• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.44-50
• /
• 2015

Labyrinth seals are commonly used in various kinds of turbomachinery to reduce leakage flow. In the present 3D CFD analysis of see-through-type labyrinth air seal, the methodology of determining leakage and rotordynamic coefficients is suggested with the relative coordinate system for steady-state simulation. The leakage flow and rotordynamic forces predicted by using different solvers and turbulent models of FLUENT are compared with the results of the existing bulk-flow analysis code LABYSEAL.FOR and experiment. The present CFD result of direct stiffness(K) shows only improvement in prediction. The results of leakage and rotordynamic coefficients as well as computing time are sensitive against the used solver and turbulent model.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
• /
• v.9 no.3 s.36
• /
• pp.14-21
• /
• 2006

Leakage reduction through annular type seals of turbomachinery is necessary for enhancing their efficiency and the precise prediction method of seal leakage is needed. The analysis based on Bulk-flow concept has been mainly used in predicting seal leakage. However, full Navier-Stokes Equations with turbulent model derived in the seal flow passage have to be solved for improving the prediction of seal leakage. FLUENT 6 which is commercial CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) code based on FVM(Finite Volume Method) and SIMPLE algorism has been used to analyze leakage of various non-contact-type seals in this presentation. Comparing with the results of Bulk-flow model analysis and experiment, the result of CFD analysis shows good agreement with that of existing theoretical analysis for the incompressible grooved seal and compressive plain and staggered seal. The CFD analysis also shows improvement on the leakage prediction of the incompressible plain seal and compressive see-through-type labyrinth seal.