The Parameters Influencing High-Pressure Mechanical Gas Face Seal Behavior in Static Operation

Abstract

The increase in the operating pressure of gas compressors makes it necessary to develop numerical tools for designing optimal high-performance mechanical seals. The authors developed a numerical model of the TEHD behavior of an axisymetric mechanical face seal, working with a high-pressure real gas. The model includes thermal and inertia effects and a choked flow condition. Heat transfer between the fluid and the solids as well as elastic and thermal distortions are computed. This article presents a dimensional analysis that allows the influence of inertia effects to be evaluated and a small number of nondimensional parameters determining seal behavior to be identified. A parametric study was carried out to calculate the mechanical face seal performance under various operating conditions. The results are presented as curves for nondimensional load, mass flow, and exit pressure. Temperature versus characteristic nondimensional parameters is also shown.