• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.2 no.1 s.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 1999

Leakage vortices formed new blade tip causes an increase of total pressure loss near the casing endwall region and as a result, the efficiency of rotor decreases. The reduction of rotor efficiency is related to the size of the tip clearance. In this study, the three-dimensional flowfields in an axial flow rotor were calculated by varying the tip clearance under various flow rates, and the numerical results were compared with experimental ones. The effects of tip clearance and attack angle on the leakage vortex and overall performance, and the loss distributions were investigated through numerical calculations. In this study, tip leakage flow rate and total pressure loss by tip clearance were evaluated using numerical results and approximate equations were presented to evaluate the reduction of rotor efficiency by tip leakage flow.

• International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.50-60
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• 2004

An experimental analysis using three-dimensional Laser Doppler Velocimetry(LDV) measurement and computational analysis using the Reynolds stress model in FLUENT are conducted to give a clear understanding of the effect of blade loading on the structure of tip leakage flow in a forward-swept axial-flow fan operating at the maximum efficiency condition ($\Phi$=0.25) and two off-design conditions ($\Phi$=0.21 and 0.30). As the blade loading increases, the onset position of the rolling-up of tip leakage flow moves upstream and the trajectory of tip leakage vortex center is more inclined toward the circumferential direction. Because the casing boundary layer becomes thicker and the mixing between the through-flow and the leakage jet with the different flow direction is enforced, the streamwise vorticity decays more fast with the blade loading increasing. A distinct tip leakage vortex is observed downstream of the blade trailing edge at $\Phi$=0.30, but it is not observed at $\Phi$=0.21 and 0.25.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.84-94
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• 2003

It is known that tip clearance flows reduce the pressure rise, flow range and efficiency of the turbomachinery. So, the clear understanding about flow fields in the tip region is needed to efficiently design the turbomachinery. The Navier-Stokes code with the proper treatment of the boundary conditions has been developed to analyze the three-dimensional steady viscous flow fields in the transonic rotating blades and a numerical study has been conducted to investigate the detail flow physics in the tip region of transonic rotor, NASA Rotor 67. The computational results in the tip region of transonic rotors show the leakage vortices, leakage flow from pressure side to suction side and their interaction with a shock. Depen ding on the operating conditions, toad distributions and the position of shock-wave on the blade surface are very different close to the blade tip of the transonic compressor rotor. The load distribution and the shock-wave position close to the blade tip had the close relationship with the starting position of leakage vortex and the direction of leakage flow.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.294-304
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• 2003

An experimental analysis using three-dimensional laser Doppler velocimetry(LDV) measurement and computational analysis using the Reynolds stress model in FLUENT are conducted to give a clear understanding of the effect of blade loading on the structure of tip leakage flow in a forward-swept axial-flow fan operating at the maximum efficiency condition ($\Phi$=0.25) and two off-design conditions ($\Phi$=0.21 and 0.30). As the blade loading increases, the onset position of the rolling-up of tip leakage flow moves upstream and the trajectory of tip leakage vortex center is more inclined toward the circumferential direction. Because the casing boundary layer becomes thicker and the mixing between the through-flow and the leakage jet with the different flow direction is enforced, the streamwise vorticity decays more fast with the blade loading increasing. A distinct tip leakage vortex is observed downstream of the blade trailing edge at $\Phi$=0.30, but it is not observed at $\Phi$=0.21 and 0.25.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 1999.06a
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• pp.141-146
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• 1999

An experimental investigation on the leakage characteristics of a labyrinth seal, high-low seal, is studied. Pressure distribution and leakage flow rate are measured along with the shaft speed and the pressure difference between the entrance and the exit. Pressure distribution vanes almost linearly along the seal and the leakage flow rate increases as the increase of the pressure difference. Furthermore, it is found that both the shaft speed and the shaft vibration have no influence on the leakage of the labyrinth seal.

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

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.1113-1120
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• 1999

Leakage vortices fonned near the blade tip cause an increase of total pressure loss near the casing endwall region and as a result, the efficiency of rotor decreases. The reduction of rotor efficiency is related to the size of tip clearance. In this study, the three-dimensional flow fields in an axial flow rotor were calculated with varying tip clearance under various flow rates, and the numerical results were compared with experimental ones. The effects of tip clearance and the of attack on the leakage vortex and overall performance, and the los9 distributions were investigated through numerical calculations. In this study, tip leakage flow rate and total pressure loss due to the tip clearance were evaluated using numerical results and approximate equations were presented to evaluate the reduction of rotor efficiency due to the tip leakage flow.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.330-337
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• 2004

Analysis of flow phenomena in a centrifugal compressor impeller has been carried out with numerical simulation to understand the physics of flow near stall. Near stall point, tip leakage flow spills ahead of the leading edge of adjacent blade and other leakage flow passes over the clearance of the adjacent blade instead of rolling up into vortex within the passage. The tip leakage flow at the mid chord of impeller blade impinges against the pressure surface of the adjacent blade and then rolls up into vortex within the passage, which blocks the flow passage and generates viscous loss. The spillage of leakage flow ahead of the adjacent blade generates the recirculation of flow entering the impeller, which causes the power transferred into the flow by the impeller to decrease and blocks the flow passage. Near diffuser hub wall, flow recirculation occurs. As operating point goes to stall point, the core of recirculation approaches the impeller exit The length rises to peak point and then drops with mass flow reduction, while the height steadily rises.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.187-192
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• 2003

The heat (mass) transfer characteristics in the tip-leakage flow region of a high-turning first-stage turbine rotor blade has been investigated by employing the naphthalene sublimation technique. The heat transfer data in the tip-leakage flow area for the tip clearance-to-span ratio, h/s, of 2.0% are compared with those in endwall three-dimensional flow region without tip clearance (h/s = 0.0 %). The result shows that the thermal load in the tip-leakage flow region for h/s = 2.0% is more severe than that in the endwall flow region for h/s = 0.0%. The thermal loads even at the leading and trailing edges for h/s = 2.0% are found larger than those for h/s = 0.0%. The tip-leakage flow results in heat transfer augmentations near the tip on both pressure and suction sides in comparison with the mid-span results.