A Thermo-Hydrodynamic Analysis of a Mechanical Face Seal

Abstract

A thermo-hydrodynamic analysis is performed for a face-to-face double seal configuration. Temperature and viscosity variations both across and along the sealing gap are considered and realistic boundary conditions are considered. The energy equation is solved analytically and the radial temperature variation is presented by an implicit equation. This approach enables analytical parametric investigation and gives better understanding of the effects of various parameters on the seal’s thermal behavior.