Supporting data for Reducing Sediment Erosion in Francis Turbine Staggered Labyrinth Seals: A Clean Water Injection Approach

The aim of this study is to fill the gap by proposing and evaluating a new approach to reduce sediment erosion in staggered labyrinth seals. Particularly, the research introduces and reveals a clean water injection method designed to reduce the impact of sediment particles by flushing the seal region with sediment-free water. By replacing sand-laden water with clean water in the seal cavities, this approach has the potential to eliminate particle-induced erosion on both the rotor and stator surfaces of the labyrinth seal in a Francis turbine. The results showed that, under optimum condition, sediment erosion in the stator and rotor parts of the staggered labyrinth seals declines, significantly with reductions of 71 % and 68 %, respectively, relative to baseline case.