Random Excitation Forces in Tube Bundles Subjected to Two-Phase Cross-Flow

1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Taylor ◽  
M. J. Pettigrew ◽  
I. G. Currie

Data from two experimental programs have been analyzed to determine the characteristics of the random excitation forces associated with two-phase cross-flow in tube bundles. Large-scale air-water flow loops in France and Canada were used to generate the data. Tests were carried out on cantilevered, clamped-pinned, and clamped-clamped tubes in normal-square, parallel-triangular, and normal-triangular configurations. Either strain gages or force transducers were used to measure the vibration response of a centrally located tube as the tube array was subjected to a wide range of void fractions and flow rates. Power spectra were analyzed to determine the effect of parameters such as tube diameter, frequency, flow rate, void fraction, and flow regime on the random excitation forces. Normalized expressions for the excitation force power spectra were found to be flow-regime dependent. In the churn flow regime, flow rate and void fraction had very little effect on the magnitude of the excitation forces. In the bubble-plug flow regime, the excitation forces increased rapidly with flow rate and void fraction.

Author(s):  
W. G. Sim ◽  
W. Mureithi Njuki

An approximate analytical model for upward two-phase cross-flow through horizontal bundles, to predict drag coefficient on a cylinder and two-phase Euler number, has been developed. To verify the model, two sets of experiments were performed for various pitch mass fluxes of air-water mixture with void fraction. The experiments were undertaken with rotated triangular array of cylinders. The pitch to diameter ratio is 1.5 and the cylinder diameter 38 mm. The void fraction model proposed by Feenstra et al. (2000) is utilized to estimate the void fraction for the cross-flow in the tube bundle. An important variable on the drag coefficient is the two-phase friction multiplier. An empirical formulation of non dimensional pressure drop (Euler number) for single phase flow in tube bundles was proposed by Zukauskas et al. (1988) and two-phase friction multiplier in duct flow was formulated by various researchers. Considering the formulations, the present model was developed. It is found that Marchaterre’s model (1961) for two-phase friction multiplier is applicable to air-water mixtures. The analytical results agree well with experimental drag coefficients and Euler numbers in air-water mixtures for a sufficiently wide range of pitch mass fluxes and qualities. This model will allow researcher to provide analytical estimates of the drag coefficient, which is related to two-phase damping.


Author(s):  
Joaquin E. Moran ◽  
David S. Weaver

An experimental study was conducted to investigate damping and fluidelastic instability in tube arrays subjected to two-phase cross-flow. The purpose of this research was to improve our understanding of these phenomena and how they are affected by void fraction and flow regime. The working fluid used was Freon 11, which better models steam-water than air-water mixtures in terms of vapour-liquid mass ratio as well as permitting phase changes due to pressure fluctuations. The damping measurements were obtained by “plucking” the monitored tube from outside the test section using electromagnets. An exponential function was fitted to the tube decay trace, producing consistent damping measurements and minimizing the effect of frequency shifting due to fluid added mass fluctuations. The void fraction was measured using a gamma densitometer, introducing an improvement over the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) in terms of density and velocity predictions. It was found that the Capillary number, when combined with the two-phase damping ratio (interfacial damping), shows a well defined behaviour depending on the flow regime. This observation can be used to develop a better methodology to normalize damping results. The fluidelastic results agree with previously presented data when analyzed using the HEM and the half-power bandwidth method. The interfacial velocity is suggested for fluidelastic studies due to its capability for collapsing the fluidelastic data. The interfacial damping was introduced as a tool to include the effects of flow regime into the stability maps.


Author(s):  
E. S. Perrot ◽  
N. W. Mureithi ◽  
M. J. Pettigrew ◽  
G. Ricciardi

This paper presents test results of vibration forces in a normal triangular tube bundle subjected to air-water cross-flow. The dynamic lift and drag forces were measured with strain gage instrumented cylinders. The array has a pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.5, and the tube diameter is 38 mm. A wide range of void fraction and fluid velocities were tested. The experiments revealed significant forces in both the drag and lift directions. Constant frequency and quasi-periodic fluid forces were found in addition to random excitation. These forces were analyzed and characterized to understand their origins. The forces were found to be dependent on the position of the cylinder within the bundle. The results are compared with those obtained with flexible cylinders in the same tube bundle and to those for a rotated triangular tube bundle. These comparisons reveal the influence of quasi-periodic forces on tube motions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. G. Sim ◽  
Njuki W. Mureithi

An approximate analytical model, to predict the drag coefficient on a cylinder and the two-phase Euler number for upward two-phase cross-flow through horizontal bundles, has been developed. To verify the model, two sets of experiments were performed with an air–water mixture for a range of pitch mass fluxes and void fractions. The experiments were undertaken using a rotated triangular (RT) array of cylinders having a pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.5 and cylinder diameter 38 mm. The void fraction model proposed by Feenstra et al. was used to estimate the void fraction of the flow within the tube bundle. An important variable for drag coefficient estimation is the two-phase friction multiplier. A new drag coefficient model has been developed, based on the single-phase flow Euler number formulation proposed by Zukauskas et al. and the two-phase friction multiplier in duct flow formulated by various researchers. The present model is developed considering the Euler number formulation by Zukauskas et al. as well as existing two-phase friction multiplier models. It is found that Marchaterre's model for two-phase friction multiplier is applicable to air–water mixtures. The analytical results agree reasonably well with experimental drag coefficients and Euler numbers in air–water mixtures for a sufficiently wide range of pitch mass fluxes and qualities. This model will allow researchers to provide analytical estimates of the drag coefficient, which is related to two-phase damping.


Author(s):  
Joaquin E. Moran ◽  
David S. Weaver

An experimental study was conducted to investigate two-phase damping in tube arrays. The objective was to compare different measurement methodologies in order to obtain a more reliable damping estimate. This will allow for improved guidelines related to failures due to fluidelastic instability in tube bundles. The methods compared were the traditionally used half-power bandwidth, the logarithmic decrement and an exponential fitting to the tube decay response. The working fluid used was Refrigerant 11 (Freon), which better models the real steam-water problem, as it allows for phase change. The void fraction was measured using a gamma densitometer, introducing an improvement over the traditional Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) in terms of velocity and density predictions. The results obtained by using the half-power bandwidth method agree with data previously reported for two-phase flow. The experiments showed that the half-power bandwidth produces higher damping values than the other two, but only up to a certain void fraction. After that point, the results obtained from the three methods are very similar. The exponential fitting proved to be more consistent than the logarithmic decrement, and it is not as sensitive as the half-power bandwidth to the frequency shifting caused by the change in added mass around the tube. By plotting the damping ratio as a function of void fraction, pitch mass flux and flow regime, we were able to verify that damping is more dependent on void fraction and flow regime than on mass flux.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colette E. Taylor ◽  
Michel J. Pettigrew

Abstract This paper re-examines the available experimental data to investigate the random excitation forces that affect tube bundles exposed to two-phase cross flow. Much of the experimental data generated over the past four decades have been gathered in an attempt to understand the parametric dependence of the random two-phase forces. The data include air–water, steam–water and various Freons used in a variety of test sections with either strain gages to measure the tube amplitude or force transducers to measure the reaction forces. A review of previous work in this area finds that some authors claim a strong flow regime dependence while others suggest that this dependence is weak. This work takes a detailed look at this discrepancy and finds that a single design guideline does not adequately bound all flow regimes. As a result, two dimensionless upper bounds are proposed.


Author(s):  
W. G. Sim

An approximate analytical model, to predict the two-phase damping for upward cross-flow through horizontal bundles, has been developed. This model will allow researches to provide analytical estimates of the damping ratios. The existing semiempirical approach by Pettigrew and Taylor (2003) was approximated by taking the lower envelope of the damping data. To estimate the void fraction for the cross-flow, the void fraction model proposed by Feenstra etc (2000) is utilized. The development of the present damping model stemmed from the two-phase multiplier of pressure loss and the momentum flux of the two-phase flow. The important variables on the damping are identified. The results of the present model agree well with experimental damping ratios in air-mixtures for a sufficiently wide range of pitch mass ratio, quality and p/d ratios. It has also shown predictive capability for steam-water mixtures and Freon 11.


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