• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2021

This study describes the effects of a thrust labyrinth seal applied to the backside of a centrifugal impeller on the axial thrust force for high speed turbomachinery. The bulk flow model using Neumann's equation calculates the seal cavity pressures and leakage flow rate of the thrust labyrinth seal based on three configurations: teeth-on-rotor (TOR), teeth-on-stator (TOS), and interlocking labyrinth seal (ILS). Prediction results show that the ILS is superior to the TOR and TOS in terms of leakage flow rate. A mathematical model of a centrifugal impeller with a thrust labyrinth seal on its backside calculates the force components corresponding to the impeller inlet, shroud, impeller backside outer, backside seal, and backside inner pressures. A summation of the force components renders the total axial thrust force acting on the centrifugal impeller. The Newton-Raphson numerical scheme iteratively calculates the pressures and leakage flow rate through the impeller wall gap. The prediction results reveal that the leakage flow rate and total axial thrust force increase with rotor speed, and the ILS significantly decreases the leakage flow rate, whereas it slightly increases the axial thrust force when compared to TOR and TOS. Increasing the seal clearance causes an increase in the leakage flow rate and a slight decrease in the axial thrust force with the ILS.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 2012

The magnitude of the axial thrust acting on pump bearings has a great influence on the operational reliability and service life of a pump for turbopumps. In the present study, radial vanes are introduced to the pump casing to control the axial thrust by changing the cavity pressure between the impeller and the casing. To investigate the effect of the vanes on the axial thrust of the pump, experimental and computational studies were performed with and without the vanes. It is shown that the vanes reduce the cavity pressure by preventing the flow from rotating with the impeller. Experimental and computational results show similar trend for the axial thrust difference between two cases with and without the vanes. The results show that the cavity vanes are very effective in controlling the magnitude of the axial thrust.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.46-50
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• 2012

A high-speed centrifugal pump requires more attention to the control of its axial thrust due to the high discharge pressure than a conventional industrial pump. Vanes employed toward the rear cavity of the impeller can be an effective device to control the axial thrust of the pump. The vanes disturb circumferential flow of the cavity and it can modify the axial force acting on the impeller. In this paper, three types of vanes are installed in the high-speed centrifugal pump for liquid rocket engines and the thrust of the pump is measured with an additional thrust measurement unit. According to the results, shapes of cavity vanes have effects on the axial thrust of the pump. As the height of vanes increases, the outlet pressure of the rear floating ring seal decreases which results in a decrease of the thrust. On the other hand, head of the pump is almost same regardless of cavity vanes. Also, the pressure drop of the bypass pipeline increases when vanes are removed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.358-362
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• 2005

An effective control of the axial thrust of a turbopump is one of the critical issues for its operational stability. In order to assure the stability of a turbopump-type fuel pump for a liquid rocket engine, an axial thrust measurement system was developed and a series of axial thrust tests were performed in water environment. In the tests, the axial thrust of the fuel pump at the design flowrate satisfied the axial force condition of the bearing of the pump. Also, it was found that by using orifices with different geometries in the secondary flow passage the overall axial thrust of the pump could be controlled.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.562-569
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• 1997

The axial position of an impeller is misaligned in the process of manufacturing and assembling. For a single suction centrifugal pump with balancing holes, the effect of axial displacement of impeller on the performance, leakage loss and axial thrust acting on the impeller is experimentally investigated. The axial displacement decreases the pump efficiency, increases the leakage through the clearance between wearing ring and impeller, and affects the characteristics of axial thrust.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.198-208
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• 1996

The plunge joints of C.V. Joint for vehicle tend to produce a cyclic axial disturbance at a frequency of three of six times shaft speed, in which this distrubance caused by internal frictional effect is related to joint angle, rotational speed, torque, and joint size. This principal axial thrust force might make vehicle shuddered when coinciding with vehicle frequency of tranverse direction, and be one of reasons to have driver feel uncomfortable, unesay, while driving vehicle. The paper makes analysis of axial thrust force & vehicle shudder through computer simulation, comparing the result with experimental data, and reviewing the effect by changing of variables such as dimensions and driving conditions.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.8-13
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• 2010

An effective control of the axial thrust of a turbopump is one of the critical issues for obtaining its operational stability. Axial thrusts of the fuel pump for the 75-ton class rocket engine under development were measured with water as a test propellant at a room temperature. According to the test results, the axial thrust of the fuel pump seemed to satisfy the axial force condition of its bearing. Also, the thrust was increased as a whole when the flowrate of the pump was decreased. Furthermore it was found that the thrust and the leakage flowate were modified when the gaps between the floating ring seals and the impeller were changed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.98-104
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• 2015

Excessive thrust acting on the rotor of pump can cause the damage of pump or the decrease of pump lifetime. Therefore, for ensuring the safety of LOX pump of a liquid rocket engine, the thrust of pump rotor is estimated by similarity tests. Axial thrust is indirectly measured by an axial thrust measurement unit positioned outside pump. Radial thrust is calculated based on pressure distribution of volute scroll. As a result, axial and radial thrust are increased when the flowrate of pump decreases. However, both thrusts do not affect the stability of pump rotor since their values are not large.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.69-91
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• 1982

The major factors which affect the crankshaft axial vibration are such items as the axial stiffness and mass of crankshaft, the thrust block stiffness, the propeller's entrained water and the exciting and damping forces of engine, propeller and shafting. Among above mentioned items, the axial stiffness and mass of crankshaft, thrust block stiffness and propeller's entrained water were treated in detail in part I, and so in this paper, the rest of above items will be studied. The exciting forces of crankshaft axial vibration are generated mainly from the gas explosion pressure of cylinder, the thrust fluctuation of propeller, and sometimes the torsional vibration of crankshaft induces the crankshaft axial vibration. As for the propeller thrust fluctuation, its harmonic components can be fairly exactly calculated from the experimental results of propeller in the towing tank, but as the calculation process is rather tedious and laborious, the empirical values are ordinarily used. On the other hand, the table of harmonic components of gas pressure has been already published by major slow speed diesel engine makers, but the axial thrust conversion factor of radial force is not unknown yet, and as its estimated value is unreliable, the axial vibration force of gas pressure is uncertain. As the calculation of damping force is very complicated and it includes some uncertain factors, the thoretically estimated amplitudes of axial vibration are much more incorrect in comparison with those of torsional vibrations. Authors have paid special attentions to deriving the theoretical calculation formula of axial conversion factor of radial force and damping force of crankshaft axial vibration and developed a computer program to calculate resonance amplitudes and additional stresses of crankshaft axial vibrations. Also, to check the reliability of the developed computer program, the axial vibrations of three ships' propulsion shaftings were analyzed and their results were compared with those of measured values and makers' results.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.9 no.2 s.35
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• pp.39-43
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• 2006

The magnitude of the axial force acting on turbopump bearings has a great influence on the operational reliability and service life of a turbopump. In the turbopump under current investigation the cavity vanes are introduced to the pump shroud casing to control the axial thrust of the turbopump. To investigate the effect of the cavity vanes, 3D computational flow analyses for a propellant pump stage including an inducer, impeller, volute and secondary flow passages are performed with and without the vanes. The results show that the cavity vanes are very effective in reducing the magnitude of axial thrust without notable changes on the overall performance of the turbopump.