to two-phase cross flow simulated by air-water mixtures. Normal (30 deg) and rotated (60 deg) triangular, and normal (90 deg) and rotated (45 deg) square tube bundle configurations of pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.2 to 1.5 were tested over a range of mass fluxes from 0 to 1000 kg/(m2s) and void fraction from 0 to 100 percent. The effects of tube bundle geometry on vibration excitation mechanisms such as fluidelastic instability and random turbulence, and on dynamic parameters such as damping and hydrodynamic mass are discussed.


Author(s):  
John Mahon ◽  
Paul Cheeran ◽  
Craig Meskell

An experimental study of the surface spanwise pressure on a cylinder in the third row of two normal triangular tube arrays (P/d = 1.32 and 1.58) with air cross flow has been conducted. A range of flow velocities were examined. The correlation of surface pressure fluctuations due to various vibration excitation mechanisms along the span of heat exchanger tubes has been assessed. The turbulent buffeting is found to be uncorrelated along the span which is consistent with generally accepted assumptions in previous studies. Vortex shedding and acoustic resonances were well correlated along the span of the cylinder, with correlations lengths approaching the entire length of the cylinder. Jet switching was observed in the pitch ratio of 1.58 and was found to be correlated along the cylinder, although the spatial behaviour is complex. This result suggests that the excitation force used in fretting wear models may need to be updated to include jet switching in the calculation.


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.


Author(s):  
Paul Feenstra ◽  
Teguewinde Sawadogo ◽  
Bruce Smith ◽  
Victor Janzen ◽  
Helen Cothron

The tubes in the U-bend region of a recirculating type of nuclear steam generator are subjected to cross-flow of a two-phase mixture of steam and water. There is a concern that these tubes may experience flow-induced vibration, including the damaging effects of fluidelastic instability. This paper presents an update and results from a series of flow-induced vibration experiments performed by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) using the Multi-Span U-Bend test rig. In the present experiments, the main focus was to investigate fluidelastic instability of the U-tubes subjected to a cross-flow of air. The tube bundle is made of 22 U-tubes of 0.5 in (12.7 mm) diameter, arranged in a rotated triangular configuration with a pitch-over-diameter ratio of 1.5. The test rig could be equipped with variable clearance flat bar supports at two different locations to investigate a variety of tube and support configurations. The primary purpose of the overall project is to study the effect of flat bar supports on ‘in plane’ (‘streamwise’) instability in a U-tube bundle with realistic tube-to-support clearances or preloads, and eventually in two-phase flow conditions. Initially, the test rig was designed for tests in air-flow using an industrial air blower. Tests with two-phase Freon refrigerant (R-134a) will follow. This paper describes the test rig, experimental setup, and the challenges presented by simulating an accurate representation of current steam generator designs. Results from the first series of tests in air flow are described.


2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Feenstra ◽  
David S. Weaver ◽  
Tomomichi Nakamura

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the flow-induced vibration response and fluidelastic instability threshold of model heat exchanger tube bundles subjected to a cross-flow of refrigerant 11. Tube bundles were specially built with tubes cantilever-mounted on rectangular brass support bars so that the stiffness in the streamwise direction was about double that in the transverse direction. This was designed to simulate the tube dynamics in the U-bend region of a recirculating-type nuclear steam generator. Three model tube bundles were studied, one with a pitch ratio of 1.49 and two with a smaller pitch ratio of 1.33. The primary intent of the research was to improve our understanding of the flow-induced vibrations of heat exchanger tube arrays subjected to two-phase cross-flow. Of particular concern was to compare the effect of the asymmetric stiffness on the fluidelastic stability threshold with that of axisymmetric stiffness arrays tested most prominently in literature. The experimental results are analyzed and compared with existing data from literature using various definitions of two-phase fluid parameters. The fluidelastic stability thresholds of the present study agree well with results from previous studies for single-phase flow. In two-phase flow, the comparison of the stability data depends on the definition of two-phase flow velocity.


1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Pettigrew ◽  
C. E. Taylor

Two-phase flow exists in many industrial components. To avoid costly vibration problems, sound technology in the area of two-phase flow-induced vibration is required. This paper is an overview of the principal mechanisms governing vibration in two-phase flow. Dynamic parameters such as hydrodynamic mass and damping are discussed. Vibration excitation mechanisms in axial flow are outlined. These include fluidelastic instability, phase-change noise, and random excitation. Vibration excitation mechanisms in cross-flow, such as fluidelastic instability, periodic wake shedding, and random excitation, are reviewed.


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