Numerical solution of a flow inside a labyrinth seal

Výzkumný a zkušební letecký ústav, a.s., Beranových 130, 199 05 Praha 9 - Letňany, Czech republic
simak@vzlu.cz

Abstract

The aim of this study is a behaviour of a flow inside a labyrinth seal on a rotating shaft. The labyrinth seal is a type of a non-contact seal where a leakage of a fluid is prevented by a rather complicated path, which the fluid has to overcome. In the presented case the sealed medium is the air and the seal is made by a system of 20 teeth on a rotating shaft situated against a smooth static surface. Centrifugal forces present due to the rotation of the shaft create vortices in each chamber and thus dissipate the axial velocity of the escaping air.The structure of the flow field inside the seal is studied through the use of numerical methods. Three-dimensional solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for turbulent flow is very time consuming. In order to reduce the computational time we can simplify our problem and solve it as an axisymmetric problem in a two-dimensional meridian plane. For this case we use a transformation of the Navier-Stokes equations and of the standard k-omega turbulence model into a cylindrical coordinate system. A finite volume method is used for the solution of the resulting problem. A one-side modification of the Riemann problem for boundary conditions is used at the inlet and at the outlet of the axisymmetric channel. The total pressure and total density (temperature) are to be used preferably at the inlet whereas the static pressure is used at the outlet for the compatibility. This idea yields physically relevant boundary conditions. The important characteristics such as a mass flow rate and a power loss, depending on a pressure ratio (1.1 - 4) and an angular velocity (1000 - 15000 rpm) are evaluated.