TITLE: FLOW IN A ROTATING SEAL

BY: D R Glynn, FLOWSOLVE, London. Tel: +44 181 944 0940

DETAILS :

Set of demonstration simulations of flow in a rotating seal.
Rotation speed 1450 rpm.
Centrifugal effects cause substantial secondary flows in the radial-axial plane.
Model features - 2D steady, polar grid, swirl, k-epsilon model.
In the plots below, the upper and left-hand boundaries represent the housing, and are stationary. The lower boundary represents the shaft and is rotating (about a horizontal axis).

Reducing the annular gap between the shaft and housing causes the single recirculation to break up into 3 separate recirculation cells.

Streamlines with reduced angular gap

Reducing the annular gap further gives rise to a multiplicity of recirculation cells. This is of some importance, as these secondary flows can cause wear on the housing.

Streamlines with further gap reduction

wbs