Characteristics Of Seals Research Articles

Evaluation of CO2 storage potential of Carboniferous sandstones in the Maritime Provinces of Canada

The suitability of Carboniferous sandstones in three regions of the Maritime Provinces of Canada for geological carbon storage was evaluated: the Horton Bluff Formation in the Windsor Sub-basin, the lower Cumberland Group sandstones in the Cumberland–Sackville Sub-basin, and the Pennsylvanian sandstones of Prince Edward Island. the properties of potential reservoirs and characteristics of vertical seals and barriers to lateral migration were evaluated using previously collected well logs, sample descriptions, core analyzes and seismic interpretations. Reservoir quality was found to be the limiting factor in all three regions. Sandstones in the upper Hurd Creek Member of the Horton Bluff Formation locally have porosities up to 15% and permeabilities up to 25 milliDarcies at depths up to 1200 m. their aggregate thickness may be suitable for GCS, but individual sandstones are thin and likely of limited lateral extent. the lower Cumberland Group contains sand-dominated successions up to 1 km thick with low porosity (5–7%) where known in the subsurface. Sandstone bodies in the Bradelle, Green Gables, and Cable Head formations beneath Prince Edward Island exceed tens of meters in thickness with porosities averaging up to 10–12% and permeabilities up to 10 milliDarcies. Evaporites in the overlying Windsor Group would provide a suitable seal for the Horton Bluff Formation; in other areas the top seal would be provided by mud-prone heterolithic intervals. the evaluated areas may provide opportunities for small onshore storage projects. Further work is warranted to delineate reservoir trends and verify the integrity of potential top seals and traps.

Leakage Characteristics and Experimental Research of Staggered Labyrinth Sealing

The staggered labyrinth seal is widely used in aerospace, transportation, mining, and other fields due to its advantages of adapting to high speed, reliable sealing performance, and low or even frictionless friction between dynamic and static rotors. The traditional calculation method of labyrinth seal leakage mostly focuses on the fact that the internal medium is an ideal gas and only considers a single effect, which cannot accurately describe the leakage of liquid medium lubricating oil in the labyrinth seal. Therefore, this study focuses on the leakage characteristics of labyrinth seals, and it proposes a leakage calculation method based on liquid medium in view of the shortcomings of existing calculation methods under liquid medium conditions. By considering the thermodynamic and frictional effects of the staggered labyrinth sealing, the resistance loss and thermodynamic effect of the lubricating oil in the sealing cavity were analyzed. The flow field analysis was used to reveal the leakage law of lubricating oil under different conditions, and the factors such as total inlet pressure, spindle speed, and sealing clearance were considered. Finally, the leakage characteristics of the staggered labyrinth seal and the accuracy of the calculation method of the leakage of the staggered labyrinth seal under multiple effects were revealed through experimental verification. This study provides useful guidance for the performance optimization of labyrinth seals in practical applications.

Influence of separation, collision and friction of rotating ring in sleeve on vibration characteristics of gas face seals

Purpose This study aims to understand how the assembly of rotating ring affects the axial forced vibration of gas face seals. Design/methodology/approach A three-mass kinematic model is established to investigate the axial movement of the rotating ring with bilateral constraints. The separation, collision and frictional sliding of the rotating ring in sleeve are discussed under rotor excitation. The effects of operating parameters and O-ring dynamic characteristics on the separation degree and film thickness disturbance are analyzed. A dimensionless axial characteristic force is defined to determine the critical conditions for the occurrence of separation. Several effective methods to eliminate the separation are proposed based on the adjustment of typical installation parameters. Findings Under rotor excitation, there may be two collisions between the rotating ring and the sleeve surfaces in one excitation period. This will cause self-excited vibration of the fluid film, increasing the risk of seal failure. The separation and collision can be prevented by increasing the equilibrium ratio, the installation radius of the O-ring on the outer surface of the rotating ring and the friction in the sleeve. Originality/value The results develop the modeling of multibody dynamics of gas face seals, enabling more accurate prediction of vibration characteristics.

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.

The Influence of Oil and Thermal Aging on the Sealing Characteristics of NBR Seals.

Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) is widely used as a sealing material due to its excellent mechanical properties and good oil resistance. However, when using NBR material, the seal structure is unable to avoid the negative effects of rubber aging. Hence, the influence of oil and thermal aging on the characteristics of NBR seals was studied by coupling the mechanical behavioral changes with the tribological behavioral changes of NBR in oil and the thermal environment. For this paper, aging testing and compression testing of NBR were carried out. Additionally, friction testing between friction pairs under different aging times was carried out. The surface morphology of the NBR working surface under different aging conditions was also observed. Finally, coefficients of different test conditions were introduced into the finite element model of NBR seals. It can be seen from the results that the elastic modulus increased with the increase in aging time in the thermal oxidative aging testing. The elastic modulus after 7 days of thermal oxidative aging increased by 135.45% compared to the unaged case, and the elastic modulus after 7 days of oil aging increased by 15.03% compared to the unaged case. The compression set rate of NBR increased significantly with the increase in aging time and temperature. The coefficient of friction (COF) between friction pairs increased first and then decreased with the increase in aging time. The maximum contact pressure decreased by 2.43% between the shaft and sealing ring and decreased by 4.01% between the O-ring and groove. The proportion of the effective sealing area decreased by 3.05% between the shaft and sealing ring and decreased by 6.11% between the O-ring and groove. Furthermore, the sealing characteristics between the O-ring and groove were better than those between the shaft and sealing ring.

Lubrication Characteristics of Dry-Gas Seals with Spiral Grooves

To obtain an optimal range of structural parameters for dry-gas seals with good performance, this study employed advanced sensing technology to monitor and analyze the internal flow characteristics of dry-gas seals in real time. Additionally, the validity of the calculation program was verified through experimentation. Using steady-state performance parameters as evaluation indices, a calculation model with lubrication characteristics was developed. The results indicate that when there are 12 grooves, the gas film pressure distribution is uniform and has a high value. At pressures greater than 2 MPa, the opening force, leakage, and gas film stiffness change significantly due to enhanced dynamic pressure effects with high-pressure differences, which reduces the local contact forces and frictional forces. At a constant speed, decreasing the gas film thickness increases the pressure difference while increasing both the opening force and film stiffness; however, at higher rotational speeds where the gas flow becomes non-uniform, the stability of the gas film is affected, leading to increased frictional forces. When there are between 10 and 16 grooves with depths ranging from 5.0 to 6.0 μm, dynamic pressure effects caused by pressure gradients become apparent, resulting in good dry-gas sealing performance being achieved. This research provides a theoretical reference for optimizing the design of dry-gas seals, as well as their steady-state seal performance.

Design and Experimental Test of a self-sealing component for reciprocal motion of MR fluid based device

This research presents a novel approach to sealing components by proposing an optimized design and experimental evaluation of a magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) sealing component for reciprocal motion, with a specific focus on MR dampers. The traditional O-ring is replaced by a continuously activated MRF seal using an axial permanent magnet. The paper begins with a comprehensive overview of previous research on the application of MR fluid in sealing and presents a proposed configuration for a MRF based seal (MRF seal shortly) for reciprocal motion. Optimal design and modeling of the MRF seal are performed through finite element analysis, and a prototype is manufactured for experimental testing. The performance characteristics of the MRF seal are thoroughly investigated based on both experimental and simulated results. The study evaluates the effectiveness of the MRF seal in terms of its sealing capability and durability. The findings of this research have potential applications across various industries that require sealing components for reciprocating motion, including automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing. By embracing this innovation, these industries can achieve significant energy savings by minimizing friction and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Investigation on the dynamic characteristics for high-speed mechanical seal considering turbulent cavitating flow and inertia effect

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the dynamic characteristics of a high-speed mechanical seal by considering the flow regime, cavitation phenomenon and inertia effect.Design/methodology/approachBased on the high-speed conditions of a mechanical seal with a low-viscosity fluid, a multi-factor coupled lubrication model of a mechanical seal is established. The perturbation Reynolds equation set is derived using the perturbation method, and the effects of turbulent flow and inertia on sealing performance are discussed.FindingsThe results indicate that turbulence significantly influences the dynamic characteristics of low-viscosity fluids under high-speed conditions.Originality/valueThe results of the dynamic characteristics presented in this study are expected to provide guidance for the design of mechanical seals.

Analysis of Wear Characteristics of Hydrodynamic Seals During Startup Using 3D Fractal Characterization and Study of Opening Performance Degradation Mechanism

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the degradation mechanism of the opening performance of hydrodynamic seals during multiple startups, and a model was proposed to analyze the wear characteristics during the startup process. The study that the state evolution of the hydrodynamic seal during the single startup process occurs in five stages: low-speed and heavy-load stage, mid-speed and mid-load stage, high-speed and light-load stage, intermittent contact stage, and noncontact stage. The main factor that influences the deterioration of the initial performance of hydrodynamic seals during multiple startups is the decrease in the depth of the root groove. To prevent the heavy deterioration of the opening performance of the hydrodynamic seal, it is important that the remaining depth of the tip of spiral groove (TSG) is greater than 47.67% of the initial value and the dimensionless startup time should not exceed 0.42 for a complete passage through the mid-speed and mid-load stage.

Thermo-Fluid–Structural Coupled Analysis of a Mechanical Seal in Extended Loss of AC Power of a Reactor Coolant Pump

We proposed a numerical method to investigate the thermo-fluid–structural coupled characteristics of a mechanical seal of a reactor coolant pump (RCP), especially during extended loss of AC power (ELAP) operation. We developed a finite element program for the general Reynolds equation, including the turbulence effect to calculate the pressure, opening force, and leakage rate of fluid lubricant and the two-dimensional energy equation to calculate the temperature distribution of the fluid lubricant. We verified the accuracy of the developed program by comparing the simulated temperature distribution and leakage rate of this study with those of previous research. Heat conduction and elastic deformation due to pressure and temperature changes at the seal structure were analyzed using an ANSYS program. The results showed that temperature more significantly affected the elastic deformation of the seal structure near clearance than pressure both under normal and ELAP operating conditions. High temperature and pressure of the coolant under ELAP operating conditions deform the seal structure, resulting in a much smaller clearance of the fluid film than normal operating condition. However, even with a small clearance under ELAP operation, the leakage rate slightly increases due to the high internal pressure of the coolant. This research will contribute to the development of robust mechanical seals for RCPs by accurately predicting the characteristics of mechanical seals, especially when the RCP is operating under ELAP.

Erosion wear characteristics of metal seal floating ball valve in gas–solid–liquid three-phase flow

During high-pressure acid leaching, sulfuric acid slurry acts as the transportation medium in the withdrawal drum for acid pressure leaching. Over time, the metal-sealed float valve at the pipeline outlet may experience internal leakage. To address this issue, the Euler–Lagrange method for fluid dynamics is used to evaluate the corrosion wear characteristics of the valve in a three-phase flow. Specifically, we investigate the erosion and wear properties of the ball valve core as it opened and closed. To further understand how different ball valve openings impact erosion characteristics, we establish a correlation between the corrosion rate and the drag coefficient. Our research findings indicate that as the valve’s relative opening decreases from 80% to 20%, the corrosion wear rate gradually increases. In addition, the number of particles within the valve cavity also follows a similar trend. These erosion results highlight the significant influence that particle quantity has on erosion. Moreover, with an increase in particle size, both the erosion gradient range and maximum erosion rate decrease.

Analytical method for contact characteristics of rubber shaft seals under dynamic eccentricity considering viscous effect

This study introduces a methodology for analyzing the viscous effect on rubber shaft seals under dynamic eccentricity. It models the radial motion of the shaft seal and quantifies the viscous force arising from the viscous effect. A 3-D FEM with a noncircular shaft is established, equating viscous force to the interference distribution equation. Then, simulated mounting yield contact characteristics. Findings indicate increased interference with the viscous effect and heightened sensitivity of contact characteristics to eccentricity and rotational speed variations. This approach enhances precision in calculating rubber shaft seal contact characteristics under dynamic eccentricity.

Effect of surface topography and roughness on the leakage of static seals

Static seal is widely used in modern machinery. Leakage of static seals would shorten the mechanical system’s service life and affect the environment. To understand the leakage characteristics of static seals, in this work, an experimental apparatus for leakage quantization was built. The effects of surface topography and roughness on the leakage performance of static seals subject to elevated pressure were highlighted. It was found that the leakage rate is negatively correlated with contact pressure. Orientation of surface topography affects the leakage, where the grinding scar parallel to the leakage direction contributes to the leakage, and the perpendicular grinding scar has an inhibiting effect. The leakage rate of irregular and discontinuous surface topography is lower than that of regular ones, and it increases with increasing surface roughness. Furthermore, the leakage mechanism of surface topography and roughness was revealed. This work provides general guidance for the parameters design of static seals.

Influence of worn on flow characteristics of aircraft engine labyrinth seals

Labyrinth seals are currently the most common type of sealant in aircraft engines. The article proposes an approach to take into account the value of their cutting into the stator part when determining the air flow rate. The comparison of the results of calculation of characteristics of labyrinth seals taking into account cutting of seal combs into the stator part with the use of semi-empirical and numerical models is carried out. The nature of the change in air flow through the seal is revealed when the geometric parameters of the grooves in the stator part change as a result of wear of the actuated coating when the ridge of the labyrinth seal is inserted. The most effective semi-empirical models for calculating the characteristics of such seals for various wear patterns and gap sizes are proposed, as well as recommendations for their modernization to improve the accuracy of calculations.

Investigation of static and rotordynamic characteristics of the segmented annular seals based on the differential quadrature method

Theoretically, a solution model for the static and rotordynamic characteristics of a segmented annular seal based on the local differential quadrature (LDQ) method was established. The impacts of node density and the number of local support domain nodes on the accuracy of the algorithm were analyzed. A test rig for the leakage of segmented annular seals was designed and built. The leakage results measured on the test rig were compared with the theoretical analysis results to demonstrate the accuracy of the local differential quadrature method. The influence of structural and operating parameters on the seal static and rotordynamic characteristics was analyzed Based on the work carried out above. The research results indicate that when the number of local support domain nodes is equal to 3, the static and rotordynamic characteristics of the segmented annular seal can be obtained accurately based on the solution model. As the rotational speed increases, the segmented annular seal’s lift force, leakage, stiffness coefficient, and damping coefficient increase. As the pressure ratio increases, the lift force and leakage of the segmented annular seal significantly increase while the stiffness and damping coefficients decrease. As the depth and width of the pocket increase, the lift force, stiffness coefficient, and damping coefficient of the segmented annular seal first increase and then decrease. As the length of the pocket increases, the lift force, stiffness coefficient, and damping coefficient of the segmented annular seal increase. The influence of the pocket depth, width, and length on the leakage is minimal.

Numerical and Experimental Study on the Influence of Honeycomb Bushing Wear on the Leakage Flow Characteristics of Labyrinth Seal

Abstract Honeycomb bushing wear has a significant effect on the leakage characteristics of the labyrinth seal. In this paper, four kinds of honeycomb bushing labyrinth seals was designed and processed. The leakage characteristics of honeycomb bushing labyrinth seal were studied experimentally under different inlet and outlet pressure ratios and sealing clearance conditions. At the same time, the numerical model of honeycomb bushing labyrinth seals were established, and the influence of honeycomb bushing wear on the flow field characteristics of labyrinth seals was analyzed by numerical simulation. The existing leakage formula was modified by the correction coefficient method. The results show that with the increase in wear depth, the leakage of the honeycomb bushing labyrinth seal increases, and the maximum leakage can be increased by 59.59%. The wear groove weakens the throttling effect of the labyrinth, causing the leakage of the seal to increase. The increase of the depth of the wear groove changes the flow area and the direction of the jet so that the leakage increases slightly. The influence of the wear groove on the leakage characteristics of the honeycomb bushing labyrinth seal is gradually reduced under the condition of large clearance. The theoretical formula of leakage is corrected by the correction coefficient method. The value calculated by the corrected theoretical formula of leakage is in good agreement with the experiment, and the error is within 10%. It meets the practical application of the project.

Characteristics of packing gland seals in hydraulic systems of quarry excavators and results of comparative analysis of experimental tests

The efficiency of quarry hydraulic excavators will depend on several factors, namely the climatic conditions of the area where hydraulic excavators are used, the degree of air pollution (pollination), the performance of the structural parts of the excavator, the reliability of the hydraulic system, the performance and cleanliness of the hydraulic working fluid. In this area, research was carried out on the performance of seals used in the hydraulic system of quarry excavators. The article presents the results of experimental tests of the existing type of oil seal a and b, as well as the proposed oil seal type c, shown in Fig. 1.

Design and empirical evaluation of a magneto-rheological fluid-based seal with rectangular and trapezoidal pole head

The focus of this study is on the design and experimental validation of MRF self-sealing (also known as MRF seal) utilizing permanent magnets. The MRF seal has been built to readily replace traditional seal (lip-seal) for rotation shaft sealing. Following a review of studies on MRF seals, two configurations of MRF seal featuring an axial permanent magnet and two distinct pole head forms, rectangular and trapezoidal, are presented. The two MRF seals are then subjected to a magnetic analysis using the finite element method (ANSYS APDL). The Bingham plastic model of MRF and the assumption of linear velocity profile of MRF in the sealing gap are employed to construct mathematical models of crucial seal characteristics such as maximum static working pressure and frictional torque. The seals are optimized employing the optimization toolbox integrated in the ANSYS APDL to obtain the optimal geometric dimensions of the MRF seals. Finally, prototypes of the two MRF seals are fabricated and testing work is conducted to validate and compare them with the simulated results.

Evaluation of the sensitivity of the rheology characteristics of bitumen and slurry seal modified with cellulose nanofiber solution

Asphalt pavements account for a significant share of the world's pavements, these pavements will cause the waste of many unacceptable renewable resources along with the emission of greenhouse gases. Therefore, in order to reduce environmental risks and reduce costs, the use of protective asphalt has received more and more attention in recent decades. Slurry seal is used as an environmentally friendly product to delay pavement failures. Improving the properties of this type of preventive asphalt by changing the characteristics of the bitumen emulsion has attracted the attention of researchers in the last few years. Therefore, in this research, it has been tried to improve the quality of emulsion as an important and influential member on the performance of slurry seal using CNF (cellulose nanofiber solution. This research is based on laboratory and analytical method on modified bitumen emulsion and slurry seal containing it. In this research, 5 types of modified bitumen emulsions with CNF, including CNF0, CNF3, CNF5, CNF7, and CNF9, were proposed for the construction of slurry seal mixture. Bituminous specimens were subjected to physical, microstructure and rheological tests including saybolt furol viscosity, softening point, penetration degree, surface free energy (SFE), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), multi-stress creep recovery (MSCR) and elastic recovery (ER) tests. Then, the modified asphalt mixtures were evaluated with the wet cohesion, wet track abrasion, loaded wheel-displacement and loaded wheel-sand adhesion tests. Among the 5 specimens, CNF5 and CNF7 had the best results in bitumen and asphalt qualitative tests. These results showed that CNF5 with cellulose nanofibers of 5% can be considered as the optimal percentage because the properties of asphalt such as adhesion, deformation, bleeding, wear caused by moisture can be improved by 22.7%, 42%, 28.7% and 42.7%, respectively. It improved 8% to the control sample in residual bitumen.

Thermoelastohydrodynamic Mixed Lubrication of Combined Rod Seals Operating at High Pressures and Speeds: Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Analysis

Abstract Thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) mixed lubrication characteristics of a step-combined rod seal under high-pressure and high-speed conditions are analyzed in this article. A novel TEHD mixed lubrication model for combined rod seals is innovatively established from the perspective of “seal-film-rod” system for the first time. Parameterized studies are conducted to evaluate the thermal effect on seal behavior with the comparison of isothermal elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubrication analysis. Numerical results show that the interface friction heat is quite remarkable and mainly concentrated on the sealing lip, especially in high pressure and speed cases. With the increasing sealed pressure or rod speed, the temperature rise becomes more obvious and has a more significant impact on the sealing performance. The excessively rising temperature will even exceed the melting point of the sealing material, causing thermal damage.