Effects of Four Types of Pre-swirls on the Leakage, Flow Field, and Fluid-Induced Force of the Rotary Straight-through Labyrinth Gas Seal

The labyrinth seal in turbomachinery is a key element that restricts leakage flow among rotor-stator clearances from high-pressure regions to low-pressure regions. The fluid-induced forces on the rotor from seals during machine operation must be accurately quantified to predict their dynamic behavior effectively. To understand the fluid-induced force characteristics of the labyrinth seal more fully, the effects of four types of pre-swirls on the leakage, flow field, and fluid-induced force of a rotary straight-through labyrinth gas seal (RSTLGS) were numerically investigated using the proposed steady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method based on the three-dimensional models of the RSTLGS. The leakage, flow field, and fluid-induced force of the RSTLGS for six axial pre-swirl velocities, four radial preswirl angles, four circumferential positive pre-swirl angles, and four circumferential negative pre-swirl angles were computed under the same geometrical parameters and operational conditions. Mesh analysis ensures the accuracy of the present steady CFD method. The numerical results show that the four types of pre-swirls influence the leakage, flow field, and fluid-induced force of the RSTLGS. The axial pre-swirl velocity remarkably inhibits the fluid-induced force, and the circumferential positive pre-swirl angle and circumferential negative pre-swirl angle remarkably promote the fluid-induced force. The effects of the radial pre-swirl angle on the fluid-induced force are complicated, and the pressure forces and viscous forces show the maximum or minimum values at a specific radial pre-swirl angle. The pre-swirl has a negligible impact on the leakage. The four types of pre-swirls affect the leakage, flow field, and fluidinduced force of the RSTLGS to varying degrees. The pre-swirl is the influence factor affecting the leakage, flow field, and fluid-induced force of the RSTLGS. The conclusions will help to understand the fluid-induced force of labyrinth seals more fully, by providing helpful suggestions for engineering practices and a theoretical basis to analyze the fluid–structure interaction of the seal-rotor system in future research.

Advances in research on labyrinth membranous barriers

Integrity of the membranous labyrinth barrier system is of critical importance, which promotes inner ear homeostasis and maintains its features. The membranous labyrinth barrier system is divided into several subsets of barriers which, although independent from each other, are interrelated. The same substance may demonstrate different permeability characteristics through different barriers and under different conditions, while different substances can have different permeability features even in the same barrier under the same condition. All parts of the mem-branous labyrinth barrier structure, including their morphology, enzymes and channel proteins, and theirs permeability characteristics under various physiological and pathological conditions are reviewed in this paper. Infections, noise exposure, ototoxicity may all increase perme-ability of the barriers and lead to disturbances in inner ear homeostasis. Copyright ? 2015 The Authors. Production & hosting by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd On behalf of PLA General Hospital Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Investigation and Improvement of the Staggered Labyrinth Seal

Recent studies on staggered labyrinth seals have focused on the effects of different parameters,such as the pressure ratio and rotational speed on the leakage flow rate.However,few investigations pay sufficient attention to flow details and the sealing mechanism,which would be of practical importance in designing seals having higher performance.This paper establishes a theoretical model to study the seal mechanism,thus revealing that leakage is determined by the pressure ratio and geometric structure.Numerical simulation is implemented to illustrate details of the flow field within the seal structure.Viscous dissipation is used to quantitatively investigate the contribution that each location makes to the seal performance,revealing that orifices and stagnation points are the most important positions in the seal structure,generating the most dissipation.The orifice is carefully studied by using the theoretical model.Experiments for different pressure ratios are conducted and the results match well with those of the theoretical model and numerical simulation,verifying the theoretical model and analysis of the seal mechanism.Three new designs,based on a good understanding of the seal mechanism,are presented,with one reducing leakage by 24.5%.

Numerical Analysis of Labyrinth Seal Performance for the Impeller Backface Cavity of a Supercritical CO_(2) Radial Inflow Turbine

For a radial inflow turbine(RIT),leakage flow in impeller backface cavity has critical impacts on aerodynamic performance of the RIT and axial force acting on the RIT impeller.In order to control this leakage flow,different types of labyrinth seals are numerically studied in this paper based on a supercritical carbon dioxide(S-CO_(2))RIT.The effects of seal clearance and cavity outlet pressure are first analyzed,and the impacts of seal design parameters,including height,number and shape of seal teeth,are evaluated.Results indicate that adding labyrinth seal can improve cavity pressure and hence adequately inhibits leakage flow.Decreasing the seal clearance and increasing the height of seal teeth are beneficial to improve sealing performance,and the same effect can be obtained by increasing the number of seal teeth.Meanwhile,employing seals can reduce leakage loss and improve RIT efficiency under a specific range of cavity outlet pressure.Finally,the influences of seal types on the flow field in seal cavity are numerically analyzed,and results demonstrate that isosceles trapezoidal type of seal cavity has better sealing performance than triangular,rectangular and right-angled trapezoidal seal cavities.

ANALYSIS OF COUPLING INFLUENCES OF LABYRINTH SEAL PARAMETERS ON CROSS COUPLED STIFFNESS AND DIRECT DAMPING COEFFICIENT

Labyrinth seal can cause steam-exciting, the structural and operating parameters of labyrinth seal have effect on stability of rotor-system. For investigating the coupling influences of the structure and operating parameters of labyrinth seals on dynamic coefficients, a model of calculating dynamic coefficients of labyrinth seals is presented using a two control volume model. The coupling influences of parameters on cross-coupled stiffness and direct damping of labyrinth seal are discussed. In the conclusion, a reference of preventing steam-exciting vibration and optimum determination of design parameters of labyrinth seals are provided.

Effect and sensitivity analysis of the rotational speed on the fluid-induced force characteristics of the straight-through labyrinth gas seal

The effects of the rotational speed on the fluid-induced force characteristics of a straight-through labyrinth gas seal( STLGS) are numerically investigated using the steady computational fluid dynamics( CFD) method based on a three-dimensional model of the STLGS. The fluid-induced force characteristics of the STLGS for five rotational speeds at a pressure drop of △P = 5000 Pa with and without eccentricity are computed. The grid density analysis ensures the accuracy of the present steady-CFD method. The effect and sensitivity analysis show that the changes in rotational speed affect the pressure forces,viscous forces and total pressure distributions on the rotor surface,velocity streamlines,leakage flow rates,and maximum flow velocities. The results indicate that the rotational speed inhibits the pressure forces,leakage flow rates and maximum flow velocities and promotes the viscous forces and total pressure on the rotor surface.

Labyrinth Seal Design Optimization Based on Quadratic Regression Orthogonal Experiment

The influence of labyrinth seal structure parameters and their interaction on the characteristics of leakage amount are numerically investigated by conducting a quadratic regression orthogonal experiment. To determine the optimal structure parameters of the steam seal for minimizing the leakage amount, a reliable regression equation that does not lack of fit is established. The flow characteristics of the fluid in the labyrinth seal are analyzed in detail. Results show that the leakage amount is greatly influenced by seal cavity depth, convex platform height, seal tooth thickness, and tooth tip clearance, with the tip clearance having the most significant effect. The interaction among the four items exerts a certain impact on the leakage amount. The proposed regression equation exhibits a good significance and does not lack of fit. After optimization, the labyrinth seal demonstrates increased entropy and energy dissipation at the tip of the seal tooth, as well as decreased speed and inertia effect in the cavity, suggesting that the resistance leakage performance of the optimized labyrinth seal is improved.

Labyrinth maze-like long travel-reduction of sulfur and polysulfides in micropores of a spherical honeycomb carbon to greatly confine shuttle effects in lithium-sulfur batteries

Polysulfide absorption in a micropore-rich structure has been reported to be capable of efficiently confining the shuttle effect for high-performance lithium-sulfur(Li–S)batteries.Here,a labyrinth maze-like spherical honeycomb-like carbon with micropore-rich structure was synthesized,which is employed as a template host material of sulfur to study the shuttle effects.The results strongly confirm that a diffusion controlled process rather than an absorption resulted surface-controlled process occurs in an even micropore-rich cathode but still greatly inhibits the shuttle effect.Thus,the battery achieves a high initial discharge specific capacity of 1120 mAh g1 at 0.25 C and super cycling stability for 1635 cycles with only 0.035%capacity decay per cycle with 100%Coulombic efficiency.We would like to propose a new mechanism for shuttle effect inhibition in micropores.In terms of the diffusion control process in microporous paths of a labyrinth maze structure,polysulfides experience a long travel to realize continuous reductions of sulfur and polysulfides until formation of the final solid product.This efficiently prevents the polysulfides escaping to electrolyte.The labyrinth maze-like honeycomb structure also offers fast electron transfer and enhanced mass transport as well as robust mechanical strength retaining intact structure for long cycle life.This work sheds lights on new fundamental insights behind the shuttle effects with universal significance while demonstrating prominent merits of a robust labyrinth maze-like structure in high performance cathode for high-performance Li–S batteries.

Nonlinear dynamic characteristics model of labyrinth seal based on Muszynska model

An accurate seal forces model is the foundation to analyze the rotor-seal systems. In this paper, the Navier-Stokes equation and energy equation are solved to simulate the interior flow field in the labyrinth seal gap. The leakage rate is compared with the experimental results in the literatures. The ：4maximum error is 4% , which proves that the method of employing CFD to simulate the interior flow field of labyrinth seal gap is reliable. Based on this, the interior flow field and fluid exciting force of stage teeth labyrinth seal are studied. By coupling with the Muszynska model, the method of defining the experience loss parameters in Muszynska model is proposed. The results indicate that the experience parameters obtained by the proposed method can depict the nonlinear exciting force of labyrinth seal better.

Neutron penetration in labyrinths under different beam losses

Multiple analytical methods and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to evaluate neutron penetration in straight and curved labyrinths. Factors studied included variations in beam losses of off-axis point source,on-axis point source,and line source. For the straight labyrinth, it was found that the analytical expressions neglect the dose rate platform appearing at the bend of the labyrinth, and the agreement between analytical methods and Monte Carlo estimation was related to the type of neutron source term. For the curved labyrinth, the neutron attenuation length obtained under different conditions was nearly identical and appeared to be in quite good accord with the empirical formula calculation. Moreover, the neutron energy spectra along the centerline distance of the labyrinth were also analyzed. In the first leg, differences in beam loss led to variance in the distribution of spectra,while in the second and subsequent legs, the spectra were similar, where the main contributors were thermal neutrons. This work is valuable for practical design of the labyrinths in the accelerator facilities.

Labyrinth seal leakage and dynamics characteristics analysis based on Black Model

One of the important problems to be tackled in turbo machines is the leakage dynamics characteristics of labyrinth seals. In this paper we analyzed the effect of labyrinth seal structure and the change in fluid flow pressure on the leakage characteristics of seal. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for 3D labyrinth seal was built which provides a basis for reducing steam flow excitation. The streamline pattern and the pressure drop characteristics for leakage of steam through a labyrinth seal was investigated. Simulations of internal flow and leakage characteristics had been performed by CFD software and Black-Child model. The results showed that the amount of leakage is directly proportional to the tooth gap and inlet pressure and inversely proportional to the cavity depth and outlet pressure. The proposed CFD model provides a feasible method to predict the leakage characteristics of labyrinth seal in response to the structure of seal and the change in inlet-outlet pressures.

Northern Labyrinth—A Key to Time, Space, Information

Northern labyrinths are stone constructions of different shapes, dating back to III-I century BC. They mainly appear on capes on peninsulas and islands up to 13-25 metresabove the sea level. Their area begins from Scilly Isles (England) and in the White Sea (Russia). Opinions of scientists concerning their designation are controversial. Assumptions about their practical meaning haven’t been proved: no burials have been found underneath;fishing equipment cannot be located so far from the area of tides. Most of the scientists link labyrinths with the sphere of spiritual culture: sanctuaries, altars, sacred places, schemes of rituals and magical centers. Assumptions about calendar designation link the picture of labyrinth with schemes of orbits of the Sun, the Moon, planets and stars. However they do not explain the application of this technology. The author’s concept is based on the opposite astronomical alignment by the shade of gnomon and considers peculiarities of the geographical space of Northern regions (polar days and white nights). The aim of the research is to prove that the key to decoding the picture of a classic Northern labyrinth is a gnomon located in the centre of the construction. Field research has been conducted on Zayztskiy Island in Solovetskiy Archipelago. Experiments of imitation modeling have been done, analysis of linguistic and toponymic materials, archeological, astronomical, ethnographical and mythological and other sources has been implemented. The research has proved that observations of the shade can help to create a calendar in a shape of a bispiral labyrinth. The structure of labyrinth is convenient for defining the North, dividing daytime and defining geographical altitude of the observation point. Orientation in space and time has become the basis for navigation frame of the territory. A set of stone instruments is the key of a navigation frame of the territory. Life-essential stages of the yearly lighting are reflected in specific geometry shapes of shades. They have been preserved in mythological images of the Sun, solar symbols and modern sign systems. Languages, alphabets, numeric systems can be considered as models of geographical space and have evolved thanks to observations of the light movement. Key results of the research: 1) in the past the Sun used to play the leading role in navigation in the North because reference points of the dark sky were not available for observation;2) Northern labyrinths have been created and used thanks to gnomon;3) gnomon has been in the sphere of sacred knowledge for a long time, it was integrated as sundial 2.5 thousand years ago;4) most symbols of the Sun and the Time are connected with gnomon and labyrinth;5) the Sun, observation tools and results of observations are reflected in models of the world around—navigation, linguistic, toponymical, mythological, sacral and semiotic;6) The universal sense of Time helps to understand a wide range of meanings of a sign of a labyrinth: birth;life stages (status, transitions initiations);space time order;reproduction of the benefits, fertility, abundance;knowledge and forecast;management: law and order;eternity-revival;7) Use of solar navigation in formation of information systems is based on steady ratios “natural process—a geometrical sign (the sum of shadows in one day or year)”, universal opportunities of existential parameters for designation of objects, general availability and vital need of this knowledge.

Umbrella Labyrinth Sedimentation Device Study

Umbrella-type mud-water diversion labyrinth sedimentation device,which is characterized by the combination of two swash plate and wing plate into an umbrella type with a set angle,the angle range of the two swash plate is 15º--100º,the vertical height of the swash plate is 60-70 mm,the parallel axis of the wing plate is the vertical direction,the height is 10-20 mm.the whole adopts the modular combination mode,and can be freely combined and disassembled according to different pond design,swash plate The interval(sedimentation distance)can be freely adjusted,mud take the mud road and water take the water road,to avoid the mutual interference of the water and mud road,to achieve the stability of the water quality.The turbidity of the sedimentation pond is low,stable in 0.3-2.0 NTU.

迷宫(labyrinth)之谜

迷宫(labyrinth)是结构异常复杂的建筑物,许多公园里常建有迷宫,里面路径迂回曲折,旅游者得费好大劲儿才能从迷宫里走出来。古代埃及法老也曾建筑“迷宫”。本世纪初,一支英国考古队在克里特岛北部发掘了世界闻名的弥诺斯(Minos)迷宫。

Experimental Investigation of Discharge Capacity of Labyrinth Weirs with and without Nappe Breakers

Labyrinth weirs provide higher discharge capacity than conventional weirs, with the ability to pass large flows at comparatively low heads. Labyrinth weirs are primarily used as spillways for dams where the spillway width is restricted. In recent years, many research investigations have considered the hydraulic performance of labyrinth weirs, particularly as dependent on the geometric features. The previous work has improved the design basis for such weirs. However, their design still requires experimentally derived and generalized performance curves. It is especially important to observe the behavior of the weir nappe to ensure the design provides hydraulic optimization and to account for pressure fluctuations, possible vibrations, resonance effect, noise and flow surging. In the present study, discharge coefficients were experimentally determined for both circular labyrinth weirs and sharp crested trapezoidal labyrinth weirs of varying side wall angle (α). Additional studies were completed with nappe breakers included to reduce the impact of vibration on the labyrinth weirs. In general, the test data indicated that nappe breakers placed on the trapezoidal labyrinth weirs and circular labyrinth weirs reduced the discharge coefficient by up to 4% of the un-amended weir.

3D printed labyrinth multiresonant composite metastructure for broadband and strong microwave absorption

Microwave absorbers(MAs)with broadband and strong microwave absorption capacities are urgently required to meet the demands of complex electromagnetic(EM)environments.Herein,a novel labyrinth multiresonant metastructure composed of a polyether-ether-ketone/flaky carbonyl iron(PEEK/CIP)magnetic composite was proposed and fabricated via 3D printing technology.A complex multiresonant cavity design was introduced,and the resonant loss area was significantly improved.Both broadband and high-efficiency microwave absorption performances were achieved.The multilayer labyrinth multiresonant metastructure was designed with gradient impedance.The effects of structural parameters on the absorbing properties were investigated and optimized.Experiments and simulations demonstrated the effectiveness of the design strategy.The designed metastructure with a 10 mm thickness exhibited a-10 dB absorption bandwidth at a frequency of 3.78–40 GHz and an absorption bandwidth below-15 dB at 7.5–36.5 GHz.Moreover,an excellent wide-angle absorption performance was observed for different polarization states,including transverse electric(TE)and transverse magnetic(TM)modes.The combination of a complex multiresonant metastructure design and 3D printing fabrication provides a facile route to considerably extend the absorption bandwidth and strength of electromagnetic absorbers.This work is expected to provide a promising strategy for further enhancing microwave absorption performance,and the designed metastructure possesses great application potential in stealth and electromagnetic compatibility technologies.

Effect of Mushroom Extract Hericium erinaceus on Spatial Memory and Morphology of Neurons in the CA1 and CA3 Regions of the Hippocampus in Ovariectomized Rats

Various studies indicate that low levels of estradiol negatively impact cognitive abilities. Extracts from the fungus Hericium erinaceus (HE) contain bioactive components that promote the proper functioning of the nervous system and potential effects on protection against neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia and motor dysfunctions. The objective was to evaluate the effects of the administration of the HE mushroom extract on visuospatial memory and morphology of neurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus in ovariectomized rats. 40 young Wistar rats weighing 90 ± 10 g BW were used, which were distributed into four groups of 10 animals;Control Group, non-ovariectomized and untreated rats;Group E2, ovariectomized rats treated with estradiol (2 μg/kg/body weight);Group HE, ovariectomized rats treated with the extract of the fungus Hericium erinaceus (0.5 mg/kg body weight) and Group Ovx/ST, ovariectomized rats, without treatment. The animals were tested in the Barnes and Open Field maze, then they were sacrificed, and their brains were obtained to perform a histological analysis of neuronal morphology in the CA1 and CA3 areas of the hippocampus. The most outstanding results showed that the Ovx/ST group recorded the longest time to arrive at the escape box and stay in the Barnes maze. A correlation was observed between neuronal damage and function;in the groups that did not present satisfactory performance in the maze tests, morphological alterations were identified such as the presence of some neuronal somata with degeneration characteristics such as pyknosis, nuclear basophilia and shrinkage of the cells. Its soma, as well as a decrease in the nuclear area of CA1 and CA3 neurons. It is concluded that the fungus Hericium erinaceus exerted a neuroprotective effect on the neuronal bodies of the hippocampus, associated with better performance in the visuospatial recognition memory test.

Dimensional Analysis on Resistance Characteristics of Labyrinth Seals

Experimental investigation of stepped and straight-through labyrinth seals was designed to study the sealing performance of two different typical labyrinth seals.In order to facilitate dimensional analysis on the flow resistance characteristics of labyrinth seals,the variable cross-section of the flow channels are considered as constant cross-section flow.The mechanical energy loss of flow caused by throttle turbulence intensity is considered as caused by friction along the way.The friction coefficient of stepped labyrinth seals is bigger than that of straight-through labyrinth seals by more than 40% for the same Reynolds number and the ratio of equivalent diameter and the seal length.The expression of friction coefficient /and /Re are obtained from experimental data.The verifications indicate that the expressions are highly accurate.The contribution to the total pressure drop of each tooth cavity gradually becomes less along the flow direction.

血-迷路屏障通透性与突聋发病机制及预后的关系:在3D real IR的发现

目的分析突聋患者的内耳钆造影MRI三维真实重建反转恢复(three dimensional real inversion recovery,3D real IR)成像上的表现,探讨血-迷路屏障的通透性与突聋发病机制及其预后的关系。方法对41例单侧突聋患者行内耳钆造影MRI,测量患耳和健耳的耳蜗信号强度,并测量延髓信号强度,分别计算出耳蜗/延髓比值(cochlear/medulla ratio,CM ratio),以CM比值作为血-迷路屏障通透性的标志物,分析突聋患者患耳、健耳CM比值的不对称程度与疗效之间的关系。结果41例患者中,33例(80.48%)患耳的CM比值高于健耳,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);患耳CM比值为健耳的1.5倍以下者18例,治疗有效率为77.78%(14/18);患侧CM比值不高于健侧者8例,治疗有效率为100%;达到健耳的1.5倍至1.75倍之间者7例,治疗有效率为100%(7/7);达到健耳的1.75倍至2.0倍之间者2例,治疗有效率为50%(1/2);达到健耳的2.0倍以上者14例,治疗有效率为14.28%(12/14);差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论内耳3D Real IR可显示突聋患者血-迷路屏障通透性的改变,80.48%的突聋患者患侧耳蜗出现高信号,患耳CM比值达健耳的1.75倍以上者多数预后不良。

高空台流量管新型篦齿密封特性分析及结构优化设计

针对高空台流量管与导流盆连接结构减小气体泄漏、避免出现反向进气压力过大导致结冰的设计要求,开展不同内径流量管新型篦齿密封特性及结构参数优化研究。建立了高空台新型流量管篦齿密封结构有限元模型,并开展了新型流量管篦齿密封结构泄漏特性实验研究。基于数值模拟与试验,研究了流量管内径对密封性能的影响规律。根据Box-Behnken响应面设计法,选取不同流量管内径下的密封间隙、控制口数量以及孔型出口数量为优化参数,进行新型篦齿密封结构参数优化设计研究。结果表明:仿真泄漏量与试验值相比最大误差不超过7%,证明了本文仿真模型的有效性;当结构内径由1 m增大到3 m,密封泄漏量由0.021 kg/s逐渐增加到0.162 kg/s,增幅高达671.4%;内径1 m,2 m和3 m篦齿密封结构经优化后,最大流速分别减小了16.1%,14.3%和9.7%,泄漏量分别降低50.74%,98.50%和97.52%。本文研究为高空台新型流量管篦齿密封结构优化设计提供了有效方法,也为流量管尺寸规范化设计提供了技术支撑。