Engineering topics

Morrison, Gerald L.

Publications and source records attributed to Morrison, Gerald L..

14 records

NASA NTRS1997

Upstream Swirl Effects on the Flow Inside a Labyrinth Seal

The flow field inside a seven cavity tooth on rotor labyrinth seal was measured using a 3D laser Doppler anemometer system. The seal was operated at a Reynolds number of 24,000 and a Taylor number of 6,600 using water as the working fluid. Swirl vanes were placed upstream of the seal to produce positive, negative, and no preswirl. It was found that the axial and radial velocities were minimally effected. The tangential velocity, both in the clearance region and the seal cavities on the rotor, were greatly altered by the preswirl. By applying negative preswirl, the tangential velocity was suppressed, even in the seventh cavity. The turbulence levels decreased as the preswirl varied from negative to positive.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Wall Shear Stress, Wall Pressure and Near Wall Velocity Field Relationships in a Whirling Annular Seal

The mean and phase averaged pressure and wall shear stress distributions were measured on the stator wall of a 50% eccentric annular seal which was whirling in a circular orbit at the same speed as the shaft rotation. The shear stresses were measured using flush mounted hot-film probes. Four different operating conditions were considered consisting of Reynolds numbers of 12,000 and 24,000 and Taylor numbers of 3,300 and 6,600. At each of the operating conditions the axial distribution (from Z/L = -0.2 to 1.2) of the mean pressure, shear stress magnitude, and shear stress direction on the stator wall were measured. Also measured were the phase averaged pressure and shear stress. These data were combined to calculate the force distributions along the seal length. Integration of the force distributions result in the net forces and moments generated by the pressure and shear stresses. The flow field inside the seal operating at a Reynolds number of 24,000 and a Taylor number of 6,600 has been measured using a 3-D laser Doppler anemometer system. Phase averaged wall pressure and wall shear stress are presented along with phase averaged mean velocity and turbulence kinetic energy distributions located 0.16c from the stator wall where c is the seal clearance. The relationships between the velocity, turbulence, wall pressure and wall shear stress are very complex and do not follow simple bulk flow predictions.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Experimental study of the flow field inside a whirling annular seal

The flow field inside a whirling annular seal has been measured using a 3-D Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) system. The seal investigated has a clearance of 1.27 mm, a length of 37.3 mm and is mounted on a drive shaft with a 50 percent eccentricity ratio. This results in the rotor whirling at the same speed as the shaft rotation (whirl ratio = 1.0). The seal is operated at a Reynolds number of 12000 and a Taylor number of 6300 (3600 rpm). The 3-D LDA system is equipped with a rotary encoding system which is used to produce phase averaged measurements of the entire mean velocity vector field and Reynolds stress tensor field from 0.13 mm upstream to 0.13 mm downstream of the seal. The mean velocity field reveals a highly three-dimensional flow field with large radial velocities near the inlet of the seal as well as a recirculation zone on the rotor surface. The location of maximum mean axial velocity migrates from the pressure side of the rotor at the inlet to the suction side at the exit. Turbulence production is a maximum near the seal inlet as indicated by the rapid increase of the turbulence kinetic energy (kappa). However, turbulence production and dissipation attain equilibrium fairly quickly with kappa remaining relatively constant over the last half of the seal.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Eccentricity effects upon the flow field inside a whirling annular seal

The flow field inside a whirling annular seal operating at a Reynolds number of 24,000 and a Taylor number of 6600 has been measured using a 3-D laser Doppler anemometer system. Two eccentricity ratios were considered, 0.10 and 0.50. The seal has a diameter of 164 mm, is 37.3 mm long, and has a clearance of 1.27 mm. The rotor was mounted eccentrically on the shaft such that the whirl ratio is 1.0 and the rotor follows a circular orbit. The mean axial velocity is not uniform around the circumference of the seal; near the inlet a region characterized by high velocity of the seal. By the exit, another region of high axial velocity is not uniform around the circumference of the seal; near the inlet a region characterized by high velocity of the seal. By the exit, another region of high axial velocity has developed, this time on the suction side of the seal. The magnitude and azimuthal distance of the migration increased with increasing whirl amplitude (eccentricity). Throughout the seal length, the azimuthal mean velocity varied inversely with the mean axial velocity. Increasing the whirl amplitude did not increase the magnitude of the azimuthal velocity at the seal exit.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Experimental study of the flow field inside a whirling annular seal

The flow field inside a whirling annular seal was measured using a 3-D Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) system. The seal investigated has a clearance of 1.27 mm, a length of 37.3 mm, and is mounted on a drive shaft with a 50 percent eccentricity ratio. This results in the rotor whirling at the same speed as the shaft rotation (whirl ratio = 1.0). The seal is operated at Reynolds number of 12,000 and a Taylor number of 6,300 (3,600 rpm). The 3-D LDA system is equipped with a rotary encoding system which is used to produce phase averaged measurements of the entire mean velocity vector field and Reynolds stress tensor field from 0.13 mm upstream to 0.13 mm downstream of the seal. The mean velocity field reveals a highly three dimensional flow field with large radial velocities near the inlet of the seal as well as a recirculation zone on the rotor surface. The location of maximum mean axial velocity migrates from the pressure side of the rotor at the inlet to the suction side at turbulence kinetic energy. However, turbulence production and dissipation attain equilibrium fairly quickly with remaining relatively constant over the last half of the seal.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Turbulence measurements of high shear flow fields in a turbomachine seal configuration

The mean velocity and Reynolds stress tensor throughout a whirling annular seal are presented. The data was collected with a three dimensional laser Doppler velocimeter using phase averaging. Two axial flow conditions (Re = 12,000 and 24,000) were studied at one shaft speed (Ta = 6,600). The eccentricity and whirl ratios were 50 and 100 percent, respectively. There is a region of high axial momentum in this region is higher in the low Reynolds number case due to an axial recirculation zone that occurs on the suction side of the rotor at the inlet. The recirculation zone does not occur in the high Reynolds number case. At both Reynolds numbers, there is a recirculation zone on the rotor surface in the pressure side of the inlet. This recirculation zone extends from 20 to 200 degrees rotor zenith in the tangential direction, and is one third of a clearance wide radially. The high Reynolds number recirculation zone is 1.5 mean clearances long, while the low Reynolds number zone extends 2 mean clearances downstream. When compared to previous studies, it is apparent that the tangential momentum is no greater for a seal with whirl than for one without if other parameters are constant. Areas of high tangential momentum occur in the clearance where the axial momentum is low. Average exit plane tangential velocities in the high Reynolds number case are 1.5 times greater than those in the other flow case. These results are in general agreement with predictions made by other investigators.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

An experimental technique for performing 3-D LDA measurements inside whirling annular seals

During the last several years, the Fluid Mechanics Division of the Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M University has developed a rather unique facility with the experimental capability for measuring the flow field inside journal bearings, labyrinth seals, and annular seals. The facility consists of a specially designed 3-D LDA system which is capable of measuring the instantaneous velocity vector within 0.2 mm of a wall while the laser beams are aligned almost perpendicular to the wall. This capability was required to measure the flow field inside journal bearings, labyrinth seals, and annular seals. A detailed description of this facility along with some representative results obtained for a whirling annular seal are presented.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Seals Research at Texas A/M University

The Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M has been providing experimental data and computational codes for the design seals for many years. The program began with the development of a Halon based seal test rig. This facility provided information about the effective stiffness and damping in whirling seals. The Halon effectively simulated cryogenic fluids. Another test facility was developed (using air as the working fluid) where the stiffness and damping matrices can be determined. This data was used to develop bulk flow models of the seal's effect upon rotating machinery; in conjunction with this research, a bulk flow model for calculation of performance and rotordynamic coefficients of annular pressure seals of arbitrary non-uniform clearance for barotropic fluids such as LH2, LOX, LN2, and CH4 was developed. This program is very efficient (fast) and converges for very large eccentricities. Currently, work is being performed on a bulk flow analysis of the effects of the impeller-shroud interaction upon the stability of pumps. The data was used along with data from other researchers to develop an empirical leakage prediction code for MSFC. Presently, the flow field inside labyrinth and annular seals are being studied in detail. An advanced 3-D Doppler anemometer system is being used to measure the mean velocity and entire Reynolds stress tensor distribution throughout the seals. Concentric and statically eccentric seals were studied; presently, whirling seals are being studied. The data obtained are providing valuable information about the flow phenomena occurring inside the seals, as well as a data base for comparison with numerical predictions and for turbulence model development. A finite difference computer code was developed for solving the Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equation inside labyrinth seals. A multi-scale k-epsilon turbulence model is currently being evaluated. A new seal geometry was designed and patented using a computer code. A large scale, 2-D seal flow visualization facility is also being developed.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Rectangular subsonic jet flow field measurements

Flow field measurements of three subsonic rectangular cold air jets are presented. The three cases had aspect ratios of 1x2, 1x4 at a Mach number of 0.09 and an aspect ratio of 1x2 at a Mach number of 0.9. All measurements were made using a 3-D laser Doppler anemometer system. The data includes the mean velocity vector, all Reynolds stress tensor components, turbulent kinetic energy and velocity correlation coefficients. The data are presented in tabular and graphical form. No analysis of the measured data or comparison to other published data is made.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Vorticity, turbulence production, and turbulence induced accelerations in a rectangular jet as measured using 3-D LDA

The flow field of a rectangular jet with a 4:1 aspect ratio (50.4 x 12.7 mm) was studied at a Reynolds number of 100,000 (Mach number 0.09) using a 3-D laser Doppler anemometer system. Measurements were performed along the major and minor axis planes and at various downstream cross-sections of the jet. The mean velocity vector and entire Reynolds stress tensor were measured and presented in a previous publication. The present work presents the vorticity vector, turbulence production, and turbulence induced acceleration vector distributions which were calculated from the previously presented data.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Rectangular subsonic jet flow field measurements

Flow field measurements are presented of 3 subsonic rectangular cold air jets. The 3 cases presented had aspect ratios of 1 x 2, 1 x 4 at a Mach number of 0.09 and an aspect ratio of 1 x 2 at a Mach number of 0.9. All measurements were made using a 3-D laser Doppler anemoneter system. The presented data includes the mean velocity vector, all Reynolds stress tensor components, turbulent kinetic energy and velocity correlation coefficients. The data is presented in tabular and graphical form. No analysis of the measured data or comparison to other published data is made. All tabular data are available in ASCII format on MS-DOS compatible disks.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1988

3-D LDA study of a rectangular jet

The flow field of a rectangular jet with a 2:1 aspect ratio was studied at an axial Reynolds number of 100,000 (Mach number 0.09) using three-dimensional laser Doppler velocimetry. The flow field survey resulted in mean velocity vector field plots and contour plots of the Reynolds stress tensor components. This paper presents contour plots in the planes of the jet minor and major axes at different axial locations. These data contribute substantially to currently available data of jet flow fields and will provide a valuable database for three-dimensional modeling.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Eddy viscosity measurements in a rectangular jet

The flow field of a rectangular jet with a 2:1 aspect ratio was studied at a Reynolds number of 100,000 (Mach number 0.09) using three-dimensional laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). Velocity gradients, Reynolds stress tensor components, and scalar eddy viscosities are presented for the major and minor axis planes of the jet. The eddy viscosity model was found to be applicable only in the direction of maximum mean velocity gradient.

Swan, David H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Rectangular subsonic jet flowfield study

The flowfield of a rectangular jet with 2:1 aspect ratio was studied at an axial Reynolds number of 127,000, using a three-dimensional laser anemometer. The flowfield surveys resulted in mean velocity vector field plots and contour plots of the Reynolds stress tensor components for the major and minor axes. These data contribute substantially to currently available data of jet flowfields.

Morrison, Gerald L.↗