Experimental and theoretical rotordynamic coefficients and leakage of straight smooth annular gas seals

Abstract

Results are presented for experimental and theoretical rotordynamic coefficients and leakage of straight smooth annular gas seals. Experimental rotordynamic coefficients were measured and trends in changes of rotordynamic coefficients with operating variables such as rotor speed, back-pressure, fluid preswirl, and seal clearance are analyzed. Experimental results show that cross-coupled stiffness coefficients are highly influenced by fluid preswirl and only moderately influenced by other operating parameters, whereas direct damping is nearly unaffected by changes in operating parameters. Effective damping, a good indicator of stability, is highly affected by fluid preswirl. Although rotordynamic coefficients of straight smooth annular gas seals are assumed to be frequency independent, experimental results suggest a frequency dependent nature at high back-pressures and high excitation frequencies. Experimental results for rotordynamic coefficients and leakage are compared with theoretical predictions of ISOTSEAL, an isothermal-flow, two-control-volume, bulk-flow rotordynamic analysis program. All rotordynamic coefficients are underpredicted. Direct stiffness is poorly predicted while cross-coupled stiffness and direct damping are predicted reasonably well. Leakage is also consistently under-predicted. Theory predicts a slight frequency dependent nature for a limited number of test configurations.