Brush Seals Used in Steam Environments—Chronological Wear Development and the Impact of Different Seal Designs

2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Raben ◽  
Jens Friedrichs ◽  
Thomas Helmis ◽  
Johan Flegler
Keyword(s):  
Wear Behavior ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Test Duration ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Frictional Contacts ◽  
Brush Seals ◽  
The Impact

During the last decades, turbo machine efficiency was considerably increased by using more efficient seals. Brush seals, as a compliant contacting filament seal, have become an attractive alternative to conventional labyrinth seals in the field of aircraft engines as well as in stationary gas and steam turbines. The aim of today's research related to brush seals is to understand the characteristics and their connections, in order to be able to make performance predictions, and to ensure the reliability over a defined operating period. The wear behavior is essentially influenced by frictional contacts at the seal-to-rotor interface during operation. For realistic investigations with representative circumferential velocities, the TU Braunschweig, Germany, operates a specially developed steam test rig which enables endurance investigations under varying operating steam conditions up to 50 bar and 450 °C. Wear measurements and the determination of seal performance characteristics, such as blow down and bristle stiffness, are enabled by an additional test facility, using pressurized cold air up to 8 bar as a working fluid. This work presents the chronological wear development on both rotor and seal sides in a steam test lasting 25 days or 11 days, respectively. Interruptions after stationary and transient intervals were made in order to investigate the degree of wear. Two different seal arrangements, a single tandem seal, and a two-stage single seal arrangement, using different seal elements were considered. Besides a continuous wear development, the results clearly show that the abrasive wear of the brush seal and rotor is mainly caused by transient test operations, particularly by enforced contacts during shaft excursions. Despite the increasing wear to the brushes, all seals have shown a functioning radial-adaptive behavior over the whole test duration with a sustained seal performance. Thereby, it could be shown that the two-stage arrangement displays a load shift during transients, leading to a balanced loading and unloading status for the two single brush seals. From load sharing, and in comparison with the wear data of the tandem seal arrangement, it can be derived that the two-stage seal is less prone to wear. However, the tandem seal arrangement, bearing the higher pressure difference within one configuration, shows a superior sealing performance under constant load, i.e., under stationary conditions.

Brush Seals Used in Steam Environments: Chronological Wear Development and the Impact of Different Seal Designs

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Raben ◽  
J. Friedrichs ◽  
J. Flegler ◽  
T. Helmis
Keyword(s):  
Abrasive Wear ◽  
Contact Force ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Blow Down ◽  
Frictional Contacts ◽  
Brush Seals ◽  
The Impact

During the last decades a large effort has been made to continuously improve turbomachine efficiency. Besides the optimization of the primary flow path, also the secondary flow losses have been reduced considerably, due to the use of more efficient seals. Brush seals, as a compliant contacting filament seal, have become an attractive alternative to conventional labyrinth seals in the field of aircraft engines as well as in stationary gas and steam turbines. The aim of today’s research related to brush seals is to understand the characteristics and their connections, in order to be able to make performance predictions, and to ensure the reliability over a defined operating period. It is known that inevitable frictional contacts lead to an abrasive wear on the rotor side as well as on the bristle side. The wear situation is essentially influenced by the resulting contact force at the seal-to-rotor interface during the operating time. This contact force depends on the seal’s blow down capability, which is mainly determined by the geometrical design of the bristle pack, e.g. the axial inclination of the investigated seal design, in combination with the design and material of the surrounding parts, as well as the thermal boundary conditions. For realistic investigations with representative circumferential velocities the TU Braunschweig operates a specially developed steam test rig which enables live steam investigations under varying operating conditions up to 50 bar and 450 °C. Wear measurements and the determination of seal performance characteristics, such as blow down and bristle stiffness, were enabled by an additional test facility using pressurized cold air up to 8 bar as working fluid. This paper presents the chronological wear development on both rotor and seal side, in a steam test lasting 25 days respectively 11 days. Interruptions after stationary and transient intervals were made in order to investigate the wear situation. Two different seal arrangements, a single tandem seal and a two-stage single seal arrangement, using different seal elements were considered. The results clearly show a continuous wear development and that the abrasive wear of the brush seal and rotor is mainly due to the transient test operation, particularly by enforced contacts during shaft excursions. Despite the increasing wear to the brushes, all seals have shown a functioning radial-adaptive behavior over the whole test duration with a sustained seal performance. Thereby, it could be shown that the two-stage arrangement displays a load shift during transients, leading to a balanced loading and unloading status for the two single brush seals. From load sharing and in comparison with the wear data of the tandem seal arrangement, it can be derived that the two-stage seal is less prone to wear. However, the tandem seal arrangement, bearing the higher pressure difference within one configuration, shows a superior sealing performance under constant load, i.e. under stationary conditions.

Operational Performance and Locally Resolved Outflow of Brush Seals

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Schur ◽  
Jens Friedrichs
Keyword(s):  
Operational Performance ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Rotating Shaft ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Backing Plate ◽  
Brush Seals ◽  
The Impact

Abstract As a result of the superior leakage efficiency of brush seals compared to conventional labyrinth seals, compliant contacting filament seals are used to increase the efficiency of jet engines as well as stationary gas and steam turbines. The widespread application of brush seals at different and varying pressure differences combined with variable contacting velocities at the rotor surface requires a profound understanding of the influences of different design parameters on the operational leakage performance. In order to systematically investigate the impact of different design parameters on sealing performance, a new cold air test rig was developed. The new test rig with rotating shaft enables hot-wire anemometry measurements downstream of the seals. These measurements provide insight into the locally resolved flow structure in addition to the integral leakage measurements. For the investigations, one welded and five different clamped brush seals at rotational speeds up to 3000rpm and pressure differences across the seals up to 500kPa are considered. Therefore, the influence of two different designs on the flow through the bristles is presented. For the clamped brush seals, variations of the front and backing plate are investigated. Additionally, the effects of bristle diameter and three different axial inclinations of the bristle pack on the sealing efficiency are shown. Furthermore, initial wear development during the first 30 to 60 hours of brush seal operation at varying experimental conditions is presented and linked to the design parameters. Consequently, the effects of major design aspects on the operational performance of brush seals are examined and presented.

An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Brush Seal and Shaft Thermal Interaction

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K. Owen ◽  
Terry V. Jones ◽  
S. M. Guo ◽  
Simon Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Thermal Interaction ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
Brush Seal ◽  
Aerodynamic Parameters ◽  
Brush Seals ◽  
Seal Shaft

This paper presents a detailed experimental study and theoretical analysis of the thermal interactions of brush seal, shaft and airflow. The tests were performed in the Oxford University Brush Seal Test Facility. The facility, which was originally designed for the brush seal aerodynamic study, has been enhanced for thermal measurements. A variety of brush seals, typically applicable to aero and power generation gas and steam turbines, have been tested. The thermal interaction caused by changes in rotor and housing alignment was also studied. In the tests, in addition to the conventional aerodynamic parameters, such as the pressure, mass flow and torque, the temperatures of the rotor were measured and heat generated in the bristle/rotor contact were deduced using the finite element analysis. A theoretical analysis of the system was developed which predicts the heat transfer to the airflow from the bristle pack. This analysis is used to give a correlation to predict heat input to the rotor. The study provides valuable design information for the use of brush seals.

Aerodynamic Flutter of Turbine Brush Seals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Borgueta ◽  
Nicholas R. Bach ◽  
Jared J. Correia ◽  
Brendan G. J. Egan ◽  
Joshua S. Horton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
High Pressure Steam ◽  
Modes Of Failure ◽  
Brush Seal ◽  
Pressure Steam ◽  
Brush Seals

With global energy demands continually growing and environmental impacts a major concern in power production, maximizing the efficiencies of power plants is of top priority. EthosEnergy2 has sponsored a project at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to study and analyze the brush seals in steam turbines in pursuit of increasing steam turbine thermodynamic efficiency. Brush seals are incorporated circumferentially around the turbine blades in their housing. The brush seals provide a very minimal clearance height that compensates for start-up rotor deviation and minimizes high-pressure steam blow-by around the edges of the blades. Brush seals minimize the clearance height between the blades and housing, which allows the turbine to produce more work. However, overtime brush seals can be damaged, greatly reducing efficiency. The seals that are repeatedly showing excessive wear and damage, occur in the high-pressure sections of steam turbines with high Reynolds numbers. The bristle breakdown is attributed to high Reynolds numbers and aerodynamic flutter. The purpose of this research is to design a prototype and empirically model steam turbine conditions with air to map out the fluid-solid interaction, determine the modes of bristle failure, and ultimately reproduce and record bristle flutter. A pressure vessel and pressure system was designed to test linear strips of brush seals with air as the working fluid. The pressure vessel accommodates varying clearance heights to identify the correlation of clearance height and the effects on fluid flow. The system also incorporates a high-speed camera that can capture the phenomena of flutter, precisely identify the modes of failure, and record fluid-solid interaction and the interaction of the bristles with each other. Designing a prototype to empirically model this problem serves as a fundamental and critical step in understanding the fluid interaction with seals in high-pressure steam turbines and will identify brush seal modes of failure. The prototype’s ability to model steam turbine conditions and rapidly test various seal designs will facilitate better brush seal designs to be constructed and will ultimately increase the thermal efficiencies of steam turbines, aid in accommodating the increase in global energy demands, and reduce the detrimental environmental impacts of producing power. The system successfully produced and recorded brush-seal-bristle flutter while modeling high-pressure steam turbine conditions. Matching Reynolds and Euler numbers of the steam turbine stages provided the ability to scale the steam turbine to our prototype, with air as the working fluid. Brush seal breakdown was occurring in steam turbines at Reynolds numbers above 20,000. The prototype repeatedly produced brush seal flutter at Reynolds numbers above 25,000, validating the theory that brush seal breakdown is dependent predominantly on the Reynolds number.

The 2-Stage Axial Turbine Test Facility “LISA”

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sell ◽  
J. Schlienger ◽  
A. Pfau ◽  
M. Treiber ◽  
R. S. Abhari
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Axial Turbine ◽  
Aerodynamic Pressure ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes the design and construction of a new two stage axial turbine test facility, christened “Lisa”. The research objective of the rig is to study the impact (relevance) of unsteady flow phenomena upon the aerodynamic performance, this being achieved through the use of systematic studies of parametric changes in the stage geometry and operating point. Noteworthy in the design of the rig is the use of a twin shaft arrangement to decouple the stages. The inner shaft carries the load from the first stage whilst the outer is used with an integral torque-meter to measure the loading upon the second stage alone. This gives an accurate measurement of the loading upon the aerodynamically representative second stage, which possesses the correct stage inlet conditions in comparison to the full two stage machine which has an unrealistic axial inlet flow at the first stator. A calibrated Venturi nozzle measures the mass flow at an accuracy of below 1%, from which stage efficiencies can be derived. The rig is arranged in a closed loop system. The turbine has a vertical arrangement and is connected through a gear box to a generator system that works as a brake to maintain the desired operating speed. The turbine exit is open to ambient pressure. The rig runs at a low pressure ratio of 1.5. The maximum Mach number at stator exit is 0.3 at an inlet pressure of 1.5 bar. The maximum mass flow is 14 kg/sec. Nominal rotor design speed is 3000 RPM. The tip to hub blade ratio is 1.29, and the nominal axial chord is 50 mm. The rig is designed to accommodate a broad range of measurement techniques, but with a strong emphasis upon unsteady flow methods, for example fast response aerodynamic pressure probes for time-resolved flow measurements. The first section of this paper describes the overall test facility hardware. This is followed by a detailed focus on the torque measurement device including stage efficiency measurements at operating conditions in Lisa. Discussion of measurement techniques completes the paper.

Aerodynamic Performance Assessment of Part-Span Connector of Last Stage Bucket of Low Pressure Steam Turbine

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiteshkumar Mistry ◽  
Manisekaran Santhanakrishnan ◽  
John Liu ◽  
Alexander Stein ◽  
Subhrajit Dey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Structural Element ◽  
Last Stage ◽  
The Impact

Modern steam turbines often utilize very long last stage buckets (LSB’s) in their low-pressure sections to improve efficiency. Some of these LSB’s can range in the order of 5 feet long. These long buckets (aka “blades”) are typically supported at their tip by a tip-shroud and near the mid span by a part span shroud or part span connector (PSC). The PSC is a structural element that connects all the rotor blades, generally at the mid span. It is primarily designed to address various structural issues, often with little attention to its aerodynamic effects. The objective of the current work is to quantify the impact of PSC on aerodynamic performance of the last stage of a LP steam turbine by using detailed CFD analyses. A commercial CFD solver, ANSYS CFX™, is used to solve the last stage domain by setting steam as the working fluid with linear variation of specific heat ratio with temperature. A tetrahedral grid with prismatic layers near the solid walls is generated using ANSYS WORKBENCH™. The results show a cylindrical PSC reduces the efficiency of the last stage by 0.32 pts, of which 0.20 pts is due to the fillet attaching the PSC to the blade. The results also show insignificant interaction of the PSC with the bucket tip aerodynamics. The work presents a detailed flow field analysis and shows the impact of PSC geometry on the aerodynamic performance of last stage of steam turbine. Present work is useful to turbine designer for trade-off studies of performance and reliability of LSB design with or without PSC.

Experimental study of thermohydraulic characteristics and irreversibility analysis of novel axial corrugated tube with spring tape inserts

2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 30901
Author(s):  
Suvanjan Bhattacharyya ◽  
Debraj Sarkar ◽  
Ulavathi Shettar Mahabaleshwar ◽  
Manoj K. Soni ◽  
M. Mohanraj
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Heat Exchanger Tube ◽  
Heat Transfer Augmentation ◽  
Corrugated Tube ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Exchanger Tube

The current study experimentally investigates the heat transfer augmentation on the novel axial corrugated heat exchanger tube in which the spring tape is introduced. Air (Pr = 0.707) is used as a working fluid. In order to augment the thermohydraulic performance, a corrugated tube with inserts is offered. The experimental study is further extended by varying the important parameters like spring ratio (y = 1.5, 2.0, 2.5) and Reynolds number (Re = 10 000–52 000). The angular pitch between the two neighboring corrugations and the angle of the corrugation is kept constant through the experiments at β = 1200 and α = 600 respectively, while two different corrugations heights (h) are analyzed. While increasing the corrugation height and decreasing the spring ratio, the impact of the swirling effect improves the thermal performance of the system. The maximum thermal performance is obtained when the corrugation height is h = 0.2 and spring ratio y = 1.5. Eventually, correlations for predicting friction factor (f) and Nusselt number (Nu) are developed.

scholarly journals Robust Inferences from a Before-and-After Study with Multiple Unaffected Control Groups

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengyuan Wang ◽  
Mikhail Traskin ◽  
Dylan S. Small
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Time Effects ◽  
Unaffected Control ◽  
Group Time ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Group Variation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Before And After Study

AbstractThe before-and-after study with multiple unaffected control groups is widely applied to study treatment effects. The current methods usually assume that the control groups’ differences between the before and after periods, i.e. the group time effects, follow a normal distribution. However, there is usually no strong a priori evidence for the normality assumption, and there are not enough control groups to check the assumption. We propose to use a flexible skew-t distribution family to model group time effects, and consider a range of plausible skew-t distributions. Based on the skew-t distribution assumption, we propose a robust-t method to guarantee nominal significance level under a wide range of skew-t distributions, and hence make the inference robust to misspecification of the distribution of group time effects. We also propose a two-stage approach, which has lower power compared to the robust-t method, but provides an opportunity to conduct sensitivity analysis. Hence, the overall method of analysis is to use the robust-t method to test for the overall hypothesized range of shapes of group variation; if the test fails to reject, use the two-stage method to conduct a sensitivity analysis to see if there is a subset of group variation parameters for which we can be confident that there is a treatment effect. We apply the proposed methods to two datasets. One dataset is from the Current Population Survey (CPS) to study the impact of the Mariel Boatlift on Miami unemployment rates between 1979 and 1982.The other dataset contains the student enrollment and grade repeating data in West Germany in the 1960s with which we study the impact of the short school year in 1966–1967 on grade repeating rates.

scholarly journals A Two-Stage Joint Model for Nonlinear Longitudinal Response and a Time-to-Event with Application in Transplantation Studies

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Murawska ◽  
Dimitris Rizopoulos ◽  
Emmanuel Lesaffre
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Bayes ◽  
Cox Model ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Nonlinear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Resistance Evolution ◽  
Longitudinal Response ◽  
Longitudinal Measurements ◽  
Subject Specific ◽  
The Impact

In transplantation studies, often longitudinal measurements are collected for important markers prior to the actual transplantation. Using only the last available measurement as a baseline covariate in a survival model for the time to graft failure discards the whole longitudinal evolution. We propose a two-stage approach to handle this type of data sets using all available information. At the first stage, we summarize the longitudinal information with nonlinear mixed-effects model, and at the second stage, we include the Empirical Bayes estimates of the subject-specific parameters as predictors in the Cox model for the time to allograft failure. To take into account that the estimated subject-specific parameters are included in the model, we use a Monte Carlo approach and sample from the posterior distribution of the random effects given the observed data. Our proposal is exemplified on a study of the impact of renal resistance evolution on the graft survival.

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