Project Details
[Return to Previous Page]Cryogenic Brush Seal Research and Development for Rotating Pump Components in Cryogenic Service
Company: Flowserve US Inc
Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: MATSE
Optional: ESC
Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES
Intellectual Property: NO
Cryogenic Brush Sealing System Flowserve Corporation aims to continuously improve its flow control portfolio and provide extraordinary solutions for its customers to make the world better for everyone. Flowserve offers a wide range of pump types that support power, oil, gas, chemical, and general industries. Project Overview: Develop and characterize the sealing capability of different thermoplastic/elastomeric or metallic brush seals which limit leakage in annular clearances. This sealing system will be utilized to provide controlled leakage on traditional centrifugal or positive displacement pumps when the pump is required for liquid or gaseous cryogenic pumping services. It will also provide the ability to adapt to a wide range of operating temperatures indicative of a cryogenic application. Brush seals are compliant seals that contact the rotating surface of a pump component. Understanding the effects these seals have on performance, multistage pumps, and material wear will ultimately improve the competitiveness of our engineering between cryogenic pump services &/or reduce the risk of warranty cases, especially where leakage of the process fluid could result in dangerous environment for operators, technicians, or test engineers or negatively impact pump performance. Objectives: o Understand the state of the art with hydrogen and cryogenic applications, including, but not limited to, materials, cost, availability, effectiveness & application limitations. o Define & understand critical design parameters surrounding cryogenic sealing, such as materials, tolerancing, thermal expansion/contraction, wear etc. o Research & define the physical requirements for the specific seal applications(s). o Prepare a comprehensive test plan to determine the optimum design for the cryogenic sealing system. o Create a CAD model of a seal and test rig. o Conduct FEA/CFD analysis to understand design characteristics. o Present final deliverables to Flowserve Deliverables: o Research report on current applications of cryogenic sealing in an industrial environment o Summary report outlining options & proposal of the final selection of seal type. o Final design of test rig including assembly drawings, supporting calculations & design review documentation. o Summary report defining application requirements o Summary report of testing and final design recommendation based on testing. o Final report and presentation Throughout this project students will need to exercise their engineering judgment and intuition as they investigate this technology. The students will present their study, redesign, results, and conclusions to Flowserve.
