• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1454-1459
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• 2024

Researchers have applied theoretical and CFD models for years to analyze the fluidelastic instability (FEI) of tube arrays in steam generators and other heat exchangers. The accuracy of each approach has typically been evaluated using the discrepancy between the experimental critical flow velocity and the predicted value. In the best cases, the predicted critical flow velocity was within an order of magnitude comparable to the measured one. This paper revisits the quasi-steady approach for damping controlled FEI in a normal triangular array with a pitch ratio of P/d = 1.375. The method addresses the fluidelastic frequency at the stability threshold as an input parameter for the approach. The excellent agreement between the estimated stability thresholds and the equivalent experimental results suggests that the fluidelastic frequency must be included in the quasi-steady analysis, which requires minimal computing time and experimental data. In addition, the model allows a simple time delay analysis regarding flow convective and viscous effects.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.364-373
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• 2004

This study investigates the fluidelastic instability characteristics of helical steam generator type tubes used in operating nuclear power plants. To obtain a natural frequency, corresponding mode shape, and participation factor, modal analyses using various conditions are performed for helical type tubes. Investigated are the effects of the number of turns, the number of supports, and the status of the inner fluid on the modal and fluidelastic instability characteristics of the tubes, which are expressed in terms of the natural frequency, the corresponding mode shape, and the stability ratio.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.1118-1124
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• 2023

Experimental study on the fluidelastic instability (FEI) of a curved tube bundle in single phase downward cross flow is investigated for the design qualification and analysis input preparation of helical coiled steam generator tubing. A 6×9 normal square curved tube array with equal and different vertical/horizontal pitch-to-diameter ratio was under-tested up to 6 m/s in term of gap flow velocity to measure the critical velocity for FEI. The critical velocity for FEI was measured at the turning point from the vibration amplitude plot along the gap flow velocity. Our test results were compared with straight tube results and published data in the design guideline. The applicability of the current design guidelines to a curved tube bundle is also assessed. We found that introducing frequency difference in a curved tube array increases the critical velocity for fluidelastic instability.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.109-118
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• 2023

In this paper, the evaluation method of fluidelastic instability (FEI) of newly designed steam generator tubing in pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants is discussed. To obtain the parameters for prediction of the critical velocity of FEI for steam generator tubes, experimental research is carried out, and the design parameters are determined. Using CFD numerical simulation, the tube array scale of the model experiment is determined, and the experimental device is designed. In this paper, 7 groups of experiments with void fractions of 0% (water), 10%, 20%, 50%, 75%, 85% and 95% were carried out. The critical damping ration, fundamental frequency and critical velocity of FEI of tubes in flowing water were measured. Through calculation, the total mass and instability constant of the immersed tube are obtained. The critical damping ration measured in the experiment mainly included two-phase damping and viscous damping, which changed with the change in void fraction from 1.56% to 4.34%. This value can be used in the steam generator design described in this paper and is conservative. By introducing the multiplier of frequency and square root of total mass per unit length, it is found that the difference between the experimental results and the calculated results is less than 1%, which proves the rationality and feasibility of the calculation method of frequency and total mass per unit length in engineering design. Through calculation, the instability constant is greater than 4 when the void fraction is less than 75%, less than 4 when the void fraction exceeds 75% and only 3.04 when the void fraction is 95%.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.400-408
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• 2003

This paper investigates the vibration characteristics of steam generator (SG) U-tubes with defect. The operating SG shell-side flow field conditions for determining the fluidelastic instability parameters such as added mass are obtained from three-dimensional SG flow calculation. Modal analyses are performed for the U-tubes either with axial or circumferential flaw with different sizes. Special emphases are on the effects of flaw orientation and size on the modal and instability characteristics of tubes, which are expressed in terms of the natural frequency, corresponding mode shape and stability ratio. Also, addressed is the effect of the internal pressure on the vibration characteristics of the tube.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.174-180
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• 2004

Failure of tube bundles due to excessive flow-induced vibrations continues to affect the performance of nuclear power plant Early experimental studies concentrated on rigid structures and later investigators dealt with elastic structures because of their importance in many engineering fields. On the other hand, much less numerical work has been carried out, because of the numerical complexity associated with the problem. Conventional approaches usually decoupled the flow solution from the structural problem. The present numerical study proposes the methodology in analyzing the fluidelastic instability occurring in tube bundles by coupling the Computational fluid Dynamics (C%) with the tube equation of motions. The motion of the structures is modeled by a spring-damper-mass system that allows transnational motion in two directions (a two-degree-of-freedom system). The fluid motion and the cylinder response are solved in an iterative way, so that the interaction between the fluid and the structure can be accounted for property. The aim of the present work is to predict the fluidelstic instability of tube bundles and the associated phenomena, such as the response of the cylinder, the unsteady lift and drag on the cylinder, the vortex shedding frequency.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1518-1528
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• 1993

The wake-induced vibration and proximity-induced vibration of two interfering circular cylinders in tandem are investigated experimentally, using an elastically supported cylinder and a fixed cylinder in uniform crossflow. Dynamic responses and flow periodicity in wake are measured to investigate the effect of system parameters on aerodynamic instability. The parameters include the free stream wind velocity and the position of two interfering circular cylinders. The oscillating behavior of the amplitude of the elastically supported cylinder is changed by varying the position, the relative gap spacing between two interfering circular cylinders and the reduced velocities. In small gap spacing between the elastically supported cylinder located to upstream and the circular cylinder fixed to downstream, the fluidelastic instability is founded. The vibration amplitude decreases notably as gap spacing between two interfering circular cylinders becomes large. The dynamic behavior at g/D-4.0 is similar to that of the single circular cylinder.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.200-214
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• 1993

This paper presents the results of fluidelastic instability analysis performed for the U-tube bundle of a Westinghouse model 51 steam generator, one of the recirculating types designed at an early stage, in which the principal region of external cross-flow is associated with the U-bend portion of tube. The prerequisites for this analysis are detailed informations of the secondary side flow conditions in the steam generator and the free vibration behaviours of the U-tubes. In this study, the three-dimensional two-phase flow field in the steam generator has been calculated employing the ATHOS3 steam generator two-phase flow code and the ANSYS engineering analysis code has been used to calculate the free vibration responses of specific U tubes under consideration. The assessment of the potential instability for the suspect U-tubes, which is the final analysis process of the present work, has been accomplished by combining the secondary side velocity and density distributions obtained from the ATHOS3 prediction with the relative modal displacement and natural frequency data calculated using the ANSYS code. The damping of tubes in two-phase flow has been deduced from the existing experimental data by taking into account the secondary side void fraction effect. In operation of the steam generator, the tube support conditions at the tube-to-tube support plate intersections due to either tube denting degradation or deposition of tube support plate corrosion products or ingression of dregs. Thus, various hypothetical cases regarding the tube support conditions at the tube-to-tube support plate intersections have been considered to investigate the clamped support effects on the forced vibration response of the tube. Also, the effect of anti-vibration bars support in the curved portion of tube has been examined.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.1400-1405
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• 2001

In this study, an analysis program to assess the susceptibility of steam generator tubes due to the flow-induced vibration was developed. Analysis of fluid-elastic instability and random turbulence excitation for the U-tube bundle in CE-type steam generator was accomplished. The effective mass distribution along the U-tube was obtained to calculate the natural frequency and dynamic mode shape. Finally, stability ratios and rms vibration amplitude for selected tubes are obtained.