Quantifying safe operation of sustainable seals for rotating systems

目前用于旋转机械的密封技术，如飞机涡轮发动机、高压涡轮压气机和风力涡轮机，正在达到其最大的潜在效率。因此，创新的密封设计是必要的，以满足工业对下一代机械的需求，要求减少密封泄漏，降低功率损失和提高效率。非接触式气体润滑机械密封具有显著改善密封性能和满足日益增长的需求条件的潜力。然而，一个关键的挑战是在具有挑战性但可行的操作条件下（包括潜在的不稳定干扰）提供安全可靠的操作。本提案的目的是发展理论能力，以表征由两个圆盘组成的非接触式气体润滑机械密封的动态行为；一个固定在旋转轴上，另一个安装在固定的外壳上，用薄的流体膜将两者分开。与现有密封件相比，这种设计具有更高的操作优势，包括提高效率、减少功率损耗和降低使用寿命内的成本。然而，由于大量过早和意外的实验失败，非接触式密封技术一直被认为是不可预测和不可靠的。通过使用密封的数学表示，对动态行为的研究将有助于理解实验失败和安全操作条件。还将制定可持续密封准则，以提供改进的密封能力和性能信封，以确保可靠和可预测的行为。

Current sealing technology employed in rotating machines, such as aircraft turbine engines, high pressure turbo compressors and wind turbines, are reaching their maximum potential efficiency. Therefore, innovative sealing designs are necessary to meet the industrial demands for next generation machinery that require reduced leakage across the seal, decreased power losses and increased efficiency. Non-contacting gas lubricated mechanical face seals have the potential to provide significant improvements in the sealing performance and meet the increased demand conditions. However, a key challenge is to provide safe and reliable operation under challenging, but feasible operating conditions, including potentially destabilising disturbances. The aim of this proposal is to develop theoretical capabilities to characterise the dynamic behaviour of a non-contacting gas lubricated mechanical face seal, which comprises of two discs; one fixed to a rotating shaft and the other mounted to a stationary housing with a thin fluid film separating the two. This design gives operational advantages over existing seals, including increased efficiency, decreased power losses and reduced costs over its lifetime. However, non-contacting seal technology has been described as unpredictable and unreliable, due to a high number of premature and unexpected experimental failures. By using a mathematical representation of the seal, investigations into the dynamic behaviour will enable understanding into the experimental failures and conditions on safe operation to be identified. Guidelines of sustainable seals will also be developed to provide improved sealing capabilities and performance envelop to ensure reliable and predictable behaviour.