Abstract: The transfer regularity of the frictional heating of the end faces of mechanical seal in the system consist of the rotating ring, the stationary ring, the fluid film in the end faces and the sealing medium is investigated. Taking the heat-transfer area as a constant, each ring can be simplified as an equivalent cylinder. The equations for calculating the frictional heat transferred by each ring are derived, and the temperature distribution in seal rings is discussed. The frictional heat increases both with the increase of the rotational speed and with the decrease of the average film thickness. Because the most frictional heat is transferred by the rotating ring into the sealing medium, the temperature change of the stationary ring is relatively small. For the rotating ring, the temperature beside the air is higher than that beside the sealing medium. The end face of the rotating ring processes the highest temperature and there exists radial temperature gradient. It is possible to reduce the highest tem-perature and the temperature difference between the inner di-ameter and the outer diameter by increasing the heat-transfer area or using the material with higher coefficient of heat conduc-tivity in order to improve the performance of mechanical seals.

Key words: Coefficient of heat transfer, Frictional heat, Heat transfer, Mechanical seal, Temperature field