3-DIMENSIONAL LASER ANEMOMETER MEASUREMENTS IN AN ANNULAR SEAL

The flow field inside an annular seal with a 1.27 mm clearance is investigated using a 3-D laser Doppler anemometer system. Through the use of this system, the mean velocity vector and the entire Reynolds stress tensor distributions are measured for the entire length of the seal (37.3 mm). The seal is operated at a Reynolds number of 18,600 and a Taylor number of 4500. The annular seal is found to produce anisotropic turbulence since the Reynolds stress measurements show the flow entering the seal with isotropic turbulence but exiting the seal with anisotropic turbulence.