Quantifying safe operation of sustainable seals for rotating systems

目前在旋转机械（例如飞行器涡轮机发动机、高压涡轮压缩机和风力涡轮机）中采用的密封技术正在达到其最大潜在效率。因此，创新的密封设计是必要的，以满足下一代机械的工业需求，需要减少密封件的泄漏，减少功率损失和提高效率。非接触式气体润滑机械端面密封具有显著改善密封性能的潜力，并满足日益增长的需求条件。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提供安全可靠的操作，包括潜在的不稳定干扰。本建议的目的是开发理论能力，以模拟非接触式气体润滑机械端面密封的动态行为，该密封由两个圆盘组成;一个固定在旋转轴上，另一个安装在固定壳体上，两个圆盘之间有一层薄液膜。这种设计比现有的密封件具有操作优势，包括在其寿命期间提高效率、降低功率损耗和降低成本。然而，非接触式密封技术被描述为不可预测和不可靠的，由于大量的过早和意外的实验失败。通过使用密封的数学表示，对动态行为的研究将使人们能够理解实验故障和待识别的安全操作条件。还将制定可持续密封准则，以提高密封能力和性能范围，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.