High-Speed Characterization of a Prototype Leaf Seal on an Advanced Seal Test Facility

Advanced contacting seals, such as leaf seals or brush seals, can offer reduced leakage during engine operation when compared to conventional labyrinth seals. The flexible elements of these seals provide better compliance with the rotor during flight maneuvers. The functionality and performance retention attributes of an engine-scale prototype leaf seal have been investigated on a seal test facility at Rolls-Royce that achieves engine-representative pressures and speeds and allows dynamic control of the seal position relative to the rotor, both concentric and eccentric. In this paper, the experimental setup and the test method are described in detail, including the quantification of the measurement uncertainty developed to ASME standard PTC 19.1. Experimental data are presented that show the variations in leakage and torque over typical variations of the test parameters. Insight is gained into the interactions between the operating pressure and speed and the concentric and eccentric movements imposed on the seal.

[1]  Mehmet Demiroglu,et al.  An Investigation of Heat Generation Characteristics of Brush Seals , 2007 .

[2]  R. J. Moffat,et al.  Contributions to the Theory of Single-Sample Uncertainty Analysis , 1982 .

[3]  Ingo Jahn.  Design approach for maximising contacting filament seal performance retention , 2015 .

[4]  T. V. Jones,et al.  A Test Facility for the Measurement of Torques at the Shaft to Seal Interface in Brush Seals , 1997 .

[5]  Bruce M. Steinetz,et al.  Sealing in Turbomachinery , 2006 .

[6]  Michael J. Pekris,et al.  An Investigation of Flow, Mechanical, and Thermal Performance of Conventional and Pressure-Balanced Brush Seals , 2014 .

[7]  Alexander O. Pugachev,et al.  Breaking the Swirl with Brush Seals - Numerical Modeling and Experimental Evidence , 2008 .

[8]  P. Basu,et al.  Hysteresis and bristle stiffening effects in brush seals , 1994 .

[9]  Gerrit A. Kool,et al.  Advanced Seal Test Rig Validation and Operation , 2006 .

[10]  Simon Hogg,et al.  An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Brush Seal and Shaft Thermal Interaction , 2003 .

[11]  Hrishikesh Vishvas Deo.  Compliant Plate Seals: Testing and Validation , 2012 .

[12]  Robert J. Moffat,et al.  Describing the Uncertainties in Experimental Results , 1988 .

[13]  Gervas Franceschini,et al.  A Slow-Speed Rotating Test Facility for Characterising the Stiffness of Brush Seals , 2006 .

[14]  Mahmut Faruk Aksit,et al.  Brush Seal Temperature Distribution Analysis , 2006 .

[15]  Irebert R. Delgado,et al.  High-Speed, High-Temperature Finger Seal Test Results , 2004 .

[16]  Michael J. Pekris,et al.  Experimental Investigation of a Leaf Seal Prototype at Engine-Representative Speeds and Pressures , 2015 .

[17]  Ingo Jahn,et al.  Experimental characterisation of the stiffness and leakage of a prototype leaf seal for turbine applications , 2008 .

[18]  E. Akita,et al.  The Development of High Performance Leaf Seals , 2002 .

[19]  Gervas Franceschini,et al.  Improved Understanding of Blow-Down in Filament Seals , 2010 .