Enhanced understanding of leakage in mechanical seals with elliptical dimples based on CFD simulation

Abstract

Purpose

The shapes of surface textures have been designed to control the leakage of mechanical seals in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the influence of geometric properties of elliptical dimples on the leakage rate.

Design/methodology/approach

A new geometric feature point is expressed using an analytical solution to locate the high-pressure zones. Furthermore, a numerical model of the three-dimensional flow field for the mechanical seal with elliptical dimples is developed using ANSYS Fluent to demonstrate the influencing mechanism.

Findings

The location of the proposed geometric converging point coincides with the maximum pressure point under different orientation angles. An inward flow on the leakage section observed from the simulation results is responsible for decreasing the leakage rate.

Originality/value

The influencing mechanism of the elliptical dimple on the leakage rate is demonstrated, which can facilitate the design of surface textures.

Citation

Jiang, S., Ji, H., Wang, T., Feng, D. and Li, Q. (2020), "Enhanced understanding of leakage in mechanical seals with elliptical dimples based on CFD simulation", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 72 No. 1, pp. 24-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-03-2019-0087