Mode localization of a component cooling water heat exchanger

In a nuclear power plant, the tubes of a component cooling water heat exchanger are frequently affected by cold and hot fluid shock waves. Thus, tubes are often found to be worn out. This wear may alter the dynamics of the tubes and introduce mode localization in the heat exchanger. This paper examines mode localization in a component cooling water heat exchanger. A heat exchanger, consisting of periodic cooling tubes is used to simulate as a coupled periodic structure system. Each tube is coupled to the adjacent one through the water, and so the system is weakly coupled. The Galerkin method is employed herein to derive the mode localization equations off the mistuned system, with reference to the fluid effect. Numerical results reveal that the wear may introduce mode localization into a mistuned heat exchanger with fluid.