Experimental measurement of phase averaged wall-pressure distributions for a 25% eccentric whirling annular seal

Instantaneous wall-pressure data were recorded for a 25% eccentric whirling annular seal for rotor speeds of 1800RPM and 3600RPM, axial Reynolds numbers of 24000 and 12000, and whirl ratios of 0.1-1.0 following the procedure set forth by Winslow (1994), Robic (1999) and Suryanarayanan (2003). Overall, the phase averaged wall-pressure distributions were consistent with previous results. The Âswitch in the pressure distribution measured by Suryanarayanan (2003) and Robic (1999) from pressure to suction between the seal entrance and exit occurs at and above a whirl ratio of 0.7 for 1800RPM and 0.4 for 3600RPM. For both rotor speeds, decreasing the flow rate by one-half also decreases the wall pressure fluctuation distributions by one-half. For whirl ratios less than 0.5, the phase averaged pressure field was relatively constant which leads to minimal forces being imparted on the rotor by the fluid in the annulus. Talyor-Gortler vortices are measured for 1800RPM and Re=24000 at whirl ratios 0.1 and 0.3-0.7. As the whirl ratio increases past 0.5, longitudinal vortices begin to emerge in the pressure contours and skew axially with 180° shifts occurring when the Taylor-Reynolds ratio is large enough. Longitudinal vortices were measured for both rotor speeds when the whirling motion is greater than 1400RPM for Re=12000 and greater than 1600RPM for Re=24000. Attempts were made to apply Childs (1983) procedure for finding the rotordynamic coefficients of annular seals; however, the seal moves in a non-circular orbit about the sealÂs center so Childs analysis cannot be applied