The paper discusses the results of investigations performed for the segments of straight-through labyrinth seals of constant length. Increasing the number of teeth of a segment resulted in a reduction of the pitch length to obtain the slot seals. The phenomena occurring during gas flow in labyrinth and slot seals differ significantly. They are described with different calculation models. The analysis presented in this paper is related to the change of the tightness and the nature of the flow from a straight-through labyrinth seal to a slot seal. The paper includes the results of experimental research and CFD calculations. Models applied for the Neumann and Scharer labyrinth seals as well as the model of the Salzman and Fravi slot seals were discussed. For the Neumann and Scharer models, correction coefficients for the tested geometry were proposed. Based on the assumptions for the said models and the obtained results, the phenomena responsible for the minimization of the leakage were discussed. The leakage rate in segments of different gap heights depending on the number of teeth and the pressure ratio upstream and downstream of the segment has been analyzed. Based on the experimental data, an optimum number of teeth in the segment for minimum leakage was determined. CFD calculations allowed determining the minimum leakage geometry. The experimental data contained in this paper confirm that the determined optimum pitch range is independent of the pressure drop.
Paper presents the results of experimental and numerical research of a model segment of a labyrinth seal for a different wear level. The analysis covers the extent of leakage and distribution of static pressure in the seal chambers and the planes upstream and downstream of the segment. The measurement data have been compared with the results of numerical calculations obtained using commercial software. Based on the flow conditions occurring in the area subjected to calculations, the size of the mesh defined by parameter y+has been analyzed and the selection of the turbulence model has been described. The numerical calculations were based on the measurable thermodynamic parameters in the seal segments of steam turbines. The work contains a comparison of the mass flow and distribution of static pressure in the seal chambers obtained during the measurement and calculated numerically in a model segment of the seal of different level of wear.
The paper discusses thermodynamic phenomena accompanying the flow of gas in a slotted seal. The analysis of the gas flow has been described based on an irreversible adiabatic transformation. A model based on the equation of total enthalpy balance has been proposed. The iterative process of the model aims at obtaining such a gas temperature distribution that will fulfill the continuity equation. The model allows for dissipation of the kinetic energy into friction heat by making use of the Blasius equation to determine the friction coefficient. Within the works, experimental research has been performed of the gas flow in a slotted seal of slot height 2 mm. Based on the experimental data, the equation of local friction coefficient was modified with a correction parameter. This parameter was described with the function of pressure ratio to obtain a mass flow of the value from the experiment. The reason for taking up of this problem is the absence of high accuracy models for calculating the gas flow in slotted seals. The proposed model allows an accurate determination of the mass flow in a slotted seal based on the geometry and gas initial and final parameters.
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