Numerical simulation analysis of flow characteristics in the cavity of the rotor-stator system

Abstract

Investigating the flow characteristics in the cavity by changing the rotor profile of the rotor-stator system is of considerable significance, this paper simplifies clearance flow to rotor-stator cavity flow. The numerical simulation results are compared with the experimental results of the windage torque of the rotor-stator system, and the results show that the accuracy of the numerical calculation meets the requirements. The inlet flow rate and outlet gap were unchanged, and the flow in the concave cavity was most similar to the original model. The torque increased slightly and was more entrained, while the flow pattern of the convex cavity was more chaotic, and various forms of vortices appeared in the rotor boundary layer. The interference of the rotor and stator disks and the viscous effect of the fluid in the cavity are the main reasons for the generation of torque, and the Reynolds stress near the rotor wall also contributes partly to the torque. After data processing, an interesting phenomenon was observed. In the boundary layer of the rotor, the radial flow in which the inertial force plays a major role is transformed into a circular motion dominated by the rotation of the rotor.

Keywords

• rotor-stator system
• clearance flow
• reynolds stress
• vortex structure
• torque coefficient