Author: J. E. Moran
Canadian Machinery Vibration Association (CMVA) Annual Seminar, Niagara Falls, October 2008
Abstract
The use of two-phase shell-and-tube heat exchangers is a common practice in the power and process industries due to their thermal capabilities. CANDU steam generators are particularly sensitive to flow-induced vibration problems, especially at the U-bend of the tube bundle, where the cross-flow configuration of the two-phase flow has the potential to produce high amplitude tube oscillations. If the amplitude of the vibrations becomes large enough, the tubes can be damaged by impact and fretting wear at the supports, thinning due to repeated mid-span collision or fatigue caused by high bending stresses.
