Proceedings of the ASME 2012 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference

IDETC/CIE 2012 August 12-15, 2012, Chicago, IL, USA

DETC2012-70492
FLUID STRUCTURE INTERACTION STUDY OF FINGER SEAL ASSEMBLY
Peter P Galimutti & Jerzy T Sawicki Center for rotating Machinery Dynamics and Control (RoMaDyC) Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH, USA

ABSTRACT A fluid structure interaction is analyzed in a finger seal assembly, which comprises of fluid between the rotor and the seal. The compliant seal with two rows of fingers has been modeled with one row with pads attached to fingers. The pads provide additional area for aerodynamic lift and reduce the number of finger rows, thereby reducing number of frictional surfaces. The rotor speed and pressure are varied in proportion to each other. The pressure differential and the rotation of rotor create aerodynamic pressure lifting the seal surfaces. The clearance changes induce a new pressure distribution. Also, as the rotor speed increases beyond 10K rpm it has been observed that the centrifugal growth is significant enough o to affect clearance. Therefore, there are two deforming solid surfaces that interact with pressurized fluid between them. The problem has been modeled and solved using ANSYS Mechanical and CFX coupled solvers. The rotor speed is varied from 10K to 40K rpm for structural steel and Silicon Carbide. The results related to structural and fluid displacements, pressure distribution, rotor growth and other parameters are presented and discussed.

INTRODUCTION So far labyrinth and brush seals have been wide choice for gas turbines. Labyrinth seals are very reliable and require less maintenance; however they operate on high clearance resulting in high leakage rates. Brush seals are zero clearance seals which have low leakage compared to labyrinth seals, however the bristles touch the rotor resulting in wear and heat generation. Eventually worn bristles permit more leakage and have to be replaced after certain point. From last few decades awareness of economic and environmental issues pushed aviation experts to design a seal than does not contact the rotor as well as operate at low clearances. Compliant seals are being studied extensively for aircrafts since 1980s, which transfer the pressure loads, centrifugal and thermal growth of the rotating member onto their deformable structural members, thereby allowing low very clearance operation. NOMENCLATURE Put nomenclature here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. Put body of the paper here. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Put acknowledgments here. REFERENCES Put references here.

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