Improving the Stability of Labyrinth Gas Seals

Abstract

The flow through labyrinth seals of turbomachinery generates forces which can cause self-excited vibrations of the rotor above the stability limit. The stability limit is reached at a specific rotating speed or power. The continuous growth of power density and rotating speed necessitates an exact prediction of the stability limit of turbomachinery. Usually the seal forces are described with dynamic coefficients. A new, easy-to-handle identification procedure uses the stability behavior of a flexible rotor to determine the dynamic coefficients. Systematic measurements with a great number of labyrinth seal geometries lead to reasonable results and demonstrate the accuracy and sensitivity of the procedure. A comparison of the various methods used to minimize the excitation indicates which seal is more stable and will thus improve the dynamic behavior of the rotor.