Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds Equation
This paper reports numerical studies of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic (EHD) seal, which is being developed for supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> (sCO<sub>2</sub>) turbomachinery applications. Current sCO<sub>2</sub> turbomachinery suffers from high leakage rates, which is cre...
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| author | Sevki Cesmeci Karthik Reddy Lyathakula Mohammad Fuad Hassan Shuangbiao Liu Hanping Xu Jing Tang |
| author_facet | Sevki Cesmeci Karthik Reddy Lyathakula Mohammad Fuad Hassan Shuangbiao Liu Hanping Xu Jing Tang |
| author_sort | Sevki Cesmeci |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper reports numerical studies of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic (EHD) seal, which is being developed for supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> (sCO<sub>2</sub>) turbomachinery applications. Current sCO<sub>2</sub> turbomachinery suffers from high leakage rates, which is creating a major roadblock to the full realization of sCO<sub>2</sub> power technology. The high leakage rates not only penalize the efficiencies but also create environmental concerns due to greenhouse effects caused by the increased CO<sub>2</sub> discharge to the atmosphere. The proposed EHD seal needs to work at elevated pressures (10–35 MPa) and temperatures (350–700 °C) with low leakage and minimal wear. The unique mechanism of the EHD seal provides a self-regulated constriction effect to restrict the flow without substantial material contact, thereby minimizing leakage and wear. This work utilizes a physics-based modeling approach. The flow through the gradually narrowing seal clearance is modeled by the well-known Reynolds equation in EHD lubrication theory, while the deformation of the seal is modeled by using the governing equations of three-dimensional solid mechanics. As for the solution methodology, COMSOL’s Thin-Film Flow and Solid Mechanics modules were employed with their powerful capabilities. The numerical results were presented and discussed. It was observed that the Reynolds equation fully coupled with the surface deformation was able to successfully capture the constriction effect. The maximum and minimum leakages were calculated to be 2.25 g/s and 0.1 g/s at P = 5.5 MPa and P = 11 MPa for the design seal, respectively. It was interesting to observe that the seal leakage followed a quadratic trend with increasing pressure differential, which can become advantageous for high-pressure applications such as sCO<sub>2</sub> power generation technology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:06:52Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:06:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-b9eb58cde4e4448387aacaec87b939602023-11-23T19:40:41ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172022-09-011219950110.3390/app12199501Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds EquationSevki Cesmeci0Karthik Reddy Lyathakula1Mohammad Fuad Hassan2Shuangbiao Liu3Hanping Xu4Jing Tang5Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USADepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USAUltool, LLC, Duluth, GA 30097, USAUltool, LLC, Duluth, GA 30097, USAUltool, LLC, Duluth, GA 30097, USAThis paper reports numerical studies of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic (EHD) seal, which is being developed for supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> (sCO<sub>2</sub>) turbomachinery applications. Current sCO<sub>2</sub> turbomachinery suffers from high leakage rates, which is creating a major roadblock to the full realization of sCO<sub>2</sub> power technology. The high leakage rates not only penalize the efficiencies but also create environmental concerns due to greenhouse effects caused by the increased CO<sub>2</sub> discharge to the atmosphere. The proposed EHD seal needs to work at elevated pressures (10–35 MPa) and temperatures (350–700 °C) with low leakage and minimal wear. The unique mechanism of the EHD seal provides a self-regulated constriction effect to restrict the flow without substantial material contact, thereby minimizing leakage and wear. This work utilizes a physics-based modeling approach. The flow through the gradually narrowing seal clearance is modeled by the well-known Reynolds equation in EHD lubrication theory, while the deformation of the seal is modeled by using the governing equations of three-dimensional solid mechanics. As for the solution methodology, COMSOL’s Thin-Film Flow and Solid Mechanics modules were employed with their powerful capabilities. The numerical results were presented and discussed. It was observed that the Reynolds equation fully coupled with the surface deformation was able to successfully capture the constriction effect. The maximum and minimum leakages were calculated to be 2.25 g/s and 0.1 g/s at P = 5.5 MPa and P = 11 MPa for the design seal, respectively. It was interesting to observe that the seal leakage followed a quadratic trend with increasing pressure differential, which can become advantageous for high-pressure applications such as sCO<sub>2</sub> power generation technology.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9501elasto-hydrodynamicEHDpowerReynolds equationsealsupercritical |
| spellingShingle | Sevki Cesmeci Karthik Reddy Lyathakula Mohammad Fuad Hassan Shuangbiao Liu Hanping Xu Jing Tang Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds Equation Applied Sciences elasto-hydrodynamic EHD power Reynolds equation seal supercritical |
| title | Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds Equation |
| title_full | Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds Equation |
| title_fullStr | Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds Equation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds Equation |
| title_short | Analysis of an Elasto-Hydrodynamic Seal by Using the Reynolds Equation |
| title_sort | analysis of an elasto hydrodynamic seal by using the reynolds equation |
| topic | elasto-hydrodynamic EHD power Reynolds equation seal supercritical |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9501 |
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