A Study of the Impact Dynamics of Loosely Supported Heat Exchanger Tubes

Abstract

Abstract Heat exchanger tube bundles may be damaged by vibration induced from the cross flow. This damage generally occurs at the tube supports where the tube is only loosely supported. The loose support results in the tube motion being strongly nonlinear with very complicated dynamics. Some theoretical equations for the tube dynamics and wear rates are investigated by using dimensional analysis, physical modeling and numerical simulations. From the analysis of these equations, some simple formulas are developed which show the influence of excitation level and tube-to-support clearance on the tube response.