Flow induced vibration accelerating fatigue failure in piping systems

The Challenge

Flow Induced Vibration (FIV), and the related problems of pulsation and Acoustic Induced Vibration (AIV), are induced by flow and pressure fluctuations in piping systems and can lead to accelerated fatigue failure if not properly identified and mitigated. In this case, the customer was anticipating dead-leg pulsation, due to high multiphase flow past a dead-leg entrance, and needed to understand its magnitude, fatigue life implications, and whether it could be mitigated.

The Solution

Drawing on the team’s expertise in developing and validating methods for FIV and AIV characterization, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to develop loading spectra and then applied to frequency domain Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to establish stress spectra. Using frequency domain cycle counting methods it was then possible to calculate fatigue lives for critical elements.

The Result

Despite initial assessments, it was possible to confirm that pulsation was not going to cause accelerated fatigue failure, saving the customer the considerable expense of having to re-design the component.

To learn more about how Flow Induced Vibration (FIV) accelerates fatigue failure in piping systems,or if you have any questions, contact our team today.