Effects of the rim seal coolant gas on aerodynamic performance of mainstream flow in high-pressure turbine

In order to research the effects of the rim seal on the mainstream flow in a high-pressure turbine,the mainstream flow features of the original no-coolant gas ingestion and the four kinds of seal types for a turbine stage were compared.The analysis of computational grid independence and reliability validation for the numerical method was performed to guarantee the accuracy of the numerical calculation. The study shows that seal structure will reduce the efficiency of rotor and the stage power. The sealing flow injected through the rim seal interacts with the boundary layer of the mainstream flow,changing the flow of the partial areas. The mainstream flow separated at the outlet of the seal will increase the energy loss of stator and affects the development of passage vortex in the turbine stage.It plays a significant role in the formation of secondary flows as the major contributor to the aerodynamic losses in turbine passages. The rounded shape inside the compound seal has a reduced influence on aerodynamic performance of the mainstream.