Tube Arrays Flow-Induced Vibrations Simulations With ALE Finite Element Method

Fluidelastic instabilities in tube bundles subject to cross-flow are a major concern for the design of steam generators. We determine the fluidelastic instability boundary in the plane of the pitch reduced velocity and mass-damping parameter through unsteady simulations for low values of the Reynolds number. Simulations are performed with a finite element method.The time integrator is a 3^rd order implicit Runge-Kutta scheme for both the flow and structural parts. The numerical method satisfies the Geometric Conservation Law. The variation of the pitch reduced velocity is performed by varying the rigidity of springs that support cylinders. Results show that in-line as well as cross-flow vibrations predominate when the reduced velocity is varied.