Paper presents the results of experimental and numerical research of a model segment of a labyrinth seal for a different wear level. The analysis covers the extent of leakage and distribution of static pressure in the seal chambers and the planes upstream and downstream of the segment. The measurement data have been compared with the results of numerical calculations obtained using commercial software. Based on the flow conditions occurring in the area subjected to calculations, the size of the mesh defined by parameter y+has been analyzed and the selection of the turbulence model has been described. The numerical calculations were based on the measurable thermodynamic parameters in the seal segments of steam turbines. The work contains a comparison of the mass flow and distribution of static pressure in the seal chambers obtained during the measurement and calculated numerically in a model segment of the seal of different level of wear.

The paper discusses thermodynamic phenomena accompanying the flow of gas in a slotted seal. The analysis of the gas flow has been described based on an irreversible adiabatic transformation. A model based on the equation of total enthalpy balance has been proposed. The iterative process of the model aims at obtaining such a gas temperature distribution that will fulfill the continuity equation. The model allows for dissipation of the kinetic energy into friction heat by making use of the Blasius equation to determine the friction coefficient. Within the works, experimental research has been performed of the gas flow in a slotted seal of slot height 2 mm. Based on the experimental data, the equation of local friction coefficient was modified with a correction parameter. This parameter was described with the function of pressure ratio to obtain a mass flow of the value from the experiment. The reason for taking up of this problem is the absence of high accuracy models for calculating the gas flow in slotted seals. The proposed model allows an accurate determination of the mass flow in a slotted seal based on the geometry and gas initial and final parameters.

The pressure of wet water vapor inside a condenser has a great impact on the efficiency of thermal cycle. The value of this pressure depends on the mass share of inert gases (air). The knowledge of the spots where the air accumulates allows its effective extraction from the condenser, thus improving the conditions of condensation. The condensation of water vapor with the share of inert gas in a model tube bank of a condenser has been analyzed in this paper. The models include a static pressure loss of the water vapor/air mixture and the resultant changes in the water vapor parameters. The mass share of air in water vapor was calculated using the Dalton’s law. The model includes changes of flow and thermodynamic parameters based on the partial pressure of water vapor utilizing programmed water vapor tables. In the description of the conditions of condensation the Nusselts theory was applied. The model allows for a deterioration of the heat flow conditions resulting from the presence of air. The paper contains calculations of the water vapor flow with the initial mass share of air in the range 0.2 to 1%. The results of calculations clearly show a great impact of the share of air on the flow conditions and the deterioration of the conditions of condensation. The data obtained through the model for a given air/water vapor mixture velocity upstream of the tube bank allow for identification of the spots where the air accumulates.