Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Simulation for Temperature Prediction in Radial Lip Seal Systems
During operation of radial lip seals, frictional heat is generated in the contact area between the radial lip seal and the rotating shaft. The frictional heat results in a rise of the contact temperature, which strongly affects the life time of the sealing system. Therefore it is very important to know the contact temperature for designing reliable sealing systems. At the University of Stuttgart, a simulation model is developed, which predicts the temperature field in the whole sealing system by a conjugate heat transfer simulation. The simulation model is three dimensional and uses a multi phase model. Thus the influence of the operating conditions on the temperature field can be analyzed. In the presented work, the influence of the oil fill level on the three dimensional temperature field in the contact area is analyzed. The simulation results are validated with temperature measurements performed with a thermal imager during endurance tests at a test rig.