Learning Factory - Sponsors - Examples of Past Projects
Semester: Spring 2010
Sponsor: Dresser-Rand
Title: Floating Seal
Description: Overview For more than 100 years, Dresser-Rand has been a world leader in energy conversion technology, designing, manufacturing, and servicing a wide range of field-proven centrifugal and reciprocating compressors, gas and steam turbines, expanders, rotating separators, and control systems. Several alternatives are being proposed for reducing greenhouse gases emissions, particularly, carbon dioxide (CO2) due to its global warming impact. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is one approach for reducing the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere from coal power plants. The power requirement to compress the CO2 for transportation and sequestration purposes can be as high as 10 – 12% of the total power plant output. Motivation One alternative for reducing the power consumed during CO2 compression is to lower the amount of recycle flow inside the compressor. This recycle flow occurs due to leakage paths between stationary and rotating components that are necessary to prevent parts from rubbing. Balanced floating labyrinth seals have been suggested as a feasible solution where the seal can move with the shaft to maintain tight clearances and avoid rubs. Objectives The objective is to develop a floating labyrinth seal that will operate under a certain pressure differential. The students will design the labyrinth seal and its cavity and calculate the intermediate pressure and the mass flow rate necessary to balance the seal (axial and radial forces). Also, material selection would be required (O-ring, labyrinth and cavity) Deliverables - Labyrinth seal and cavity layouts - Balance forces analysis - Material selection - Rapid prototyping model for illustration purposes