Comparison of a Slanted-Tooth See-Through Labyrinth Seal to a Straight-Tooth See-Through Labyrinth Seal for Rotordynamic Coefficients and Leakage

Abstract

This research compares the leakage and rotordynamic characteristics of a slanted-tooth labyrinth seal to a conventional straight-tooth labyrinth. Detailed results comparing the rotordynamic coefficients and leakage parameters of a slanted-tooth see-through labyrinth seal and a straight-tooth see-through labyrinth seal are presented. The straight-tooth labyrinth seal used in this research was originally tested by Arthur Picardo. The slanted-tooth labyrinth seal was designed and fabricated to be identical to the straight-tooth labyrinth seal in terms of pitch, depth, and the number of teeth. The angle of inclination of the teeth in the slanted-tooth labyrinth seal was chosen to be 65° from the normal axis. The seals were tested at an inlet pressure of 70 bar-a (1015 psi-a), pressure ratios of 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6, rotor speeds of 10,200, 15,350, and 20,200 rpm, and a radial clearance of 0.2 mm (8 mils). The experiments were carried out at zero, medium, and high inlet preswirl ratios.

The experimental results show only minute differences in the rotordynamic coefficients between the two seals. But, the slanted-tooth labyrinth seal leaked approximately 10% less than the straight-tooth labyrinth seal. A study of prediction versus experimental data was done. XLlaby was used for prediction. XLlaby was developed for a straight-tooth labyrinth seal design and did not do a good job in predicting the rotordynamic coefficients and the leakage rate.