Internal two-phase flow induced vibrations: A review

Flow-induced vibration (FIV) is a common phenomenon observed in internal flows and is frequently encountered in technical systems like process plants, nuclear plants, oil-piping or heat exchangers. Compared to single-phase flows, FIV is more difficult to predict and analyze for internal two-phase flows. As a result, experimental data and analysis tools related to two-phase flow are limited to specific aspects or conditions. Another problem is that for real-world applications, FIV analysis is applied to multi-structural components, which becomes complicated due to the size of the technical systems. Thus, experimental studies are usually realized first within the laboratory using a prototype of the original structure. Besides experimental investigations, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly adopted and already a prevalent tool for FIV assessment. However, further development in CFD models and methods is necessary in order to complement the experimental database. Additionally, CFD is useful for enhanced understanding of fundamental aspects of two-phase flows, and for gaining insights from situations where experiments are difficult or infeasible, such as in deep-sea borewells, sub-sea riser pipelines, and in nuclear installations. It is also known that there is a lack of sufficiently accurate empirical correlations for terms related to mass, momentum, and energy transfer across the phases for two-phase flows, and CFD can be useful in this respect. Furthermore, for estimating the accuracy of CFD models, comparisons with benchmark results for two-phase, internal, multistructural flows are necessary. Unfortunately, the experimental database involving internal two-phase flows is very limited, and this is a bottleneck for the development of computational techniques. The following contribution presents a review of the research on FIV involving two-phase internal flows with relevance to multistructural components. Methodological literature for two-phase flow measurements along with the latest applications are put forth. Problem areas of two-phase FIV systems have been brought out, and future avenues of research for two-phase, internal FIV are identified. The following specific areas of two-phase FIV are reviewed. Two-phase FIV in subsea risers and in pipeline riser systems is discussed. The slug flow regime is analyzed in particular due its predominant impact on twophase FIV. Parameters affecting two-phase FIV along with two-phase correlations are discussed. Power Spectrum Density (PSD) and Fourier transform applications for two-phase FIV form another section. Latest research efforts involving the two-way interaction of fluid and structure are presented. Both numerical and experimental works have been reviewed. The bulk of the important works for two-phase FIV is experimental in nature. Numerical models and computational power have not been developed enough for simulating more complex, multistructural flows. They are limited to simple cases involving simplified computational models. Experimental efforts for large multistructural components involve the initial use of prototypes and can prove to be costly for fully developed industrial-scale rigs. However, experimentation currently holds an irreplaceable position in two-phase FIV studies.

Automated summary

Flow-induced vibration (FIV) is a common phenomenon in internal flows, but it is more difficult to predict and analyze for two-phase flows. Experimental data and analysis tools are limited to specific conditions. Experimental studies and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) are both used for FIV assessment, but further development is needed to complement the experimental database. CFD can provide insights in situations where experiments are difficult or not feasible, and it can be useful for estimating empirical correlations related to mass, momentum, and energy transfer in two-phase flows.