Research Projects

The proposed research is for the development of damper seals for cryogenic turbopumps. The damper seals, in addition to leak control are required for dampening and controlling the excess rotor response which occurs during critical speed crossings in high speed turbopumps. Damper seals of various geometry namely honeycomb, pocketed, hole pattern etc. are currently in experimental phase worldwide. We need to develop a seal of this category, experimentally demonstrate its performance and optimize its geometry for use in high speed cryogenic turbopumps. Expected deliverable will be the optimized damper seal design which works in cryogenic fluids (Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen). A mathematical model for evaluating the seal parameters like damping coefficients, stiffness etc. will also be developed. Experimental setup for evaluating the performance of damper seals.