The present study concerns the leakage predictions in pressure annular centered seals operating in a two-phase (gas–liquid) smooth stratified flow pattern. In such systems, the liquid experiences centrifugal forces typically 3–4 orders of magnitude larger than the standard earth gravity. Consequently, it is reasonable to assume the liquid is centrifuged toward the stator, leaving the rotor in contact only with the gas. This specific flow configuration is difficult to investigate experimentally, being the rotor–stator clearance of the order of 100 μm. For this reason, a new bulk model based on a two-phase smooth-stratified flow is proposed for leakage predictions. The (external) liquid flow and the (internal) gas one are assumed in laminar and turbulent regime, respectively. The results show that for convenient values of the inlet and outlet pressure loss coefficients, the stratified model predicts mass flow rates in better agreement with experimental data than a standard homogeneous multiphase bulk model.
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July 2019
Research-Article
Stratified Two-Phase Flow in Annular Seals
Gioacchino Grimaldi,
Gioacchino Grimaldi
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: gioacchino.grimaldi@poliba.it
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: gioacchino.grimaldi@poliba.it
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Giuseppe Pascazio,
Giuseppe Pascazio
Professor
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
via Re David, 200,
Bari 70125, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.pascazio@poliba.it
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
via Re David, 200,
Bari 70125, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.pascazio@poliba.it
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Giuseppe Vannini,
Giuseppe Vannini
Baker Hughes a GE Company,
Via Felice Matteucci 2,
Firenze 50127, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.vannini@bhge.com
Via Felice Matteucci 2,
Firenze 50127, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.vannini@bhge.com
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Luciano Afferrante
Luciano Afferrante
Associate Professor,
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: luciano.afferrante@poliba.it
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: luciano.afferrante@poliba.it
Search for other works by this author on:
Gioacchino Grimaldi
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: gioacchino.grimaldi@poliba.it
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: gioacchino.grimaldi@poliba.it
Giuseppe Pascazio
Professor
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
via Re David, 200,
Bari 70125, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.pascazio@poliba.it
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
via Re David, 200,
Bari 70125, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.pascazio@poliba.it
Giuseppe Vannini
Baker Hughes a GE Company,
Via Felice Matteucci 2,
Firenze 50127, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.vannini@bhge.com
Via Felice Matteucci 2,
Firenze 50127, Italy
e-mail: giuseppe.vannini@bhge.com
Luciano Afferrante
Associate Professor,
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: luciano.afferrante@poliba.it
Department of Mechanics,
Mathematics and Management,
Polytechnic University of Bari,
V.le Japigia, 182,
Bari 70126, Italy
e-mail: luciano.afferrante@poliba.it
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received October 5, 2018; final manuscript received December 22, 2018; published online January 16, 2019. Assoc. Editor: Tim Allison.
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Jul 2019, 141(7): 071006 (9 pages)
Published Online: January 16, 2019
Article history
Received:
October 5, 2018
Revised:
December 22, 2018
Citation
Grimaldi, G., Pascazio, G., Vannini, G., and Afferrante, L. (January 16, 2019). "Stratified Two-Phase Flow in Annular Seals." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. July 2019; 141(7): 071006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4042396
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