GRS contributions to flow-induced vibrations related activities in Europe

Abstract Flow-induced vibrations in nuclear power plants may lead to material fatigue, fretting wear, and eventually to loss of component integrity. The consequences might be substantial costs due to long unplanned outages or a fault that requires safety provisions to perform as intended. To avoid these, Fluid-Structure Interaction analyses are performed to understand and predict the complex thermal-hydraulic and structural mechanics phenomena. To further advance the knowledge of solving FSI problems with the help of numerical tools, in the beginning of 2020, the joint industry VIKING project was established in Europe. Further, OECD/NEA initiated in 2021 an FSI Benchmark on FIV that should be finished by the end of 2022 and the final synthesis report should be published in 2023. This paper provides a short overview of the GRS contributions within these two international activities on the prediction of FIV in nuclear power reactors. The content of this article was initially presented at the 33rd German CFD Network of Competence Meeting, held on March 22–23 at GRS in Garching, Germany.