Simulation of Tube-to-Support Dynamic Interaction in Heat Exchange Equipment

Abstract

Tubes within tube and shell heat exchange components are supported at intermediate points by support plates. Flow-induced vibration of a tube can cause it to impact or rub against a support plate or against adjacent tubes and can result in tube fretting-wear. The tube-to-support dynamic interaction is used to relate experimental wear data from test rigs to real multi-span heat exchanger configurations. Analytical techniques are required to estimate this interaction in real heat exchangers. Simulation results from the VIBIC code are in good agreement with three examples from the open literature and are in reasonable agreement with measurements from the CRNL single-span room temperature fretting-wear rigs. Therefore, the VIBIC code is a good analytical tool for estimating tube-to-support dynamic interaction in real heat exchangers.