The research on flow-induced vibration of compact curved tube bundles subjected to liquid cross flow

Abstract

This paper presents a series of dynamic tests and analyses on single and compactly bundled straight and curved tubes subjected to liquid cross flow. The purpose of this research is to study the flow-induced vibration behavior of compact curved tube bundles, with particular interest in their differences to those of the straight tubes. Both modal and dynamic response tests are performed with tube structures of different bending radius and pitch-diameter ratios. Based on the test results, the vortex shedding phenomenon and Strouhal numbers of single straight tube and single curved tube are analyzed in this paper, and so are the fluid-elastic instability phenomenon and Connors constant of straight tube bundles and curved tube bundles. The test results and analysis conclusions provide valuable assessment tool for the design of helically coiled tube bundles commonly used in steam generators or heat exchangers.