Mathematical Simulation of Flow in Gas Face Seals

A novel phenomenological model for the design of a non-contacting gas face seal is developed based on the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations to simulate the flow between a pair of wearing faces of a spiral groove gas seal. After simplified in the SIMPLER scheme, the equations became algebra equations and could be solved by means of computer code. Both profiles of pressure and velocity could be obtained. And the simulation results showed that the hydrostatic dame section of a gas face seal choked the flow of gas, and the land of hydrodynamic section transferred energy to gas and then increased gas pressure in the groove so that sealing effect could be improved. The operating film thickness and the leakage rate of a gas face seal were determined based on analysis of computational results. It is shown that the calculating leakage rates agree well with the test data for service conditions and the maximal relative error is about 10% so that the developed model might provide a reliable basis for the optimal design of a gas seal.