Experimental Investigation of Streamwise Fluidelastic Instability in Tube Arrays
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Abstract
Fluidelastic instability (FEI) is a major concern in steam generators and continues to be one of the leading causes of structural failure. There has been a general consensus that the phenomenon of FEI occurs only in the transverse direction rather than in the streamwise direction. After a refurbishment of the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station (SONGS), there was a failure in the steam generator due to streamwise FEI. This has never been reported before and had traditionally not been considered as a factor in the design of nuclear steam generators. Therefore, research efforts are made to understand this phenomenon. In this work, experiments were conducted using a closed-loop wind tunnel. A fully flexible tube array subjected to cross-flow was considered in the current investigation with pitch to diameter ratios of 1.25, 1.4, 1.55, and 1.7. The tubes were mounted over a flexible support in the direction of the flow.