Due to the high-speed vibration and the poor lubricity at low-viscosity, the performance of the mechanical face seal for the next-generation high-speed transient-startup cryogenic turbopump is significantly different from that of the conventional mechanical seal. Using water as the low-viscosity sealed fluid, the performance of the seal is tested, focusing on the gas-liquid two-phase flow. The mechanism of the induced thermal vibration may be ascribed to the transient change of the fluid compressibility within the limited space. The experimental results show that under high-speed water-lubricated condition, while the mechanical seal can maintain a good sealing performance, the pattern of the performance change is more complicated. The two-phase flow phenomena occur in both the transition processes of the seal from the contact to non-contact state and the stable running state,, and the low-frequency oscillations of the temperature and friction of the seal pairs are significant. The amplitude of temperature oscillation can reach 30 ℃. When the vaporized two-phase flow occurs, the error between the theoretical and experimental results even reaches 50%. With the increase of the close force, the two-phase flow phenomenon between the seal gaps appear more significantly. The oscillation of temperature and friction caused by phase transition can be attributed to a self-excited vibration of the mechanical face seal.
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