Comparison of flow-induced vibrations versus subcooled boiling-induced vibrations on a heated rod in axial flow

There has been a history of operational problems due to vibration-induced failures within those heat exchangers with thin and long structures working under fluid flow and boiling or subcooled boiling heat transfer conditions. During the past three decades the effect of dynamic forces of fluid flow has been considered as the major source of these vibrations, with little attention paid to the effect of subcooled boiling on such vibrations. In order to shed some light on this subject, a comparison of flow-induced vibration (FIV) versus subcooled boiling-induced vibration (SBIV) on a heated rod has been conducted. The results suggest that the SBIV intensity is much stronger than that of FIV in the system under investigation. It also shows that the average vibration intensity increases with increasing the subcooled boiling area.