Study on the Influence of Clearance on Performance of Labyrinth Seal at Rotational and Static States

Using the SIMPLE methods and the RNG k-e turbulence model,the flow and leakage within labyrinth seal are studied by solving the Navier-Stokes equations and energy equations in Fluent.The results show that the viscosity of the fluids is not dominant during the flow in labyrinth seal.The leakage increases with the increasing magnitude of the clearance.The rotation effect have influence on the near-wall zones,and the influence of the changing clearance on leakage is greater than that of rotation effect.The rotate speed of rotor has some effects on the streamline of leakage fluid at the situation of different clearance.The narrower the clearance,the more influence that the rotate speed on the average leakage speed.