Effects of Uncertainty and Quasi-Chaotic Geometry on the Leakage of Brush Seals

Abstract

This article presents a brief review of the experimental and theoretical state of the art regarding the leakage flow prediction of brush seals. The authors model a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based approach for the leakage flow of brush seals. The brush seal is treated by modeling its real geometrical structure, namely numerous bristles in an array in transverse flow. The fluid domain is segregated into discrete volumes surrounding each bristle. Two different discretization schemes are chosen to study their influence on the leakage behavior. Furthermore, for each scheme multiple inter-bristle distances, pressure ratios and turbulence models are evaluated. In addition, the influence of irregular arrangement configurations, which forms a quasi-chaotic inner structure, is studied. The results gained are compared to other authors' experimental and numerical data.