A Comparative Overview of Marine Risers and Heat Exchanger Tube Banks

Abstract

This is neither an original paper nor a review, but a comparative overview of two seemingly unrelated engineering fields. There are some similarities and strong dissimilarities between multipipe risers and tube arrays employed in heat exchangers. For example, square arrays are used in both, whereas “satellite” clusters cannot be found in heat exchangers. The extensive research on flow-induced vibrations in heat exchanger arrays reveals several mechanisms of excitation and sustenance of tube vibration. Some of the mechanisms identified for tube arrays may be relevant for marine risers. The main object of this comparative overview is to compile and discuss heat exchanger data which may be applicable to marine risers. Design guidelines are specified for satellite clusters.