A Study of Mechanical Seal Rings Thermal and Force Deformations in Energy Rotor Machines

The operating experience of mechanical seals shows that as a result of angular deformations of the rings, wear of the contact surfaces along radius is uneven. In the area of hydrodynamic load support in the case of a confusor joint or a converging film, the slope of the pressure diagram is such that a decrease in the film thickness increases the hydrodynamic support. This enables stable non-contact sealing operation. When designing mechanical seals, it is necessary to calculate the deformations of the sealing rings caused by both the pressure of the medium being sealed and thermal effects in order to predict the size and direction of the radial cone and avoid unstable operation of the seal. The execution of the rubbing surfaces of the interface of the end pair should ensure the formation of the calculated confusor shape of the sealing gap in all modes of operation.