Comparison of the Load Carrying Performance of Mechanical Gas Seals Textured With Microgrooves and Microdimples

Abstract

The effects of microgrooves and microdimples on the loadcarrying performance of mechanical gas seals are compared in this study. Numerical model based on the Reynolds equation for compressible Newtonian fluid is utilized to investigate the loadcarrying performance including the hydrodynamic pressure, the loadcarrying force, and gas film stiffness of the gas seals. The results indicate that both microgrooves and microdimples can improve the loadcarrying performance of mechanical gas seals, particularly under a small clearance condition. Furthermore, different texture patterns achieve optimal loadcarrying performance at different area density, seal clearance, and depth: microgrooves with a low area density can obtain higher loadcarrying force and gas film stiffness than the dimple patterns, but with high area density, elliptical dimples yield better loadcarrying performance than the groove patterns.