Streamwise Dynamics of a Tube Array Subjected to Two-Phase Cross-Flows

Nuclear steam generator tubes in two-phase cross-flow may vibrate due to excitations that emanate from various sources. Of these excitation mechanisms, fluidelastic instability is the most dominant cause of tube failures in the short-term. These failures, other than leading to unscheduled plant shutdowns, may result in leakage of radioactive materials that may ultimately cause accidents and economic loss. Very limited work has been dedicated to investigating purely streamwise fluidelastic instability in tube arrays. However, recent observations of tube failure caused by streamwise or in-plane instability confirm the importance of streamwise fluidelastic instability analysis. In the present study, we present detailed dynamic cross-coupling force and phase measurement results for a central cluster of tubes in a rotated triangular tube array of Pitch-to-Diameter ratio (P/D)=1.5 subjected to air-water two-phase cross-flow, for homogeneous void fractions of 0% and 60%. The measured dynamic forces together with previously measured quasi-steady forces are necessary to estimate the time delay which is an important input for the quasi-steady fluidelastic instability model.