Abstract
A straight-through labyrinth seal is one of the most popular non-contacting annular seals through which energy dissipation by turbulence viscosity interaction is achieved with a series of teeth and cavities. The geometric parameters of the straight-through labyrinth seal, such as clearance, tooth width, tooth height, cavity width, and tooth inclination angle, affect its performance. The space for installing a labyrinth seal in turbomachinery is limited, and so it is important to optimize its geometry for a fixed axial length in order to minimize the leakage flow rate and the discharge coefficient. The objective of the current study is to understand the effects of changing the geometric parameters of the seal on the leakage flow rate and the discharge coefficient, and to determine the optimized geometry for a fixed axial length. When the whole axial length is fixed, the most effective way to decrease the discharge coefficient is to reduce the cavity width by increasing the number of cavities. However, if the number of cavities is too high, the beneficial effect of more cavities can be reversed. The results of this study will help turbomachinery manufacturers to design a more efficient labyrinth seal. Numerical simulations of leakage flow for the straight-through labyrinth seal were carried out using Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models, and the results for their discharge coefficients and pressure distributions were compared to previously published experimental data.
Highlights
Increasing the efficiency of turbomachinery, such as a gas turbine, by decreasing the leakage flow rate has become an important topic in the engineering community
Clearance increased cross‐sectional area andjet increased thecavity leakage flow rate, to a larger portion ofits the fluid directly flowing into the decreased, thereby increasing the leakage flow rate and the discharge coefficient
Kinetic energy dissipation through the turbulence viscosity interaction is achieved by Coefficient ratio thePressure labyrinth seal consisting of a series of teeth and cavities
Summary
Increasing the efficiency of turbomachinery, such as a gas turbine, by decreasing the leakage flow rate has become an important topic in the engineering community. Contact seals can constrict the leakage flow rate efficiently, they cannot be used in turbomachinery with many parts moving at a high speed because of the possibility of causing damage through friction or heat expansion. One of the most used non-contact seals is the labyrinth seal, because of its high sealing capacity and ease of manufacturing [2]. It is an annular type divided into three categories—stepped, straight, and staggered [3].
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