The Prediction and Measurement of Incompressible Flow in a Labyrinth Seal

Predictions and measurements were obtained for incompressible flow in a labyrinth seal for Taylor numbers of 0, 7,600, and 19,000 at an axial Reynolds number near 50,000. A hot-film anemometer with computer data acquisition was used in obtaining the measurements. The computations were made using a turbulent flow Navier-Stokes finite difference code. The QUICK differencing scheme was utilized in order to diminish false diffusion. Comparison between experiments and predictions are given for the axial and swirl velocity components and turbulent kinetic energy. Also, the substantial effect of the Taylor number on the pressure distribution is presented.