Experimental Rotordynamic Characterization of Annular Seals: Facility and Methodology

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Darden ◽  
E. M. Earhart ◽  
G. T. Flowers
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Stability Margins ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients ◽  
Annular Seal ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Annular Seals

Annular seals are known to enhance rotordynamic stability margins and minimize vibration response levels in high-speed rotating machinery. Theoretical predictions for the rotordynamic characteristics of annular seals exist but additional experimental data is needed to properly anchor these results. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed an annular seal test rig and facility to experimentally characterize axially fed annular seals. The objective of MSFC’s annular seal test rig is to obtain the rotordynamic coefficients (direct and cross-coupled stiffness, damping, and added mass) for a variety of high Reynolds number annular seals. The MSFC test rig supports centered-seal testing with inlet pressures up to 138 bars (2000 psi) and flow rates of over 946 liters per minute (250 gpm). The rig’s shaft is powered by a 186 kilowatt (250 horsepower) steam turbine capable of rotational speeds of over 20,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). A description of the identification process used to obtain rotordynamic coefficients is given as well as procedures for ensuring quality data. Experimental results for a smooth annular seal with an L/D =0.5 is presented. Excellent agreement between experimental and theoretical results is obtained.

scholarly journals Experimental Rotordynamic Characterization of Annular Seals: Facility and Methodology

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Mark Darden ◽  
Eric M. Earhart ◽  
George T. Flowers
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Stability Margins ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients ◽  
Annular Seal ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Annular Seals

Annular seals are known to enhance rotordynamic stability margins and minimize vibration response levels in high-speed rotating machinery. Theoretical predictions for the rotordynamic characteristics of annular seals exist but additional experimental data is needed to properly anchor these results. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed an annular seal test rig and facility to experimentally characterize axially-fed annular seals. The objective of MSFC’s annular seal test rig is to obtain the rotordynamic coefficients (direct and cross-coupled stiffness, damping, and added mass) for a variety of high Reynolds number annular seals. The MSFC test rig supports centered-seal testing with inlet pressures up to 138 bars (2000 psi) and flow rates of over 946 liters per minute (250 gpm). The rig’s shaft is powered by a 186 kilowatt (250 horsepower) steam turbine capable of rotational speeds of over 20,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). A description of the identification process used to obtain rotordynamic coefficients is given as well as procedures for ensuring quality data. Experimental results for a smooth annular seal with an L/D = 0.5 is presented. Excellent agreement between experimental and theoretical results is obtained.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Dynamic Characteristics of Smooth Annular Seals and Damping Seals

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Mark Darden ◽  
Eric M. Earhart ◽  
George T. Flowers
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Rocket Engine ◽  
Rotating Machinery ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Stability Margins ◽  
Annular Seal ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
High Fluid ◽  
Annular Seals

Annular seals are known to enhance rotordynamic stability margins and minimize vibration response levels in high-speed rotating machinery. Theoretical predictions for the rotordynamic characteristics of annular seals exist but additional experimental data is needed to properly anchor these results. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed an annular seal test rig and facility to experimentally characterize axially-fed annular seals. Annular seals with deliberately roughened stators (i.e. damping seals) have been shown analyticalty to increase stability margins of rocket engine turbomachinery by reducing the seal’s whirl frequency ratio. The capabilities of MSFC’s annular seal test rig have been enhanced to allow high fluid inlet preswirl testing that is more representative of actual turbopump seal bounder conditions. The purpose of this paper is to describe the effect of this realistic preswirl on the stabilizing capability of both damping and smooth seals. Centered seal results are presented for both a smooth annular seal and a damping seal. These results were obtained for a range of seal pressure differentials, shaft rotational speeds, and two levels of inlet fluid preswirl.

Comparison of the Dynamic Characteristics of Smooth Annular Seals and Damping Seals

1999 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 857-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Darden ◽  
E. M. Earhart ◽  
G. T. Flowers
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Rocket Engine ◽  
Rotating Machinery ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Stability Margins ◽  
Annular Seal ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
High Fluid ◽  
Annular Seals

Annular seals are known to enhance rotordynamic stability margins and minimize vibration response levels in high-speed rotating machinery. Theoretical predictions for the rotordynamic characteristics of annular seals exist but additional experimental data is needed to properly anchor these results. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed an annular seal test rig and facility to experimentally characterize axially fed annular seals. Annular seals with deliberately roughened stators (i.e., damping seals) have been shown analytically to increase stability margins of rocket engine turbomachinery by reducing the seal’s whirl frequency ratio. The capabilities of MSFC’s annular seal test rig have been enhanced to allow high fluid inlet preswirl testing that is more representative of actual turbopump seal boundary conditions. The purpose of this paper is to describe the effect of this realistic preswirl on the stabilizing capability of both damping and smooth seals. Centered seal results are presented for both a smooth annular seal and a damping seal. These results were obtained for a range of seal pressure differentials, shaft rotational speeds, and two levels of inlet fluid preswirl.

Eccentricity Effects on the Rotordynamic Coefficients of Plain Annular Seals: Theory Versus Experiment

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. R. Marquette ◽  
D. W. Childs ◽  
L. San Andres
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Small Motion ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients ◽  
Annular Seal ◽  
Theory Versus ◽  
High Speed Data ◽  
Static Eccentricity ◽  
Good Signal ◽  
Good Agreement ◽  
Annular Seals

Reliable high-speed data are presented for leakage and rotordynamic coefficients of a plain annular seal at centered and eccentric positions. A seal with L/D = 0.45 was tested, and measured results have good signal-to-noise ratios. The influence on rotordynamic coefficients of pressure drop, running speed, and static eccentricity was investigated. There is an excellent agreement between experimental and theoretical results in the centered position, even for direct inertia terms, which have not shown good agreement with predictions in past studies. However, the rotordynamic coefficients are more sensitive to changes in eccentricity than predicted. These results suggest that, in some cases, annular seals for pumps may need to be treated more like hydrodynamic bearings, with rotordynamic coefficients which are valid for small motion about a static equilibrium position versus the present eccentricity-independent coefficients.

Numerical Modeling of Rotordynamic Coefficients for Deliberately Roughened Stator Gas Annular Seals

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 424-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gocha Chochua ◽  
Thomas A. Soulas
Keyword(s):  
Transient Analysis ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients ◽  
Seal Design ◽  
Annular Seal ◽  
Rotor Surface ◽  
Good Agreement ◽  
Annular Seals

A method is proposed for computations of rotordynamic coefficients of deliberately roughened stator gas annular seals using computational fluid dynamics. The method is based on a transient analysis with deforming mesh. Frequency-dependent direct and cross-coupled rotordynamic coefficients are determined as a response to an assigned rotor surface periodic motion. The obtained numerical results are found to be in good agreement with the available test data and one-dimensional tool predictions. The method can be used as a research tool or as a virtual annular seal test rig for seal design and optimization.

scholarly journals On-Chip Thermal Insulation Using Porous GaN

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (13) ◽  
pp. 776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan F. Spiridon ◽  
Peter H. Griffin ◽  
John C. Jarman ◽  
Yingjun Liu ◽  
Tongtong Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Thermal Characterization ◽  
Semiconductor Materials ◽  
3Ω Method ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
On Chip ◽  
Fundamental Requirement

This study focuses on the thermal characterization of porous gallium nitride (GaN) usingan extended 3ω method. Porous semiconductor materials provide a solution to the need for on-chipthermal insulation, a fundamental requirement for low-power, high-speed and high-accuracythermal sensors. Thermal insulation is especially important in GaN devices, due to the intrinsicallyhigh thermal conductivity of the material. The results show one order of magnitude reduction inthermal conductivity, from 130 W/mK to 10 W/mK, in line with theoretical predictions for porousmaterials. This achievement is encouraging in the quest for integrating sensors with opto-, powerandRF-electronics on a single GaN chip.

CFD Assessment of Rotordynamic Coefficients in Labyrinth Seals

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai S. Sreedharan ◽  
Giuseppe Vannini ◽  
Hiteshkumar Mistry
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Active Magnetic Bearings ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Labyrinth Seals ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Flow Solver ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients ◽  
Pressure Test ◽  
Dynamic Seal

Seals used in high speed centrifugal compressors are prone to generate rotordynamic (RD) instabilities. To further understand their influence, a CFD based approach is developed. The objective of the current study is to numerically investigate and characterize the RD coefficients, representative of the dynamic seal forces. Experiments were carried out at high pressure test rig (up to 200 bar seal inlet pressure) which runs at 10000 RPM and has a high pre-swirl (about 0.9) along the same direction of rotor rotation. The rotor shaft in the experiment was instrumented with active magnetic bearings (AMBs) to linearly excite the rotor at three different frequencies: 28 Hz, 70 Hz and 126 Hz. Each frequency is characterized by amplitude of vibration and a phase. CFD simulations were carried out using commercial flow solver, using similar boundary conditions as that of experiments. The paper describes details of CFD model and its comparison against experiments. Numerical results show reasonable agreement of RD coefficients with test results. This job has to be considered as a first approach to CFD methodology applied to annular seals for the authors.

scholarly journals A New Analysis Tool Assessment for Rotordynamic Modeling of Gas Foil Bearings

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel A. Howard ◽  
Luis San Andre´s
Keyword(s):  
Power Loss ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Structural Deformation ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Analytical Tools

Gas foil bearings offer several advantages over traditional bearing types that make them attractive for use in high-speed turbomachinery. They can operate at very high temperatures, require no lubrication supply (oil pumps, seals, etc), exhibit very long life with no maintenance, and once operating airborne, have very low power loss. The use of gas foil bearings in high-speed turbomachinery has been accelerating in recent years, although the pace has been slow. One of the contributing factors to the slow growth has been a lack of analysis tools, benchmarked to measurements, to predict gas foil bearing behavior in rotating machinery. To address this shortcoming, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has supported the development of analytical tools to predict gas foil bearing performance. One of the codes has the capability to predict rotordynamic coefficients, power loss, film thickness, structural deformation, and more. The current paper presents an assessment of the predictive capability of the code, named XLGFBTH©. A test rig at GRC is used as a simulated case study to compare rotordynamic analysis using output from the code to actual rotor response as measured in the test rig. The test rig rotor is supported on two gas foil journal bearings manufactured at GRC, with all pertinent geometry disclosed. The resulting comparison shows that the rotordynamic coefficients calculated using XLGFBTH© represent the dynamics of the system reasonably well, especially as they pertain to predicting critical speeds.

A CFD Based Approach for Estimation of Rotor Dynamic Coefficients for Liquid Annular Seals in Turbomachinery

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bachanti Krishna ◽  
B. Premachandran ◽  
Ashish K. Darpe
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Complex Geometries ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients ◽  
Dynamic Coefficients ◽  
Rotor Dynamic ◽  
Annular Seals

Seals are used to control leakage across stages in pumps and other rotating machinery such as turbomachines. However, while acting to control leakage, the seals generate a reaction force on the rotating members. The rotordynamic forces produced by fluid impact the stability behaviour of the high-speed turbomachinery, therefore precise estimation of rotordynamic parameters is important to ensure vibrational stability and desired dynamic performance of rotors having annular seals. Studies on seals have so far mainly focused on bulk flow model based on Hirs turbulent lubrication theory for calculating leakage flow rate and rotordynamic coefficients. However, it is incapable to deal complex geometries and is less efficient in predicting precise rotor dynamic parameters for high speed rotating systems due to its basic assumptions. The experiments performed for calculating rotordynamic coefficients show their dependence on many physical and mechanical properties such as working fluid properties, pressure drop, seal clearance, rotor speed, eccentricity and misalignments. With the latest high performance computing facilities it is now relatively easy to simulate the flow in seal and evaluate the dynamic coefficients at high rotational speeds and with complex geometries. This paper proposes a 3-D CFD based transient stimulation method to capture the experimental conditions in virtual environment. The fluid force is calculated by integrating pressure to the rotor surface and the stiffness and damping coefficients are evaluated by appropriate curve fitting of fluid forces for various eccentricity values. The coefficients obtained from the present method show better correlation with experimental data compared to the existing steady state CFD and theoretical models. Variation of these rotordynamic coefficients with eccentricity helps in assessing the safe design of turbomachinery.

Generation and breakup of Worthington jets after cavity collapse. Part 2. Tip breakup of stretched jets

2010 ◽  
Vol 663 ◽  
pp. 331-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. GORDILLO ◽  
STEPHAN GEKLE
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Local Strain ◽  
External Noise ◽  
Creeping Flow ◽  
Liquid Density ◽  
Dimensionless Time ◽  
Cavity Collapse ◽  
Flow Limit ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
High Reynolds

The capillary breakup of the high-speed Worthington jets ejected after a cavity collapse in water occurs due to the high-Reynolds-number version of the capillary end-pinching mechanism first described, in the creeping flow limit, by Stone & Leal (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 198, 1989, p. 399). Using potential flow numerical simulations and theory, we find that the resulting drop ejection process does not depend on external noise and can be described as a function of a single dimensionless parameter, WeS = ρ R30S20/σ, which expresses the ratio of the capillary time to the inverse of the local strain rate, S0. Here, ρ and σ indicate the liquid density and the interfacial tension coefficient, respectively, and R0 is the initial radius of the jet. Our physical arguments predict the dimensionless size of the drops to scale as Ddrop/R0 ~ We−1/7S and the dimensionless time to break up as TS0 ~ We2/7S. These theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the numerical results.

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