Brush Seal Research Articles

Buoyancy Effect of Bristles for a Brush Seal with Disturbance-Suppressing Holes

Buoyancy Effect of Bristles for a Brush Seal with Disturbance-Suppressing Holes

Leak-Rate Through Carbon Brush Seals: Experimental Tests Versus Predictions From a Porous Medium Approach

Abstract This study presents a detailed comparative analysis between experimental leakage flow rates and numerical predictions for carbon brush seals with long bristles, utilizing a porous medium model approach. A series of tests were carried out on a static rig (without rotor rotation). The experimental setup allows tests under various interference conditions, revealing significant insights into the flow behavior through the brush seal. A numerical model based on the Darcy-Forchheimer equation is developed to interpret the complex flow dynamics within the brush seal, accounting for viscous, compressible and inertial effects. The study evaluates the impact of brush deformation and porosity on flow resistance, leveraging experimental data to refine the numerical model parameters. This investigation not only deepens the understanding of brush seal flow physics but also improves the predictive accuracy of the numerical model in simulating operational conditions.

Prediction of Leakage Flow Rate and Blow-Down in Brush Seals via 2D CFD Simulation with Porosity Correction

Brush seals are extensively used in rotating equipment, such as gas turbines and compressors, providing effective sealing while accommodating radial, axial, and angular movements between components. In this study, the performance of brush seals with and without clearances was predicted through axisymmetric 2D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations using a porous media model. Because the accurate modeling of a brush seal requires the appropriate porosity to be determined and the flow resistance to be calculated, a porosity correction was performed based on the brush seal’s geometry and pressure ratio. The corrected porosity was then used to calculate the flow resistance and the leakage flow rate was predicted. Based on the results, the corrected porosity significantly improved the accuracy of the previously unreliable leakage flow rate predictions, regardless of the presence of clearances. For cases with a clearance, the blow-down effect was determined through CFD simulations for the given geometry and was compared with experimental data. The leakage flow rate predictions were highly accurate, with a relative error of less than 5% across a pressure ratio range of 1.5–4.

Rotordynamics of a Single-Stage Brush Seal in Isolation: The Effects of Variable Stiffness and Back Plate Geometry

Rotordynamics of a Single-Stage Brush Seal in Isolation: The Effects of Variable Stiffness and Back Plate Geometry

Experimental Investigation on Leakage and Frictional Heat Generation Characteristics of Low Hysteresis Brush Seals

Abstract Low hysteresis brush seals are frequently used in systems operating at a high speed in environments featuring a high temperature and pressure. The high-speed rotor comes into contact with the bottom end of the bristles of the brush seal in such scenarios to generate a significant amount of frictional heat, which directly affects its sealing performance and service life, while a high temperature can increase the magnitude of its friction-induced heat. In this study, we report the cyclical testing of a low hysteresis brush seal while increasing and decreasing the speed of the rotor under varying differences in the pressure and temperature. We focus on the characteristics of leakage, hysteresis effect, and temperature rise at the bottom end of the bristles of the brush seal owing to frictional heat. The results showed that the volume of leakage increased at a high temperature under a strong hysteresis effect and a small rise in the temperature. Moreover, as the speed of the rotor exceeded 6000 rpm, the temperature of the system increased rapidly owing to frictional heat. During the speed decrease stage, the temperature rise decreased sharply and then gradually until it became nearly constant. The hysteresis effect resulted in a lower temperature rise during the decrease in the speed of the rotor compared with that during an increase in its speed. While the low hysteresis structure can effectively reduce hysteresis effect compared with that of the conventional brush seal, it induced greater leakage. It is necessary to choose a pressure relief chamber of a suitable size to minimize leakage. Furthermore, the low hysteresis brush seal exhibited a smaller friction temperature rise than the conventional seal, where this is beneficial for its service life.

Tracking of Bristle Tip Deflections To Demonstrate Blow-Down in Brush Seals

Tracking of Bristle Tip Deflections To Demonstrate Blow-Down in Brush Seals

Brush Seal Performance with Ideal Gas Working Fluid under Static Rotor Condition

The study investigated how variations in pressure ratio affect the leakage flow of a brush seal for both contact and clearance structures, in which the clearance is measured as the distance between the bristles tip and the rotor surface. This investigation utilized the Reynolds-Averaged-Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations alongside a two-dimensional axisymmetric anisotropic porous medium model. To verify the model’s accuracy and dependability, the obtained results were compared with previous numerical results and experimental observations, showing a satisfactory level of agreement. The results indicate that the predominant pressure drop occurs downstream of the bristle pack with the clearance model exhibiting a higher leakage rate compared to the contact model. Leakage increases proportionally with the pressure ratio, while axial velocity gradually rises and radial velocity experiences a significant increase. In conclusion, the leakage in the brush seal contact structure is significantly lower than in the clearance structure, resulting in the best performance.

Experimental and numerical study of a lateral waterjet laser cutting of an SS304 brush seal

This study explores the application of lateral waterjet laser cutting in the fabrication of brush seals for gas turbine engines, with the aim of optimizing process parameters to enhance cutting quality. Experimental and numerical analyses were conducted to assess the effects of laser power, scanning speed, waterjet velocity, and waterjet standoff distance on key outcomes, such as kerf width, heat-affected zone, and recast layer thickness. The findings indicate that a laser power of 500 W, scanning speed of 15 mm/s, waterjet velocity up to 10 m/s, and waterjet standoff distance of 1 mm are optimal for reducing thermal damage and achieving precise kerfs. Furthermore, numerical simulations highlight the significance of controlled molten flow in realizing these optimal results, providing a comprehensive understanding of the cutting mechanism. These findings position lateral waterjet laser cutting as a better technique for brush seal manufacturing, offering significant improvements over conventional methods.

Influence factors of frictional heat between bristles and rotor for a multi-stage brush seal

Frictional heat generates at frictional surface caused by contact between bristles of brush seal and rotor, which leads to early failure of the seal, especially downstream stage of multi-stage brush seal (MBS). In this paper, a three-dimensional tube bundle model of the MBS was established to study change of heat flux on the frictional surface among stages, internal temperature distribution of bristles and leakage flow characteristics of the seal. Moreover, three control strategies (i.e., increasing height of backing plate to rotor hbp, decreasing interference between bristles and rotor Δr and decreasing axial width of bristle pack wab) were analyzed to further investigate influence mechanism of the frictional heat. Results showed that the frictional heat at bristle tips mainly depend on formation of frictional heat caused by friction between bristle tip and rotor, transfer of heat from upstream stage to downstream one and dissipation of heat with flow of the airflow passing through the seal. For a traditional MBS with same structural single-stage seal units, a remarkable increasing bristle temperature at bristle tip of downstream stage and an increasing vortex area of airflow with higher temperature in chambers implied accumulation of the frictional heat at the downstream stages. Increase of hbp enhanced dissipation of the heat due to increasing passage area of airflow. Both decrease of Δr and decrease of wab obviously reduced bristle temperatures at downstream stages due to decreasing formation of the frictional heat. Furthermore, the decrease of wab had a lower bristle temperature compared to the increase of hbp, indicating a higher impact of the frictional heat formation on bristle temperature at downstage stages.

Numerical simulation of deformation hysteresis effect of the bristles of brush seals

Because of their good sealing performance, brush seals are used widely in turbomachinery as alternatives to traditional labyrinth seals. However, obstructed by friction, the flexible bristles cannot recover fully after deformation, resulting in a hysteresis effect and decreased sealing performance. In the present study, a three-dimensional multi-row bristle model is established that considers the friction between the neighbouring bristles and back plate. Then the deformation and recovery of the bristles during the radial reciprocating offset of the rotor in the presence of a pressure difference are studied. To evaluate the hysteresis effect, analysis is directed at the unrecovered bristle deformation in the radial direction affected by bristle diameter, bristle lay angle, fence height and width of pressure relief chamber. The results show that the larger the bristle diameter and fence height, the weaker the hysteresis effect and the larger the bristle lay angle, the stronger the hysteresis effect. With increasing width of the pressure relief chamber, the hysteresis effect weakens and then strengthens, meaning that the pressure relief chamber has an optimal axial width that departure from enhances the hysteresis effect. The present results offer a reference for selecting the structural parameters of brush seals in engineering design.

Insights Into Frictional Brush Seal Hysteresis

Abstract Brush seals offer a superior sealing effectiveness compared to labyrinth seals. However, widespread use of brush seals is constrained by deleterious behaviors such as pressure-stiffening and hysteresis. For the latter, the bristles bend during the shaft incursion process and do not fully recover during the shaft retraction process. An opening gap is created, which increases seal leakage unless the pressure load drops to a certain level. In this work, analytical and numerical models based on a single bristle are proposed to capture the seal's response to shaft displacement with and without pressure loading. The models are validated using static stiffness tests at an unpressurized condition from literature. The main results show that modeling of the backing ring friction is essential to capture the bristle hang-up behavior. Shaft friction dominates at unpressurized conditions, while backing ring friction dominates at high pressure loading. An expression for shaft hang-up displacement has been derived. A sensitivity study shows that seals with shallow lay angle, short bristle length, and large bristle diameter are less prone to hang-up problems. The models developed in the present framework have been shown to qualitatively capture the pressure stiffening, hysteresis, bristle hang-up, and shaft rotation effects.

Analysis of Brush Seal Interaction with Steam Turbine Rotor-Shafts

High-speed turbines are a major source for power production. They utilize high pressure and temperature fluid flow. Sealing of these machines to decrease the flow losses has been a major engineering challenge since the inception of steam turbines. From an engineering viewpoint, seals are used to introduce friction in the fluid flow path. This reduces the flow leakage. Improved seal performance offers substantial opportunities for turbine performance. Reduced leakages in steam turbines can lead to greater efficiency and power output. They can also allow tighter control of turbine secondary flows. However, sealing these machines is a major challenge. There are several seal locations on a steam turbine that have significant performance derivatives. These include the interstage shaft packing, the end packing, and the bucket tip seals. Brush seals are ideal for these locations because they can reduce the flow losses. This study analysed the efficiency of the steam turbine by using ANSYS APDL. It assessed the leakage performance of the brush seal for different cases and geometries. It also used porous medium modelling of the bristle pack to provide insight for designers. The outputs of interest were the rotor-shaft temperature and the efficiency of the entire turbine with the brush seal.

Leakage performance of hybrid brush seals under high differential pressure conditions

A three-dimensional axial fluid-porous medium-flow field model was designed for the sealing properties of the hybrid brush seal (HBS) seal structure under complex operating conditions. Using a computational fluid dynamics model in view of non-Darcy porous media, the pressure and velocity distributions of the sealing medium in the flow path were simulated, and the flow characteristics of the hybrid brush seal were analysed to obtain the leakage of the hybrid seal structure. The results show the implication of pressure ratio (Rp) on the labyrinth brush seal leakage rate and pressure distribution. Compared with typical brush seal test results, as the inlet and outlet pressure ratio (Rp) increases, the more obvious the hybrid brush seal sealing effect is, when the pressure ratio is 3 bar, the spillage of the hybrid brush seal is reduced by about 39%.

Research Status and Development Trend of Cylindrical Gas Film Seals for Aeroengines

High-performance aeroengine design is an important component of modern industry, and advanced sealing technology is a key technology to meet the engine fuel consumption rate, thrust-to-weight ratio, pollutant emission, durability, and lifetime. Reducing the internal airflow leakage of the engine through a sealing technology can improve the performance and efficiency of the engine. In this paper, the typical sealing technology for an aeroengine is introduced in more detail, including the structural characteristics and use limitations of the labyrinth seal, brush seal, honeycomb seal, gas film face seal, and cylindrical gas film seal. It focuses on the development history, typical structure type, working principle, basic technology research method, steady-state performance, dynamic characteristics, multi-physical field coupling, structural deformation, experimental testing, processing technology. Finally, it summarizes the problems and future development trends of the current application of the cylindrical gas film seal in aeroengines, and points out that the seal performance test and evaluation based on advanced composite sensor technology and the innovative design of the seal based on new material, a new principle, and a new structure will be the new research direction.

Fluid Dynamic Behavior of Conventional and Pressure Relieving Brush Seals

Abstract Brush seals consist of a static ring of densely packed, flexible, fine wire bristles that provide resistance to the flow. Pressure relieving brush seals can be employed to overcome issues such as hysteresis that affect seal durability by reducing friction between the bristle pack and back plate surface. The impact of such designs on the fluid dynamic behavior of brush seals was studied following a concomitant methodology that exploited the benefits of both engine representative and large-scale testing facilities. Leakage data were fitted using a porous medium model found in the literature to quantify viscous and inertial resistance coefficients. Shaft rotation was shown to cause a reduction in seal leakage and an increase in static pressure on the back plate surface. The pressure relieving back plates also resulted in increased static pressures at this location, causing a reduction in flow resistance that increased leakage through the porous bristle pack. Interrogation of the large-scale inter-bristle pressure field for the two back plate designs revealed the distributions of axial pressure diverged toward the rear of the bristle pack. The detail gathered using the large-scale study has been shown to be representative; hence, the insight is generically applicable to brush seals.

Temperature Field and Performance Analysis of Brush Seals Based on FEA-CFD and the Porous Medium of Anisotropic Heat Transfer Models

A brush seal is a type of contact sealing technology that generates a great amount of heat during operations. The heat can affect the seal’s performance and lifespan. To study the brush seals’ temperature distribution, a new model considering the anisotropic heat transfer effect is established in this paper. The friction heat effect at the bristles’ tip is studied. The temperature field and leakage rates are obtained by using combined finite element analysis (FEA)-computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and the anisotropic heat transfer theory. The influence of operating and structural parameters on the temperature field and the sealing properties of the brush seal are investigated. It is shown that the value of the rotation rate and the interference can cause the temperature of the brush seal to increase. The pressure difference enhances the convective heat transfer from the brush seals. While the temperature at the bristles’ tip increases, the radial average temperature of the bristles decreases significantly. In the case of a small pressure difference, the fence’s height can increase the windward area, leading to stiff bristles and resulting in a temperature increase at the bristles’ tip; however, the effective flow area increases, resulting in an acceleration of the radial temperature’s decrease. To summarize, the porous medium model of anisotropic heat transfer provides a new method for studying brush seals, and it can reflect the temperature distribution and leakage performance of brush seals.

Numerical research on contact friction force with different structural brush seal hysteresis characteristics under differential pressure

The problems of leakage, frictional wear, and flow heat transfer caused by the hysteresis characteristics of brush seals are prominent, and existing models for solving the hysteresis characteristics of brush seals have convergence difficulties owing to the extreme degree of nonlinearity caused by additional contacts. In this study, numerical models based on the finite element software ABAQUS were proposed to address the hysteresis characteristics of brush seals with three different structures: basic, low-lag hysteresis, and low-wear high-pressure bearing. The models accounted for the contacts between: the brush, brush and the baffle, and brush and the rotor, while damping was introduced to improve the convergence of the models. The hysteresis of the three structures under differential pressure was investigated and compared with theoretical calculations and experimental test results. The hysteresis of the bristles was normalised by the contact force, the shift of the contact area, and the contact friction force when the hysteresis effect occurred in the brush seal. The results show that the basic model has the most obvious hysteresis characteristics in the presence of differential pressure. Although the low-lag hysteresis model and the low-wear high-pressure bearing model have the weakest hysteresis effect, the deformation variables of the last row of bristles of these two structures are larger than those of the basic model; therefore, the contact position is prone to fatigue fracture. Simultaneously, the hysteresis effect was verified by varying the contact area and contact friction force, and it was found that the larger the contact area and contact friction force, the larger the hysteresis.

Nonlinear Vibration Characteristics and Bifurcations of a Rotor System Subjected to Brush Seal Forces

In the paper, nonlinear vibration characteristics of a rotor system are investigated. Such a nonlinear rotor system is subjected to brush seal forces, which are obtained by integrating the bristle force along the entire ring. The nonlinear brush seal rotor system is constructed by merging a flexible rotor with nonlinear seal forces. The research is aimed at studying the nonlinear vibration characteristics and bifurcations of the motions under a variety of eccentricity circumstances. Different kinds of bifurcations are successfully obtained by mathematical discretization and mapping manipulation. Such a discrete mapping method successfully predicts the stable and unstable motions accurately. The period-doubling bifurcations and saddle node bifurcations of the rotor system are obtained. The sole unstable solutions are obtained, which are special, and a normal numerical integration method cannot solve this problem, which provides advantages in rotor design and motion control. According to the results, nonlinear resonances are found between the stable and unstable motions. The greater the eccentricity of the rotor, the greater the number of bifurcation points that occur during the rotor’s nonlinear motions, as well as the larger the ranges of speeds where the motions are unstable. Saddle node bifurcations generate unstable nonlinear motions and non-smooth motions, which may bring damage to the mechanical rotors. The period-doubling bifurcations produce the route from period-1 to period-2 motions in the nonlinear rotor system. The research provides a new perspective to study the bifurcations and stability of the nonlinear rotor systems.

Investigation of microstructure and mechanical properties in dissimilar-metal welding between ferritic stainless steel and Co-based superalloy using electron beam welding

This research investigates the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties of electron beam welding joints, with a particular emphasis on the influence of varying electron beam currents on AISI 410L stainless steel plates and NS163 Co-based superalloy wires, which is a rare and novel form of welding. An increase in beam current led to a gradual transformation of the weld microstructure from columnar to equiaxed grains, creating finer and more homogeneous grains. Macrosegregation was also observed, a consequence of the liquidus temperature difference between the weld metal (WM) and base metal (BM). The segregation structure exhibited irregularly shaped beaches near the fusion line and islands of unmixed and partially mixed NS163 within the WM. This phenomenon was more pronounced in samples with a lower beam current. Given the limitations in BM shape and WM size, nanoindentation was employed to characterize the strength of welded joints. In conjunction with microhardness measurements, it was confirmed that the weld is strengthened under different electron beam currents, with higher current resulting in a more significant strengthening effect. This study also underscores the value of nanoindentation in evaluating the weld strength of brush seals without destruction.

Wear and Leakage Behaviors of Brush Seal Considering Eccentricity and Radial Deformation

Brush seals can improve engine performance by reducing leakage. Wear models of brush seals provide methods to predict wear and leakage. However, rotor eccentricity, radial deformation, and hysteresis effect of bristles are not considered systematically in the existing models, which may lead to large errors in some cases. To investigate the influence of rotor-stator eccentricity and radial deformation on the wear process and leakage performance of brush seal, a brush seal test was planned and executed, in which the air leakage rates were measured at different testing times and operating conditions, the eccentricity and radial deformation was measured using eddy current sensors. The test results showed that the eccentricity and radial deformation significantly affected the wear behavior and leakage performance. In the theoretical research, the abrasive wear equation is adopted to describe the material loss of bristles, and a simplified description is used to express the rotor-stator eccentric motions. To describe the effect of hysteresis on wear behavior, the deformation of the bristle pack is divided into rebounding deformation and locked deformation, and the two deformation modes are modeled separately. Then a brush seal wear model considering rotor-stator eccentricity and radial deformation is obtained, in which the hysteresis effect is especially represented. The wear model was verified quantitatively based on the brush seal test data, and the results show that there is an error of 20% with the calculated wear loss when rotor eccentricity, radial deformation, and hysteresis effect are comprehensively considered. In contrast, ignoring the hysteresis effect may increase the error by several times. This study provides a quantitative and practical method for predicting the wear and leakage of brush seals.