Abstract
Aiming to solve the problems of excessive leakage and insufficient gas film stiffness of high-speed dry gas seals, a bidirectional rotating triangular step groove sealing structure was developed, based on the spiral groove sealing principle and combined with bidirectional rotation and step groove design. The finite difference method was employed to solve the hydrodynamic lubrication equation, which can systematic study the influence of operating conditions and structural parameters on lubrication performance. Meanwhile, the coupling effect between the number of groove layers and the opening angle on seal optimization was examined. The results indicate that optimized groove design significantly enhances sealing efficiency. Increasing the opening angle of a single-layer groove can improve film stiffness and increase the opening force by 1.75%. Moreover, adding step layers effectively reduces leakage, decreasing the leakage rate by 2.04%. Among the tested configurations, “Type 3” grooves were preferable for applications requiring high opening force, whereas “Type 1” grooves achieve an optimal compromise between opening force and leakage control. Furthermore, an appropriate number of step layers (e.g., two layers) optimises gas film pressure distribution, enhances seal stability, and increases opening force, whereas excessive layering may negatively impact performance. This sealing structure demonstrates exceptional performance under high-speed and complex operating conditions, making it highly suitable for aerospace, energy, power generation, and precision machinery applications. It proviedes a solid foundation for advancing high-performance dry gas sealing technology.
Keywords
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.