Heat transfer in stepped labyrinth seals

Leakage flow and heat transfer of scaled-up stepped labyrinth seals were investigated experimentally and numerically. The experiments were conducted in a test rig under steady conditions. For different geometries and pressure ratios, a finite element program was used to determine the temperature distribution and subsequently the heat transfer coefficients. In verifying the experimental results, the flow field of the seals was calculated numerically by a finite difference program. Heat transfer coefficients were derived utilizing the well-known analogies between heat transfer and wall friction.