Numerical Simulation of Gas Flow Passing through Slots of Various Shapes in Labyrinth Seals

Abstract

Labyrinth seals are widely used in centrifugal compressors, turbines, and many other pneumatic systems due to their simplicity of design, reliability, and low cost. The calculation scheme for the movement of the working medium in a labyrinth seal is constructed by analogy with the movement of the working medium through holes with a sharp edge. Annular and flat slots, holes, and such a factor as the shaft rotation with a calculated sector of 3 degrees were studied. The purpose of the study is to determine the flow coefficient when the working medium flows through slots of various shapes. To achieve this purpose, modeling of the working medium flow in the FlowVision software was performed. The mass flow and flow coefficients are determined for the studied slot shapes. The convergence of the calculation results was determined by comparing the values of the mass flow rate at the inlet and outlet of the slot. Differences in visualizations of the flow for the studied variants of slots were established. The resulting difference should be taken into account in practical calculations of the working medium mass flow through the slot using a conditional flow rate factor which is determined by the slot design.