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Using Fluid Curtains to Improve Sealing Performance in Turbomachinery Applications

MacCalman, J. A.; Williams, R. J.; Ingram, G. L.; Hogg, S. I.

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Authors

J. A. MacCalman



Abstract

The results from an investigation into the physics of how fluid curtains can be applied to improve the aerodynamic performance of conventional turbomachinery shaft and rotor seals are described in this paper. Computational fluid dynamics and testing on two experimental facilities are used in the study. In the first part of the work, computational fluid dynamics simulations validated against experimental test data demonstrate the fundamental mechanism by which the presence of the curtain can act to reduce leakage flow through conventional seals. These results are consolidated into a single performance carpet map, showing how the leakage reduction performance and the curtain supply pressure needed to achieve it vary with changes in values of key geometrical parameters. In the second part of the work the effect of swirl in the seal inlet flow, as is often encountered in turbomachinery applications, on the performance of the fluid curtain is investigated experimentally. Test results show that if the swirl momentum in the inlet flow is greater than the momentum of the curtain flow, the performance benefit from applying the curtain is greatly diminished. Overall, the results provide some fundamental design rules for applying fluid curtains to enhance turbomachinery sealing performance for the general type of leakage path geometry (cylindrical channel, 45-degree jet angle, curtain upstream of a conventional seal) and working fluid type and conditions (air, ambient temperature, subsonic leakage channel flow), used in the study.

Citation

MacCalman, J. A., Williams, R. J., Ingram, G. L., & Hogg, S. I. (2024). Using Fluid Curtains to Improve Sealing Performance in Turbomachinery Applications. Journal of Tribology, 146(8), Article 084401. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4065264

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 29, 2024
Online Publication Date Apr 23, 2024
Publication Date Apr 23, 2024
Deposit Date Mar 26, 2024
Publicly Available Date Apr 23, 2024
Journal Journal of Tribology
Print ISSN 0742-4787
Electronic ISSN 1528-8897
Publisher American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 146
Issue 8
Article Number 084401
DOI https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4065264
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2347799

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