Experimental Validation of a Curtain Type Fluidic Jet Seal on a Turbine Rotor Shroud

This paper describes the design and testing of a fluidic “air-curtain” type seal application to reduce tip leakages on a small high-speed single stage axial turbine.The initial experimental investigations were carried out to demonstrate the application of the fluidic type seal on a “frozen rotor” test of a turbine. The “frozen rotor” test is carried out using an actual turbine rotor in a static test facility without rotation. These preliminary tests provide the first experimental validation of fluidic “air-curtain” type seals working to reduce over-tip leakage in a turbine shroud on a actual turbine geometry.Ultimately the final stage of the work will be to demonstrate the fluidic seal working in a full rotating facility but these results provide a logical and important step towards that ultimate goal.Copyright © 2015 by ASME