Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal Compressors

The windage loss in impeller back gap and labyrinth seal cavities significantly impacts the aerodynamic performances of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO<sub>2</sub>) compressors. To accurately calculate windage loss, essential factors affecting the skin friction coefficients <i>C&...

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Main Authors: Bing Tang, Jianxin Liao, Zhuobin Zhao, Qinghua Deng, Jun Li, Zhenping Feng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3678
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author Bing Tang
Jianxin Liao
Zhuobin Zhao
Qinghua Deng
Jun Li
Zhenping Feng
author_facet Bing Tang
Jianxin Liao
Zhuobin Zhao
Qinghua Deng
Jun Li
Zhenping Feng
author_sort Bing Tang
collection DOAJ
description The windage loss in impeller back gap and labyrinth seal cavities significantly impacts the aerodynamic performances of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO<sub>2</sub>) compressors. To accurately calculate windage loss, essential factors affecting the skin friction coefficients <i>C</i><sub>f,d</sub> (disk-type gap) and <i>C</i><sub>f,s</sub> (shaft-type gap), including Reynolds number <i>Re</i>, pressure ratio <i>π</i>, and radius ratio <i>η</i>, are investigated in this paper. The flow characteristics of the gap are analyzed and prediction models are proposed. The results indicate that both <i>C</i><sub>f,d</sub> and <i>C</i><sub>f,s</sub> decrease with increasing <i>Re</i> and grow with <i>π</i> and <i>η</i>, attributable to expanded high-vorticity regions caused by enhanced flow instability and larger vortices. The leakage flow rate <i>m</i> is unchanged for <i>Re</i> < 10<sup>6</sup> since the fluid can flow into the impeller back gap, and slightly decreases for <i>Re</i> ≥ 10<sup>6</sup> due to the centrifugal force and the inhibition effect of the vortices filling inlet regions. Moreover, the <i>m</i> grows with <i>π</i> and <i>η</i> due to a larger pressure difference and through-flow area. Maximal relative deviations of 6.23% and 6.83% can satisfy the requirements for calculating accurate windage loss in the impeller back gap and labyrinth seal cavities, which help the primary design of sCO<sub>2</sub> compressors.
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spelling doaj-art-718f640da3664bfeb5deaf5c4b1912b52025-08-20T03:08:44ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-03-01157367810.3390/app15073678Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal CompressorsBing Tang0Jianxin Liao1Zhuobin Zhao2Qinghua Deng3Jun Li4Zhenping Feng5Nanjing Engineering Institute of Aircraft Systems, AVIC, Nanjing 211106, ChinaDongfang Turbine Co., Ltd., Dongfang Electric Corporation, Deyang 618000, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, ChinaThe windage loss in impeller back gap and labyrinth seal cavities significantly impacts the aerodynamic performances of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO<sub>2</sub>) compressors. To accurately calculate windage loss, essential factors affecting the skin friction coefficients <i>C</i><sub>f,d</sub> (disk-type gap) and <i>C</i><sub>f,s</sub> (shaft-type gap), including Reynolds number <i>Re</i>, pressure ratio <i>π</i>, and radius ratio <i>η</i>, are investigated in this paper. The flow characteristics of the gap are analyzed and prediction models are proposed. The results indicate that both <i>C</i><sub>f,d</sub> and <i>C</i><sub>f,s</sub> decrease with increasing <i>Re</i> and grow with <i>π</i> and <i>η</i>, attributable to expanded high-vorticity regions caused by enhanced flow instability and larger vortices. The leakage flow rate <i>m</i> is unchanged for <i>Re</i> < 10<sup>6</sup> since the fluid can flow into the impeller back gap, and slightly decreases for <i>Re</i> ≥ 10<sup>6</sup> due to the centrifugal force and the inhibition effect of the vortices filling inlet regions. Moreover, the <i>m</i> grows with <i>π</i> and <i>η</i> due to a larger pressure difference and through-flow area. Maximal relative deviations of 6.23% and 6.83% can satisfy the requirements for calculating accurate windage loss in the impeller back gap and labyrinth seal cavities, which help the primary design of sCO<sub>2</sub> compressors.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3678skin friction coefficientimpeller back gaplabyrinth sealsupercritical CO<sub>2</sub> compressor
spellingShingle Bing Tang
Jianxin Liao
Zhuobin Zhao
Qinghua Deng
Jun Li
Zhenping Feng
Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal Compressors
Applied Sciences
skin friction coefficient
impeller back gap
labyrinth seal
supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> compressor
title Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal Compressors
title_full Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal Compressors
title_fullStr Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal Compressors
title_full_unstemmed Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal Compressors
title_short Windage and Leakage Losses in Impeller Back Gap and Labyrinth Seal Cavities of Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Centrifugal Compressors
title_sort windage and leakage losses in impeller back gap and labyrinth seal cavities of supercritical co sub 2 sub centrifugal compressors
topic skin friction coefficient
impeller back gap
labyrinth seal
supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> compressor
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3678
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AT qinghuadeng windageandleakagelossesinimpellerbackgapandlabyrinthsealcavitiesofsupercriticalcosub2subcentrifugalcompressors
AT junli windageandleakagelossesinimpellerbackgapandlabyrinthsealcavitiesofsupercriticalcosub2subcentrifugalcompressors
AT zhenpingfeng windageandleakagelossesinimpellerbackgapandlabyrinthsealcavitiesofsupercriticalcosub2subcentrifugalcompressors