Numerical Investigation on Leakage Characteristics of a Novel Honeycomb Seal with Wall Holes

Honeycomb seals are a critical component to reduce leakage flow and improve system stability for turbomachines. In this work, a novel single-wall-hole-honeycomb seal (S-WHHCS) is proposed, which is built by the traditional honeycomb seal (HCS) with single hole drilling in the honeycomb sidewall. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was used to investigate the leakage characteristics of the S-WHHCS. A series of working conditions of rotation speeds and operating pressures were considered in simulations. The influences of the operating parameters on the leakage characteristics of the S-WHHCS were studied and analysed. The mechanism of the leakage reduction effect of the S-WHHCS was revealed compared with a typical HCS. Numerical results show that the newly added hole influences the pressure drop and turbulence kinetic energy distribution for the seals. Moreover, the numerical results also show that the leakage rate of the S-WHHCS can be reduced in a wide range of operating conditions compared with the typical HCS. The current studies on single-wall-hole-honeycomb seals provide an option to enhance honeycomb seal construction.