Turbomachine Sealing Assembly for Vane Carrier Leakage Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing turbomachines face inefficiencies due to fluid leakage between vane carriers, which reduces the conversion of energy from combustion gas or steam into kinetic energy, necessitating a more effective sealing mechanism in the axial direction of the turbine casing.
Innovation Solution
A sealing assembly is introduced, comprising a sealing body with a protrusion that fits into a corresponding groove on an adjacent sealing assembly, featuring chamfered and fillet surfaces for enhanced coupling and sealing, effectively sealing the gap between vane carriers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a sealing assembly is added to seal the gap between vane carriers, then fluid leakage is reduced and energy conversion efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing protrusion is integrated into the sealing body structure, with the protrusion forming an integral part of the sealing assembly. This nested configuration allows the sealing function to be incorporated within the existing structural framework without requiring separate independent components, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective sealing capability between adjacent vane carriers
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing protrusion acts as an intermediary element that fits into a corresponding sealing groove on the adjacent vane carrier. This intermediary structure creates an effective sealing interface between the two vane carriers, preventing fluid leakage without requiring complex sealing mechanisms. The protrusion-groove interface serves as a simple yet effective mediator that resolves the sealing requirement
2Productivity
If the sealing gap between vane carriers is reduced, then energy conversion efficiency is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing protrusion is pre-formed on the sealing body during manufacturing, with its dimensions and shape precisely controlled in advance. This preliminary formation of the sealing feature ensures that when the vane carriers are assembled, the sealing gap is automatically minimized without requiring high-precision machining of the entire component. The pre-engineered protrusion geometry guarantees consistent sealing performance across production batches
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the entire sealing body to be manufactured with high precision, only the localized sealing protrusion and its corresponding groove require tight tolerances. The majority of the sealing body can be manufactured with standard tolerances. This localized quality approach concentrates manufacturing precision requirements only where they are functionally necessary, thereby improving energy conversion efficiency without excessively increasing overall manufacturing difficulty
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A sealing assembly and a turbomachine including the sealing assembly are provided. The sealing assembly includes a sealing body configured to be inserted into an insertion hole of a second component adjacent to a first component, and a sealing protrusion, formed on one circumferential side of the sealing body, protruding toward one circumferential direction from the sealing body and configured to be inserted into a sealing groove formed on the other circumferential side of a sealing body of the first adjacent sealing assembly, the sealing body of the first adjacent sealing assembly being adjacent to the sealing body in a circumferential direction.