Effect of honeycomb seals on loss characteristics in shroud cavities of an axial turbine

Abstract

The loss in efficiency due to shroud leakage or tip clearance flow accounts for a substantial part of the overall losses in turbomachinery. It is important to identify the leakage loss characteristics in order to optimize turbomachinery. At present, little information is available in the open literature concerning the effect of honeycomb seals on the loss characteristics in shroud cavities of an axial turbine, despite of the widespread use of the honeycomb seals. Therefore, interaction between rotor labyrinth seal leakage flow with and without honeycomb facings and main flow is investigated to provide the loss characteristics of the mixing process of the re-entering leakage flow into the main flow. The effects of honeycomb seals on the flow in shroud cavities and interaction with the main flow are analyzed. An additional study on the impact of subtle shroud cavity exit geometry is also presented. The investigation results indicate that the honeycomb seal affects the over tip leakage flow and reduces mixing losses when compared to the solid labyrinth seal. The leakage flow interactions with the main flow have considerably changed the flow fields in the endwall regions. The proposed research reveals the effects of honeycomb seals on the loss characteristics in shroud cavities and the impact of subtle shroud cavity exit geometry, and it is helpful for the design optimization of turbomachinery.