Turbulence-Induced Fluid Dynamic Forces Acting on Cross-Shaped Tube Bundle in Cross Flow

A cross-shaped tube bundle with dense arrangement may be designed for a lower plenum structure in a next generation LWR, though the characteristics of flow-induced vibration of this type of tube bundle remain virtually unknown. In this study, turbulence-induced fluid dynamic forces acting on a cross-shaped tube bundle with a dense arrangement subject to cross flow were measured by water tunnel tests with two types of scale models. One is a small-scale model to measure local fluid dynamic forces and their correlation length in the lift and drag direction. The other is a large-scale model to investigate the effect of the Reynolds number on fluid dynamic forces in the lift, drag and torsional directions. Free oscillation tests with another small-scale model were also conducted to measure vibration amplitude by random excitation force. In conclusion, the following results were obtained. Vortex-induced vibration cannot arise in the cross-shaped tube bundle, since a typical peak corresponding to periodic vortex shedding was not observed in power spectral density for fluid excitation force. Power spectral densities of fluid dynamic forces in the drag, lift and torsional directions have mutually similar properties and they are hardly dependent on the Reynolds number. The experimental results were compiled into dimensionless correlation equations composed of the power spectral density for the local fluid excitation force and its correlation length. They are useful for evaluating the random vibration amplitude. The estimated amplitudes of turbulence-induced vibration by the correlation equation coincide with those of the experimental results obtained by the free-oscillation tests.