Abstract
Fluid flow in labyrinth seals of a turbine engine is described. The aim is to describe numerical calculations of fluid flow in labyrinth seals and evaluate the calculated data for different settings of radial clearance of labyrinth seals. The results are achieved by 3D CFD detailed simulations in a typical seal geometry. The calculations are performed for different radial clearances at a constant pressure drop. The calculated data are evaluated based on mass flow, static pressure, total enthalpy and total temperature of air. Based on the calculated data, it is visible, that the total temperature of air is increased in the labyrinth seals. The static pressure of air acts as expected –the static pressure is decreased in all teeth. The Mach number is similar in all teeth, but the maximal maximum value is in the last tooth, because of the expansion into the ambient conditions. Results of the calculations are that the total temperature in labyrinth seals is not constant as it is usually presented or supposed usually in common literature.
Highlights
This article describes and analyses the flow in a labyrinth seal of a small turbine engine
The labyrinth seals work in a turbine engine to prevent the air flow enter the engine modules, where the flow is useless, because the turbine disc is screwed to the shaft – it is a rotating part
The calculation model was finished in 1000 iterations
Summary
This article describes and analyses the flow in a labyrinth seal of a small turbine engine. The objective is to analyse the air flow for a constant pressure drop in the seals with different geometrical settings – it means different radial clearances between rotor and stator and different numbers of teeth. The labyrinth seals work in a turbine engine to prevent the air flow enter the engine modules, where the flow is useless, because the turbine disc is screwed to the shaft – it is a rotating part. Thanks to the labyrinth seals, it is possible to direct the air flow to the parts of the engine where it can be useful – which means decrease the axial force of the shaft, etc. The radial clearance has a higher influence on the turbine performance than in the turbine engine. When the radial clearance is too large in a critical part of the turbine engine, the influence on the engine performance parameters (e.g. fuel consumption) is more pronounced than with the standard clearance (see [5])
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