Swirl Enhancement Effect on Turbine Rim Seal Performance

In gas turbines, sealing flow is extracted from the high-pressure compressor and supplied into the turbine wheel-space to suppress hot gas ingestion. Such hot gas ingestion is thought to be driven by the difference in either the static pressure or swirl between the mainstream and wheel-space flows. For the first time, experiments have been conducted in a low-speed single-stage axial turbine with a single-radial clearance rim seal and a “swirler” on the rotor disk. The objective is to evaluate the impact of enhanced wheel-space flow swirl on the rim seal performance. The swirler does not affect the mainstream flow. In the wheel-space, however, the swirler reduces static pressure; increases swirl; and improves rim seal performance (i.e., reduces the minimum sealing flowrate needed for hot gas ingestion prevention). Thus, the seal performance improvement occurs with increased difference in pressure and reduced difference in swirl between the mainstream and wheel-space flows. Therefore, it can be inferred that the rim seal performance depends more strongly on swirl than pressure. Preliminary gas turbine cycle performance studies indicate that net cycle efficiency benefits can be obtained.