Analysis of leackage in axial shaft sealing

Shaft sealings are used in turbomachines or apparatuses in process industry to avoid leakage of aggressive or polluting media. In turbomachines about 3-9% of the mass flow rate are typically lost through these devices causing reduction of efficiency and costs. Numerous parameters and operating conditions influence the leakage. From a fluid dynamical point of view gasdynamical and tribological question arise besides the fluid-structure interaction. The goal of the present project is to provide a more complete and reliable understanding of these phenomena based on computational studies. The models developed within the project are validated against experimental results. The project is a cooperation with EagleBurgmann Espey GmbH in Moers.