Rim seals in gas turbines are used to reduce the potentiallydamaging ingestion of hot gas into the rotor-stator wheel-space of aturbine stage. Sealing air, bled from the compressor, is also used toreduce or prevent ingestion, but this can be at the expense of stageefficiency.This paper summarises recent research into the computation ofthe fluid dynamics and heat transfer of ingestion carried out at theUniversity of Bath. 3D Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations have been carried out, and muchmore economical simplified steady state computational modelshave also been tested. The results of the computations are comparedwith experimental measurements (also made at the University) ofpressure, tracer gas concentration based sealing effectiveness, swirland heat transfer for different generic and also engine-representative rim seals. The computations allow insight intothe flow physics of ingestion and factors affecting the most efficientuse of sealing air, as well as providing information to support thedevelopment of the theoretical models of ingestion that are usefulto engine designers. The experimental test facility permits measurementand ranking of sealing effectiveness for a range of differentrim seal configurations
