Parametric Investigation of the Steady-State Response of a Mechanical Seal With Two Flexibly Mounted Rotors

Abstract

A parametric analysis is performed to investigate the steady-state dynamic response of a mechanical seal with two flexibly mounted rotors. The effect of changing various inertia, support, and fluid film properties is examined. Short rotors are shown to benefit from gyroscopic aligning moments and to exhibit their maximum steady-state misalignment when one of the shaft speeds is zero. Long rotors experience misaligning gyroscopic moments, but if only one of the two rotors is long then aligning moments from the short rotor can be transmitted through the fluid and counteract the detrimental gyroscopic effect in the long rotor. In this case rotors which corotate are shown to have a higher steady-state misalignment than those which counterrotate because of the reduction of the hydrodynamic moments, thus leading to increased leakage and a higher probability of face contact.