Effectiveness of Windage Features on High Speed Couplings
Abstract
Following the changes to API 671, there is a requirement
to reduce temperature around guarded coupling designs.
Existing features used in high performance (HP) couplings
involve various methods of shrouding and covering prominent
rotating parts to ensure a smooth, rounded profile. The extent of
the features are raised in line with increased peripheral speed.
These key features are difficult and expensive to manufacture
and can create high stress concentrations. This had lead to the
investigation of the efficiency of the features. Traditional
methods involve extensive test work, but due to the advances in
computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the technology is now far
more accessible to mainstream industry and can be used to
analyze more complex coupling assemblies. This has allowed
evaluation of windage features and their effect when rotated
within a guard. Various geometric features have been analyzed
using CFD and verified with test work, starting with a coupling
equipped with all available windage features through to all of
them removed. The initial results highlight that windage
features fail to make a significant impact in reducing guard
temperatures, hence further investigation has been planned.
Description
LectureSubject
TurbomachinesCollections
Citation
Pennington, Steven; Meck, Klaus-Dieter (2013). Effectiveness of Windage Features on High Speed Couplings. Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /172625.