Analysis of Brush Seal Interaction with Steam Turbine Rotor-Shafts

Authors

  • Nonso Omenife Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria South Africa. / Department of Mechanical / Production Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Awka, Anambra state Nigeria. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9913-621X
  • Dawood Desai Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria South Africa. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5608-4528
  • Regan Dunne Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria South Africa. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7971-2988

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54327/set2024/v4.i1.108

Keywords:

Brush seal, steam turbine, Ansys, sealing

Abstract

High-speed turbines are a major source for power production. They utilize high pressure and temperature fluid flow. Sealing of these machines to decrease the flow losses has been a major engineering challenge since the inception of steam turbines. From an engineering viewpoint, seals are used to introduce friction in the fluid flow path. This reduces the flow leakage. Improved seal performance offers substantial opportunities for turbine performance. Reduced leakages in steam turbines can lead to greater efficiency and power output. They can also allow tighter control of turbine secondary flows. However, sealing these machines is a major challenge. There are several seal locations on a steam turbine that have significant performance derivatives. These include the interstage shaft packing, the end packing, and the bucket tip seals. Brush seals are ideal for these locations because they can reduce the flow losses. This study analysed the efficiency of the steam turbine by using ANSYS APDL. It assessed the leakage performance of the brush seal for different cases and geometries. It also used porous medium modelling of the bristle pack to provide insight for designers. The outputs of interest were the rotor-shaft temperature and the efficiency of the entire turbine with the brush seal.

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Published

26.01.2024

Data Availability Statement

No additional data or materials were utilized for the research described in the article.

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Section

Research Article

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How to Cite

[1]
N. Omenife, D. Desai, and R. Dunne, “Analysis of Brush Seal Interaction with Steam Turbine Rotor-Shafts”, Sci. Eng. Technol., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 32–44, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.54327/set2024/v4.i1.108.