Compliant Seal Research Articles

Model Based Comparative Analysis of GDC and YSZ Based Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Designing solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) stacks for transportation applications places new challenges on SOFC architecture and operation with respect to power density, dynamic response, and thermal management. Recent developments in SOFCs with either thin-film yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes (thickness ≤ 5 μm) or highly conductive, gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) electrolytes (thicknesses ≥10 μm) enable thigh-power-density stack operation at inlet temperatures well below 700ºC with the potential for using compliant seals and lower cost ferrous interconnect materials. Applications, such as hybridized aircraft engines, can use such SOFC stacks if they meet strict requirements with respect to specific power and thermal management. Highly conductive GDC-based electrolytes offer pathways to high power-density SOFCs at operating temperatures below 650ºC, but the rise in mixed ionic electronic conductivity (MIEC) above 650ºC reduces open circuit voltages and thus fuel cell efficiency [1,2]. This necessitates thermal management to maintain operating temperatures and mitigate thermo-mechanical stresses within an SOFC. Thin-film YSZ electrolytes offer lower power densities below 650ºC, but avoid the penalties associated with MIEC behavior at higher temperatures and therefore reduce the challenges associated with thermal management at high power densities. In this work, a model-based approach is used to compare SOFC stack operation with thin-film YSZ electrolytes and with GDC-based electrolytes for operation on hydrogen and reformate fuels at high-power densities relevant for transportation applications.To calibrate models to experimental cell performance, polarization curves of a commercially available YSZ-based cell operating between 600-750ºC and of a high-power-density GDC cell operating between 500-650ºC are used to fit electrochemical model parameters for both electrolytes. Modeling of the YSZ based cell can neglect electronic charge transfer through the membrane electrolyte, but GDC-cell modeling must account for the multiple charge carriers (ceria polarons and oxygen vacancies) in the electrolyte [3]. Electrochemical parameters for ionic conductivities and electrochemical reaction rate parameters for oxide cathodes and nickel-electrolyte-composite anodes are fit to the experimental polarization data over the broad range of operating temperatures. Global rate expressions to account for internal reforming on the active nickel surfaces of anode are adopted from literature [4,5]. The calibrated cell model for each cell type is adopted to a down-the-channel discretized cell simulation to predict heat loss and temperature gradients at high current densities.This presentation compares GDC- and YSZ-based SOFCs in high power-density applications from fundamental and practical perspectives. The open-circuit voltages for GDC-based cells drops with increasing temperature to about 0.85 V/cell at 650°C which is lower than the Nernst open-circuit voltage of YSZ-based cells (≥ 1.05 V/cell) at similar conditions. Both types of cells can sustain power densities around 1.0 W/cm2 with high excess cathode air ratios ≥ 5 to keep temperature gradients near 10°C/cm. These results show that GDC-based cells support higher power densities at lower cell flow inlet temperatures < 600°C, whereas thin-film YSZ cells provide superior performance at flow inlets that drive cell temperatures > 600°C. Higher stack power densities > 1.0 W/cm2 must be supported by stack designs that alleviate high thermal stresses and allow steeper gradients of temperature. A summary of stack design and operational strategies that meet the stringent requirements of high power-density operation will be presented in the light of the modeling resuls..

Numerical analysis of a double interlocking padded finger seal performance based on thermo-fluid-structure coupling method

Non-contacting finger seals represent an advanced non-contacting and compliant seal in gas turbine sealing technology. This paper proposes a new structure of non-contacting finger seals with double interlocking pads. The numerical analysis model based on the thermo-fluid-structure coupling method for the new type finger seal was established. The influence of working conditions on leakage of the seal was studied and compared with the single padded non-contacting finger seal. The results show that the interface between the bottom of the finger pad and rotor surface is the main leakage path that forms the gas film with obvious variations of pressure and flow velocity. Under high temperature and high pressure operating conditions, the hydrodynamic effect of the gas film is enhanced, and lifting force is significantly improved. The deformation of fingers is composed of elastic deformation and thermal deformation. At room temperature, the deformation of fingers is mainly elastic deformation and points to the center of the rotor, which reduces the gas film clearance. The deformation of fingers at high temperature and high pressure creates a circumferentially convergent gap between the bottom of the pad and the rotor, which is beneficial to improve the loading capacity and to reduce leakage of the seal. Compared with the typical single padded non-contacting finger seal, the double interlocking padded finger seal proposed in this paper reduces the leakage factor by about 37%, which provides an advanced seal concept with the potential to improve sealing performance under high temperature and high pressure working conditions.

Effect of holding time in brazing cooling process on creep life of the solid oxide fuel cell with bonded compliant seal

In present paper, effect of holding time at 600 °C during the brazing cooling process on creep life of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with bonded compliant seal (BCS) is investigated by the finite element method. The research indicates that creep crack initiation time in BCS structure increases significantly with the holding time increasing. Compared with that the traditional cooling method during the brazing process, the creep crack initiation time can be prolonged more than twice by the holding time of 150 h with the operating temperature of 600 °C, it increases from 14,949 h to 31,911 h. When the operating temperature is 800 °C, the creep crack initiation time of SOFC can hardly be affected if the holding time exceeds 10 h. Based on the creep damage analysis and considering the cost of the SOFC manufacturing process, it is recommended that the holding time should not be exceeded 300 h if the operating temperature is below 750 °C. And when the operating temperature is 800 °C, the recommended holding time should not be longer than 10 h. The research of the present paper can provide theoretical guidance for the long life manufacturing and reliability operation of SOFC.

Rotordynamic Behavior of Leaf Seals: Measurement of Frequency-Dependent Force Coefficients for Varying Inlet Parameters

Abstract While brush seals can be found in various applications for turbomachines today, leaf seals are a further development in compliant seal technology and have a lower level of maturity. Among the purported advantages are greater axial rigidity when subject to higher pressure differences and the potential for noncontacting operation due to lift-up. However, especially their rotordynamic behavior is little investigated in the literature so far. In this paper, measured rotordynamic force coefficients of a leaf seal are presented for varying inlet pressures, preswirl velocities, and excitation frequencies. The leaf pack of the tested leaf seal has zero rotor cold clearance, and its coverplates are designed for facilitating a lift-up effect when pressurizing the seal. Experiments were performed on a dynamic test rig with whirling rotor using active magnetic bearing (AMB) technology and evaluated in the frequency domain based on the impedance method. Test results for the leaf seal reveal positive direct stiffness and an advantageous rotordynamic behavior due to significant levels of direct damping and negative cross-coupled stiffness throughout the operating parameter range. Leaf seal results are compared to brush and labyrinth seal data from previous studies for varying inlet pressures and preswirl velocities. Additional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were carried out to predict the leaf deflection moment, which supports the findings regarding hydrostatic lift-up from the experimental results.

The Percolation of Liquid Through a Compliant Seal—An Experimental and Theoretical Study

New apparatus is described to simulate a compliant seal interface, allowing the percolation of liquid to be viewed by a fluorescence microscope. A model, based on the boundary element (BE) methodology, is used to provide a theoretical explanation of the observed behavior. The impact of contact pressure, roughness, and surface energy on percolation rates are characterized. For hydrophilic surfaces, percolation will always occur provided a sufficient number of roughness length scales are considered. However, for hydrophobic surfaces, the inlet pressure must overcome the capillary pressure exerted at the minimum channel section before flow can occur.

Effect of operating temperature on creep and damage in the bonded compliant seal of planar solid oxide fuel cell

This paper studies the effect of operating temperature on creep and damage in bonded compliant seal of solid oxide fuel cell by finite element method. A strain based creep damage model is used, and its feasibility to predict the creep damage behavior of the materials is verified firstly by the experimental data. The results show that the failure locates at the foil and the location varies with the temperature increasing. When the temperature is lower than 600 °C, there is nearly no crack occurs. When the temperature is 600 °C, the creep crack belongs to internal crack and the length is about 2.5 mm. While the temperature is 650 °C or higher, the crack locates at the foil surface and the length is larger than 25 mm at an operation time of 50,000 h. Compared to the size of the whole structure, an internal crack of 2.5 mm is small and the gas leakage will not happen. Therefore, it can satisfy the requirement of safe operation for more than 40,000 h. Thus, it recommends that the operating temperature should not be higher than 600 °C on the condition of insuring the power performance and operation cost of the SOFC.

Dynamic Behavior Analysis of Non-Contacting Hydrodynamic Finger Seal Based on Fluid-Solid-Interaction Method

Finger seal is an advanced compliant seal and can be utilized to separate high (HP) and low pressure (LP) zones in high speed rotating shaft environment. The work to be presented concerns the dynamic behavior of a repetitive section of a two-layer finger seal with high-and padded low-pressure laminates. The dynamic performance of the finger seal are analyzed by the coupled fluid-solid-interaction (FSI) simulations. By using the commercial software ANSYS-CFX, the numerical simulation results of interactions between the gas flow and fingers structural deformation are described when the radial periodic excitation from the shaft applies to the finger seal. And the gas film loading capacity, gas film stiffness and leakage varied with time are put forward in different working conditions. Compared with the dynamic performance analysis results based on equivalent dynamic method, the FSI dynamic analysis shows some different characteristics which are more accordance with actual circumstance. Moreover, it is shown that under low pressure differential and high rotation speed the non-contacting finger seal with advance features both in sealing effectiveness and potential unlimited life span can be obtained by rational structure design. But for the non-contacting finger seal with circumferential convergent pad working in high pressure and low rotating speed conditions, it is difficult to improve the sealing performance by the way of changing the structure parameters of finger seal. It is because the high pressure plays a major role on this sealing situation.

Rotor‐systems with compliant seals: A comparison of the rotordynamics using the Muszynska model and Hirs' lubrication equations

AbstractThis contribution compares two approaches for modelling seal fluid forces in a rotor system with compliant seal support: on the one hand side the non‐linear ODEs of the Muszynska model are used. On the other hand side Hirs' PDEs for turbulent lubrication flow are numerically integrated and an ODE coefficient model is fitted to this data. Simulations are performed with both fluid models and the results are compared: they show not only quantitative differences in the stability behaviour of the rotor‐system but also qualitative differences in the bifurcation behaviour. (© 2017 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Computational Fluid Dynamics and Thermal Analysis of Leaf Seals for Aero-engine Application

Aero-engine gas turbine performance and efficiency can be improved through the application of compliant shaft seal types to certain sealing locations within the secondary air system. Leaf seals offer better performance than traditional labyrinth seals, giving lower leakage flows at design duties. However, for aero-engine applications, seal designs must be able to cope with relatively large off-design seal closures and closure uncertainties. The two-way coupling between temperatures of seal components and seal closures, through the frictional heat generated at the leaf–rotor interface when in contact, represents an important challenge for leaf seal analysis and design. This coupling can lead to leaf wear and loss, rotor overheating, and possibly to unstable sealing system behavior (thermal runaway). In this paper, we use computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element (FE) thermal analysis, and experimental data to characterize the thermal behavior of leaf seals. This sets the basis for a study of the coupled thermomechanical behavior. CFD is used to understand the fluid-mechanics of a leaf pack. The leaf seal tested at the Oxford Osney Laboratory is used for the study. Simulations for four seal axial Reynolds number are conducted; for each value of the Reynolds number, leaf tip-rotor contact, and clearance are considered. Distribution of mass flow within the leaf pack, distribution of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) at the leaf surface, and swirl velocity pick-up across the pack predicted using CFD are discussed. The experimental data obtained from the Oxford rig is used to develop a set of thermal boundary conditions for the leaf pack. An FE thermal model of the rig is devised, informed by the aforementioned CFD study. Four experiments are simulated; thermal boundary conditions are calibrated to match the predicted metal temperatures to those measured on the rig. A sensitivity analysis of the rotor temperature predictions to the heat transfer assumptions is carried out. The calibrated set of thermal boundary conditions is shown to accurately predict the measured rotor temperatures.

Bifurcation behaviour and limit cycles of a compliant seal‐rotor system

AbstractThis contribution discusses the non‐linear dynamic behaviour of a rotor system equipped with a compliant seal. The investigated model consists of a Laval‐Rotor and a stiff seal ring which is visco‐elastically supported. The fluid forces stemming from the turbulent incompressible lubricant film are accounted for by the non‐linear Muszynska model. The added compliance leads to an improved stability behaviour of the steady state. Within the post‐critical regime the additional compliance gives rise to bifurcations of the stationary vibration: Hopf bifurcations lead to limit cycles which can loose their stability via Neimark‐Sacker bifurcations. (© 2016 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Effects of anode porosity on thermal stress and failure probability of planar solid oxide fuel cell with bonded compliant seal

The effects of anode porosity on thermal stress and failure probability of a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) are investigated by finite element method (FEM). The thermal stress and failure probability in planar SOFC with and without considering porosity (CP) were compared. The results show that the compressive stresses are generated in the electrolyte layer, while tensile stresses are generated in Ag–CuO and BNi2 layer because of the compatibility of deformation. In the case of considering anode porosity, the compressive stresses in anode and electrolyte layer and the tensile stresses in cathode layer are all decreased. Comparing to without CP, the thermal stress with CP in electrolyte and cathode layer decreases by 33.2% and 46.9%, respectively. The anode layer has a large risk of failure (5.6489 × 10−4) than that of cathode and electrolyte layer at as-fabricated state. And the failure probability at cathode layer at start-up reaches 0.998. The failure probability decreases gradually in the period of creep. The failure probability in anode, cathode and electrolyte layer with CP all decrease comparing to without CP. The porosity of anode could lead to the decrease of tensile thermal stress, resulting in the decrease of failure probability in cathode layer. The reduction speed of failure probability at creep stage with CP is bigger than that without CP. As the increase of porosity, the failure probability decreases due to the decrease of the tensile stress.

Growth and residual stresses in the bonded compliant seal of planar solid oxide fuel cell: Thickness design of window frame

Bonded compliant seal (BCS) is a new sealing method for planar solid oxide fuel cell. The BCS design uses a thin foil to bond the cell and window frame, which generates a multilayer structure. However, the high temperature bonding generates large residual stresses that greatly affect the fracture. This paper presents a numerical method and neutron diffraction measurement to study the residual stress, and effect of window frame thickness has been discussed. A grain boundary diffusion model incorporated with a power-law creep constitutive model is developed to calculate the growth stress in the oxide film. Then, the thermal elasto-plastic finite element method is applied to calculate the thermal stress. A neutron diffraction experiment is performed to measure the through-thickness stresses. A good agreement is found between the calculation results and the neutron diffraction measurements. Compressive stress is generated in the oxide scale because of the substrate constraint. Furthermore, a competition exists between the generation of growth stress and the creep relaxation in the oxide layer. The residual stresses in the oxide layer decrease with the decrease in the substrate thickness. The thicknesses of the window frame and foil are designed to be 500 and 50μm, respectively.

Experimental Investigation of a Leaf Seal Prototype at Engine-Representative Speeds and Pressures

The application of compliant filament seals to jet engine secondary air systems has been shown to yield significant improvements in specific fuel consumption and improved emissions. One such technology, the leaf seal, provides comparable leakage performance to the brush seal but offers higher axial rigidity, significantly reduced radial stiffness, and improved compliance with the rotor. Investigations were carried out on the Engine Seal Test Facility at the University of Oxford into the behavior of a leaf seal prototype at high running speeds. The effects of pressure, speed, and cover plate geometry on leakage and torque are quantified. Earlier publications on leaf seals showed that air-riding at the contact interface might be achieved. Results are presented which appear to confirm that air-riding is taking place. Consideration is given to a possible mechanism for torque reduction at high rotational speeds.

Effect of Temperature Fluctuation on Creep and Failure Probability for Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

The creep and failure probability of a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) through a duty cycle is calculated by finite element method (FEM) and Weibull method, respectively. Two sealing methods, namely, rigid seal and bonded compliant seal (BCS), are compared. For the rigid seal, failure is predicted in the glass ceramic because of a failure probability of 1 and maximum creep strain. For the BCS design, the foil can absorb part of thermal stresses in the cell by its own elastoplastic deformation, which considerably decreases failure probability and creep strain in the SOFC. The creep strength of BCS method is achieved by sealing foil with excellent creep properties. Temperature fluctuation during the operating stage leads to the increase in thermal stress and failure probability. In particular, temperature change from low-power to high-power state results in a considerable increase in the creep strain, leading to creep failure for the rigid seal. A failure probability of 1 is generated during start-up and shut-down stages. Therefore, temperature fluctuation should be controlled to ensure structural integrity, and lowering the operating temperature can decrease failure probability and creep failure.

Dynamic Leakage Analysis of Noncontacting Finger Seals Based on Dynamic Model

Noncontacting finger seals are new compliant seal in gas turbine engine sealing technology. Their potential hydrodynamic and hydrostatic lifting capabilities make them preferable to brush seals and contacting finger seals. The work concerns the mechanism of dynamic leakage of noncontacting finger seal, and a novel dynamic leakage analysis model is proposed. The model combines seal dynamic analysis and seal leakage analysis together to estimate seal dynamic performance through seal leakage. The nature of dynamic leakage performance affected by the change of seal–rotor clearance is revealed. Dynamic leakage increasing is mainly affected by ratio of friction force to finger stiffness, finger mass natural frequency, and rotor excitation amplitude. Results show that the leakage increasing caused by the rotor eccentricity is inevitable. In the design optimization of the noncontacting finger seal, the ratio of friction force to finger stiffness and the rotor excitation should be as small as possible, and the finger natural frequency should be as large as possible.

Semi-Analytical Dynamic Analysis of Noncontacting Finger Seals

Noncontacting finger seals represent a new noncontacting and compliant seal in gas turbine sealing technology. The compliance and noncontacting nature make this kind of seals fully adaptive to rotor excursions in the radial direction without damaging the seal performance. A new semi-analytical method is developed for characterizing the linearized dynamic performance of noncontacting finger seals. The linearized dynamic characteristics of the gas film are numerically computed using the step jump method and then approximated analytically in the equations of motion using a Prony series. By combining the gas film analytical dynamic characterization with the constitutive model for the dynamic properties of noncontacting finger seals, the dynamic equation of motion for the system is derived in analytical form. The results are presented of the gas film properties, natural transient response to initial conditions, steady-state response to rotor excursion, transmissibility ratios and dynamic stability analysis using the analytical model. It is demonstrated that the steady-state responses from the closed-form solutions agree well with those by the numerical simulation, and the analytical solutions can be used as the benchmark for calibrating the results from numerical analysis.

Simulation of creep and damage in the bonded compliant seal of planar solid oxide fuel cell

Planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operates at high temperature and requires a good creep strength to ensure the structure integrity. This paper presents a creep and damage analysis of a bonded compliant seal (BCS) structure of a planar SOFC considering the effect of as-bonded residual stress and thermal stress, as well as the effect of filler metal and foil thickness. A modified continuum creep-damage model is used in the finite element simulation. It demonstrates that the BCS structure meets the requirement of the long-term operation at the high temperature of 600 °C with an appropriate braze bonding process. The results show that the failure location is not in the region of maximum creep deformation due to the effect of high level multi-axial stress which drastically decreases the multi-axial ductility. Reasonably reducing the thickness of filler metal and foil can decrease the damage of the BCS structure. Based on the consideration of creep and damage, it is proposed that the thickness of filler metal and foil should not exceed 0.1 and 0.05 mm, respectively.

An All-Metal Compliant Seal Versus a Labyrinth Seal: A Comparison of Gas Leakage at High Temperatures

Parasitic secondary flows (seals' leakage) in centrifugal compressors and gas and steam turbines represent a substantial loss in efficiency and power delivery with an increase in specific fuel consumption. Labyrinth seals (LS) are the most common and inexpensive means of reducing secondary leakage, albeit wearing out with operation and thereby penalizing performance and even affecting rotordynamic stability. The novel hydrostatic advanced low leakage (HALO) seal is an all-metal seal with flexibly supported shoes that enable clearance self-control to effectively reduce leakage, in particular for operation with high pressure ratios and at high surface rotor speeds. This paper presents leakage tests with hot air (max. 300 °C) conducted in a test rig holding a LS and a HALO seal, both of similar diameter, axial length, and clearance. The novel seal leaks much less than the LS as the supply/discharge pressure ratio (Ps/Pa) increases. The leakage reduction is ∼50% for (Ps/Pa) &lt; 2 and continuously dropping to 70% for (Ps/Pa) &gt; 3.0. Thus, the savings in leakage are maximized for operation with a high pressure differential. Leakage measurements with a rotor spinning to a maximum speed of 2700 rpm (surface speed ∼24 m/s) produce a slight decrease in leakage for both seals. Characterization of seal leakage in terms of a flow factor removes the effect of temperature and supply pressure; the LS showing a constant flow factor for (Ps/Pa) &gt; 2. Application of the novel seal technology will aid to increase system efficiency by reducing leakage and will extend maintenance intervals since it eliminates wear of components.

Using short-time creep relaxation effect to decrease the residual stress in the bonded compliant seal of planar solid oxide fuel cell – A finite element simulation

Bonded compliant seal is a new sealing design for planar solid oxide fuel cell. During brazing, large residual stresses are generated which have a great effect on failure of the brazing connection. Therefore, how to decrease the residual stresses is a critical issue for structure integrity. This paper presents a study on decreasing residual stresses by using short-time creep relaxation effect. A sequential-coupled calculation model is developed based on finite element method. The brazing temperature field is firstly obtained by simulating the convection and radiation heating, and then the residual stress is calculated by a thermal-elasto-plastic-creep model. The calculated results are verified by neutron diffraction measurements. During cooling, a short holding time at 600 °C is designed to relax the residual stress by creep effect. The results show that this effect has a remarkable impact on decreasing the residual stress. The stresses in cell, Ag–CuO and foil have been reduced by about 26.9%, 13.6% and 22.1%, respectively, as the holding time increases up to 40 h. When the holding time exceeds 40 h, the residual stresses remain almost unchanged. It is thus suggested that the holding time should be reasonably determined to allow sufficient stress relaxation.

Side Weld and Bend Method of Manufacturing Compliant Plate Seals

Compliant plate seals are being developed for various turbomachinery sealing applications including gas turbines, steam turbines, aircraft engines, and oil and gas compressors. These seals consist of compliant plates attached to a stator in a circumferential fashion around a rotor. The compliant plates have a slot that extends radially inward from the seal outer diameter and an intermediate plate extends inward into this slot from the stator. This design is capable of providing passive hydrostatic feedback forces acting on the compliant plates that balance at a small tip clearance. Due to this self-correcting behavior, this seal is capable of providing high differential pressure capability and low leakage within a limited axial span, and robust noncontact operation even in the presence of large rotor transients. Manufacturing of compliant plate seals is a challenging problem and in this paper we describe the development of a novel manufacturing technique called side weld and bend (SWAB). The compliant plates are tightly packed with alternating spacer shims in a straight line fixture and welded to a top plate from the side along a straight line. After removal of the spacer shims, the welded assembly is bent to form an arcuate seal of a desired diameter. The side weld and bend (SWAB) manufacturing method reduces distortion, deformity, differential shrinkage, and other associated problems with welding across gaps between adjacent compliant plate seals as is typical in current manufacturing processes.