Swirl interruption seal teeth for seal assembly
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsXiaoqing Zheng, Daniel Mark Brown, Jason Winfred Jewett, Fred Thomas Willett, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seal assembly for sealing between a rotating component and a stationary component in a turbomachine. The seal assembly includes a plurality of radially inwardly projecting, axially spaced teeth extending from the stationary component, wherein at least one of the plurality of teeth has at least one axially extending hole therethrough. Axial flow of an operating fluid through the holes acts as an air-curtain to interrupt swirl flow in a seal cavity, therefore reducing steam force that could act to destabilize rotordynamics.
Claims20
A seal assembly for sealing between a rotating component and a stationary component in a turbomachine, the seal assembly comprising:
- a plurality of radially inwardly projecting, axially spaced teeth extending from the stationary component, wherein at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth has at least one axially extending hole therethrough, the axially extending hole extending through the at least one tooth from an upstream, high-pressure side to a downstream, low-pressure side of the at least one tooth and being distanced radially inwardly from a radially innermost surface of an arcuate packing ring,
- wherein the upstream, high-pressure side is in fluid communication with the downstream, low-pressure side via the at least one axially extending hole.
A turbomachine comprising:
- a rotating element;
- a stationary component substantially surrounding the rotating element;
- and
- a seal assembly coupled to the stationary component, the seal assembly including:
- a plurality of radially inwardly projecting, axially spaced teeth extending from the stationary component, wherein at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth has at least one axially extending hole therethrough, the axially extending hole extending through the at least one tooth from an upstream, high-pressure side to a downstream, low-pressure side of the at least one tooth and being distanced radially inwardly from a radially innermost surface of an arcuate packing ring,
- wherein the upstream, high-pressure side is in fluid communication with the downstream, low-pressure side via the at least one axially extending hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.