3. Vibrations

Vibration is an essential parameter to take into account when designing a heat exchanger, in the same way as heat transfer or pressure drop. In addition to the classical aspects (shocks, vibration spectrum) originating from the external environment, heat exchangers induce their own vibrations under the effect of the fluid flowing through them. This section deals mainly with the dynamic forces caused by the fluid and their repercussions on the tubes in a shell-and-tube exchanger; this vibratory aspect is rarely, if ever, encountered in other exchangers.