Labyrinth Seal Effects in Turbines

터빈 실(Seal)의 유동 해석

Secondary flows in gas turbines, especially those associated tip clearance and labyrinth seals, have become a focus of interest for engine manufacturers. In the past, many analytical and experimental studies, which focused solely on the flows in either tip clearances or seals, have been conducted. This paper presents an analytical model that describes the flow response in a single stage turbine induced by a finite sealing gap at the turbine rotor. The flow is assumed to be axisymmetric and the analysis is done in the meridional plane. Upon going through the stage, the radially uniform upstream flow is assumed to split into two streams one associated with the seal and the other which has gone through the blades. The former is referred to as the leakage flow, and the latter is referred the as the passage flow. The passage flow is assumed to be inviscid and incompressible while the flow in the seal can be modeled as either inviscid or viscous. Thus, the model is capable of predicting the kinematic effects of labyrinth seals on the turbine flow field.