Further Evidence for Acoustic Resonance in Full Size Steam Generator and Tubular Heat Exchanger Tube Banks

Acoustic resonance or acoustic vibration, which develops in flow channels containing a tube bank, is caused by vortex shedding generated by crossflow over the tube bank. Transverse acoustic modes are excited, which are perpendicular to the direction of flow and of the tube axes. For the excitation of the acoustic modes resulting in acoustic resonance, two conditions must be met: (a) The frequency of vortex shedding must coincide with the frequency of the particular acoustic mode to be excited, and (b) there must be sufficient energy available to initiate the vibration. If the frequency coincidence is not satisfied or if the excitation energy is insufficient, the acoustic resonance will not be possible. It is important to define the criteria, which need to be met for the initiation of the acoustic resonance. In this paper, new criteria are developed on the basis of the acoustic particle velocity for the onset of acoustic resonance in steam generator and tubular heat exchanger tube banks.