Characterisation of Static Strip Seal Flow

Strip seals are used in gas turbine engines between two static elements or between components which do not move relative to each other, such as Nozzle Guide Vanes (NGVs). The key role of a strip seal between NGV segments is sealing between the flow through the main stream annulus and the internal air system, a further purpose is to limit the inter-segmental movements. In general the shape of the strip seal is a rectangular strip that fits into two slots in adjacent components. The minimum clearance required for static strip seals must be found by accounting for thermal expansion, misalignment, and application, to allow correct fitment of the strip seals. Any increase in leakage raises the cost due to an increase in the cooling air use, which is linked to specific fuel consumption, and it can also alter gas flow paths and performance. The narrow path within the seal assembly, especially the height has the most significant affect on leakage. The height range of the narrow path studied in this paper is 0.01–0.06 mm. The behaviour of the flow passing through the narrow path has been studied using CFD modelling and measurements in a bespoke rig. The CFD and experimental results show that normalized leakage flow increases with pressure ratio before reaching a maximum. The main aim of this paper is to provide new experimental data to verify the CFD modelling for static strip seals. The typical flow characteristics validated by CFD modelling and experiments can be used to predict the flow behaviour for future static strip seal designs.