Analysis Approach Examples for Flow-Induced Piping Vibration Mitigation

One of the challenges of analyzing flow-induced vibration in piping systems is determining how to analytically characterize the loading related to the source of the vibration. Simplified methods can be sufficient for evaluating an existing piping configuration through correlation with vibration measurements. However, if vibration mitigation is required a more thoughtful analysis approach should be used so that the anticipated vibration responses of the post-modification piping configuration can be more accurately determined. Two case histories are presented that illustrate analysis approaches used to evaluate the severity of flow-induced piping vibration and also develop effective vibration mitigation designs. The analysis approaches used in both cases involved the simulation of vibration loading based on limited vibration data. Using the analysis approaches that were developed, vibration restraints were able to be effectively located and designed. The effectiveness of the analytically determined vibration mitigation solutions was confirmed by post-modification testing and observation.