Effect of Laminar, Turbulent and Slip Conditions on the Dynamic Coefficients of a Dry Gas Seal

Abstract

The dynamic coefficients of a dry gas seal affect the dynamic characteristics of rotor-seal systems. Fluid films in a dry gas seal can be laminar, turbulent or with slip conditions, according to various operating conditions and design parameters. They can be defined as laminar or turbulent, depending on the Reynolds number, and as slip or non-slip, depending on the Knudsen number. However, previous research did not consider the effect of laminar, turbulent and slip conditions on the dynamic coefficients of a dry gas seal. We proposed a mathematical perturbation method to calculate the dynamic coefficients of the dry gas seal according to laminar, turbulent, and slip effects. We derived the perturbed equations of the modified Reynolds equation, which includes the effects of laminar, turbulent and slip conditions. The pressure of the modified Reynolds equation was solved using the finite element method and the Newton–Raphson method, and the perturbed pressures with respect to three degrees of freedom were calculated by substituting the calculated pressure into the perturbed equations. We verified the proposed method by comparing the simulated results with prior studies. The dynamic coefficients of a T-grooved dry gas seal were investigated according to laminar, turbulent, and slip conditions in a fluid film with different clearances.