Analysis of Multi-Land High Pressure Oil Seals

Abstract

An analysis for the laminar/turbulent flow in high pressure oil ring seals is presented. A fully-developed bulk-flow model for low axial Reynolds numbers is introduced to predict the static and dynamic force response of multi-land oil seals. The model includes the effects of bearing surface roughness, variable seal clearances, fluid inertia and viscous loss effects at the inlet of the first land in a multi-land oil seal. Internal groove pressures in the seals are determined via a mass conservation algorithm with Reynolds condition at the cavitation inception zone. Predictions show that the viscosity effect at the seal inlet is minimal for turbulent flow across the seal. However, for laminar oil seals, the entrance loss viscous effect can substantially increase the direct stiffness. Load capacity and rotordynamic force coefficients for one-land, two-land and three-land seal examples are discussed in detail. Presented at the 47th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 4–7, 1992