Experimental research and CFD calculations based investigations into gas flow in a short segment of a heavily worn straight through labyrinth seal

Steam turbines are used as propulsion components in not only power plants but also on merchant and naval ships. The geometry of the steam turbine seals changes throughout the machine life cycle. The rate of deterioration of these seals, in turn, affects heavily the efficiency of the thermal machine. However, the literature overview does not provide any research reports on flow phenomena occurring in heavily deteriorated seals. The paper describes the course and results of investigations into a model straight through labyrinth seal composed of 4 discs, each with the slot height of 2 mm. The investigations have been conducted with air as the working medium. Changes of gas flow parameters due to wear were analysed. Based on the experimental data, more intensive leakage was observed as the result of the increased slot height. The static pressure distribution along the examined segment was measured. The experimentally recorded distribution differed remarkably from the theoretical assumptions. Another part of the experimental research focused on comparing the gas velocities at points situated upstream of the first and second seal disc. The velocity measurements were carried out using a constant temperature wire probe. This part of the investigations provided opportunities for analysing the influence of seal wear on gas flow conditions in the seal segment. The paper compares the results of the experimental research with those obtained using the CFX software. The presented results of velocity distributions provide a clear picture of the nature of the gas flow in the seal, which enables its analysis.