Heat Flow Research Articles

Influences of heat flow on corrosion behavior and interfacial reaction kinetics

Heat transfer surface of heat exchange devices often suffers from severe corrosion, and their corrosion behavior is dramatically influenced by both surface temperature and heat flow. In this work, a novel heat transfer interface corrosion testing system was designed and built based on a simulation calculation analysis (COMSOL Multiphysics 6.0 software). By the aid of it, effects of different heat flux on corrosion performance of steel Q235 was investigated through mass loss and electrochemical methods in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution at controlled interface temperatures. Results indicate that variations in concentration and temperature impose a great contribution to corrosion rate but not corrosion mechanism. However, heat flow not only changed the concentration of reactants near the interfacial surface but also affected the rate and kinetic mechanism of corrosion. Positive heat flow could reduce corrosion rate of heat transfer surface, while negative heat flow increased corrosion rate. Heat flow significantly altered parameters of the corrosion reaction rate constant (such as pre-exponential factor, activation energy, entropy change, and enthalpy change), and an approximate exponential relationship between corrosion rate and heat flux was proposed.

Feasibility of coaxial deep borehole heat exchangers in southern California

This paper investigates the feasibility of coaxial deep borehole heat exchanger (CDBHE) applications to the University of California San Diego (UCSD) campus. By collecting different geophysical source data for various formations and well logs around the UCSD campus, a multilayered thermophysical model for the ground on the site is established. Water circulation within a closed coaxial loop system considers the geothermal energy extraction under uncertainty consideration of the unknown deeper layers heat flow gradient as coupled with the variation of pipe insulation properties, flow rates, outer pipe diameter, grout, and depths between 1 and 4 km. A finite-element framework models the Navier–Stokes fluid flow and heat transfer in the CDBHE system, validated with a field test on CDBHE from the literature. Results show that a 4-km CDBHE could produce a thermal power of 600 kW under the optimum geological conditions at the UCSD site: the water flow rate of 2.78 L/s and a ground thermal gradient of 60 ℃/km. Thermal power shares from different layers indicate that deeper formation layers contribute more to the thermal power than the shallower layers because increasing the CDBHE length from 1 to 4 km can lead to a maximum of 900% increase in thermal power and a 50% expansion in thermal plume for a CDBHE with an insulated inner pipe between the upper and lower bound heat flow bounds. An inner pipe with an insulated depth of 2 km produces only 1–6% less power than a fully insulated inner pipe for the 4-km CDBHE, and thus, a partially insulated vacuum-insulated tube (VIT)-plastic inner pipe is suggested as the best practice. Furthermore, the CDBHE thermal power increases by 5% when the grout thermal conductivity increases from 1 to 3.65 W/(K∙m), close to the formation thermal conductivity, and then maintains almost the same, and the 4-km CDBHE with flow rates of 2.78–6.94 L/s at the UCSD site can directly supply a low-temperature heating radiator system for room heating. This study suggests practical ranges for geothermal energy extraction for southern California. A CDBHE with a well-insulated inner pipe of 0.05 W/(m∙K), the thermal power of lower and upper-bound heat flow cases can vary by 60% from the mean. Finally, water as the working fluid is more efficient than CO2, doubling CDBHE's thermal power. The effects of the investigated factors provide guidelines for future geothermal resource exploitation in southern California.

3D reconfigurable hydroxylated carbon nanotubes-based water evaporators with long-distance transportation for continuous vapor generation

Utilizing solar-thermal power for water purification through interfacial solar steam generation represents an environmentally friendly approach to secure a clean water source. However, it is still challenging to simultaneously overcome short transport distances, low transport rates, and unsatisfactory solar-thermal energy conversion efficiency, as well as the salt accumulation problem. In this work, three-dimensional (3D) reconfigurable water evaporators are developed based on commercial fabric strings and hydroxylated carbon nanotubes. The specifically designed 3D architecture enables the fabric strings to have a long water transport distance and localized focusing of solar light that benefits the fabrication of 3D evaporators and water isolation with low heat loss. Besides, the hydroxylated carbon nanotubes with strong hydrophilicity as well as their inherent black color show high solar-heat conversion efficiency. A high evaporation rate of 3.234kg m-2h−1 is found and a solar-to-vapor efficiency of 123.21 % is also achieved by using a vertical evaporation structure due to the enlarged surface area allowing absorption of heat from the environment. Meanwhile, the accumulated salts do not block the water transport pathway and they can be easily removed in high-salinity water evaporation by employing the assembled rotating evaporator. The results suggest that the fabric rope is a good platform for exploring highly efficient evaporation structures. Combined with hydroxylated carbon nanotubes, as-designed 3D reconfigurable evaporators are promising for efficient freshwater generation.

Study on heat transfer and flow of molten pool during the deposition process of laser wire additive manufacturing

In the laser wire additive manufacturing process, the molten pool acts as the critical link between the wire and the deposited part. The heat transfer and flow behavior within the molten pool predominantly determine the quality of the final deposition. Under laser power ranging from 2400 to 3000 W, traverse speeds between 0.01 and 0.04 m/s, and wire feeding speeds from 0.03 to 0.08 m/s, three distinct flow states—single-swirl, double-swirl, and no-swirl—were observed with increasing heat input. Under the optimum process parameters, the molten pool with stable temperature distribution and orderly flow was obtained. In multilayer deposition, the implementation of a laser decay strategy mitigates steep temperature gradients, diminishes the Marangoni effect within the molten pool, and effectively reduces both heat accumulation and lateral flow. Consequently, the flow mode transitions from no-swirl to swirl, and the maximum flow velocity decreases by 40%.

A Dynamic Volumetric Heat Source Model for Laser Additive Manufacturing

Melt pool scale models of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offer insights into the process-structure-property relationships in additive manufacturing (AM). These models often neglect physical phenomena such as vapor cavity formation and fluid mechanics to reduce computational demands. Instead, volumetric heat source models are used to represent the effects that these phenomena have on the predicted melt pool dimensions. Generally, the dimensions and effective absorption of the volumetric heat source are calibrated to reproduce melt pool dimensions observed in metallographic cross sections taken from single-track experiments on bare plate. However, the transient nature of LPBF often deviates the melt pool dimensions from the assumed steady-state conditions of single-track experiments, motivating the need for a volumetric heat source model that more generally considers the dynamic relationship between melt pool shape and laser-material interactions. Here, we introduce a two-parameter volumetric heat source model that integrates several existing models into a generalized mathematical expression, providing independent control over the radial heat distribution via the parameter k and the volumetric shape of the heat source via the parameter m. This parameterization enables the calibration of melt pool shape predictions through simultaneous adjustment of these parameters, while keeping the radial heat source dimensions consistent with the experimental spot size (D4σ) and constraining the heat source depth and absorption to physically derived expressions for cavities. Consequently, the proposed volumetric heat source model adapts to changes in the local melt pool conditions due to scanning strategy and part geometry by dynamically adjusting the heat source depth and absorption. We demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed model through comparisons with a collection of experiments from the Additive Manufacturing Benchmark (AMBench).

WITHDRAWN: The enhanced heat transfer and flow dynamics of tangent hyperbolic and Newtonian nanofluids under inclined variable magnetic field

This paper aims to analyze the thermal conductivity of tangent hyperbolic non-Newtonian fluids and Newtonian nanofluids over a porous, inclined, stretching sheet with motile microorganisms. It also examines the impact of inclined variable magnetic field, activation energy, thermal radiation, thermophoresis and Brownian motion. The novelty of this research lies in the simultaneous use of inclined geometry and an inclined variable magnetic field. The findings optimize environmental and food processing applications, drug delivery, thermal management, lubrication, and enhanced oil recovery. A far-reaching analysis compares the behaviors of tangent hyperbolic fluid with Newtonian fluid. Appropriate similarity functions are used to convert the governing system of nonlinear PDEs for tangent hyperbolic fluid to dimensionless ODE. MATLAB’s boundary value solver BVP4C is then used to solve these ODEs numerically. This study explores various characteristics, including temperature, velocity, concentration, and microorganism distribution. In the essence of this computational study, the impacts of inclined angle, porosity, mixed convection, Hartmann number and Weissenberg number on the velocity of the fluid are analyzed. The main findings are that higher Prandtl numbers reduce heat transfer rates, while thermophoresis and Brownian motion enhance heat flow. Lewis and Peclet numbers show declining tendencies in motile microorganisms, with magnetic fields influencing their distribution within the fluid; this is useful in biotechnology and environmental applications. Consequently, the effect is greater in the case of non-Newtonian fluids which depend more on the inclination angle, inclined variable magnetic field strength, thermal conductivity and activation energy when compared with the Newtonian fluids.

Automated surface crack detection with inductive thermography

In recent years, inductive thermography has become established as a non-destructive inspection technique for detecting surface cracks in metallic parts. A short inductive heating pulse (0.1 – 1 s) is applied to the sample and an infrared camera records the surface temperature during and after the heating pulse. Since a surface crack obstructs both the eddy current flow and the heat flow, the defect becomes well visible in the infrared images. The technique has the advantage of being contact-free, fast and it can be fully automated. Additionally, it also provides information about the crack depth, because the deeper the crack, the greater the obstacle to the eddy current and to the heat flow. In order to detect the cracks in the infrared images of castings and forgings with complex geometry, a comparison method has been developed. The images of the inspected parts are compared with images of reference parts, and in this way artefacts caused by edges and corners of the parts are filtered out and not marked as defects. This greatly increases the robustness of the fully automated inspection, which can test parts 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week, without any human interaction, and the results of each part are well documented and stored.

No heat flow in charge-neutral graphene

No heat flow in charge-neutral graphene

Study on Shutter Heating Performance of Gas Turbine Intake System

Abstract Aiming at the anti-icing and de-icing requirements of gas turbine intake system, study the heating performance of a typical shutter vane, and compares and analyzes the influence of different ambient temperature and different electrothermal pipe heat generation rate on vane temperature distribution and heat transfer characteristics. The results show that the air convection at different positions on the blade surface of the louver leads to the difference in the temperature distribution of the upper and lower surfaces of the blade, as well as the leading edge and trailing edge of the blade, and the leading edge of the blade, as the area with the lowest overall temperature distribution of the blade, should be focused on in the design of anti-icing and de-icing systems. Increasing the heat production rate of the electric heating tube, there is more heat flow near the midline of the blade, which makes the temperature rise at this position the highest, and it is necessary to pay attention to the energy waste and blade damage caused by local overheating of the blade. Therefore, when the ambient temperature increases from 245.15 K to 318.15 K, the leaf temperature increases from 248.73 K to 322.74 K, and the temperature rise also increases from 3.58 K to 4.59 K. The electrothermal technology can be used to the anti-icing and de-icing of the intake system shutters on the basis of choosing the heat generation rate of the electrothermal tube reasonably.

Thermodynamic study of semi-closed rankine cycle based on direct combustion of hydrogen fuel

Electrolysis of water for hydrogen-production has enormous potential. This study proposes a semi-closed Rankine cycle for efficiently utilizing direct hydrogen combustion via thermal power conversion. Unlike traditional closed Rankine cycles, combustion occurs inside the combustion chamber with hydrogen and pure oxygen, followed by a mixed heat exchange with the mainstream working fluid, water. The heat absorption process of the semi-closed Rankine cycle occurs within the working fluid and exhibits characteristics of both open and closed cycles. Thus, this cycle can combine the advantages of desirable parameters and isothermal heat rejection of the Rankine cycle. Applying the semi-closed Rankine cycle to hydrogen fuel utilization yields a higher energy efficiency, especially when coupled with a supercritical compression regeneration process. The main steam parameters were 620 °C/30 MPa, the cycle's average heat absorption temperature reached 561 °C, and its energy efficiency was 59.35%. When the main steam parameters were increased to 1200 °C/30 MPa, the average heat absorption temperature rose to 1021 °C and its energy efficiency was 68.27%, demonstrating a significant efficiency advantage. The newly proposed semi-closed Rankine cycle based on direct combustion of hydrogen fuel provides a novel and feasible path for exploring the efficient utilization of hydrogen.

A novel hybrid battery thermal management system using TPMS structure and delayed cooling scheme

Phase change material (PCM) cooling plays an important role in battery thermal management systems (BTMS). However, PCM has been suffering from low thermal conductivity and inefficient latent heat recovery. Based on this, this study designs a hybrid BTMS combining triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS), PCM, and liquid cooling, and proposes a cooling scheme that determines the operating time of the coolant based on the battery temperature. The system aims to improve the utilization of PCM in two different ways: structural design and cooling scheme. Numerical analysis was used to compare the effects of different structures on the melting rate of PCM and to study the thermal performance of the battery module under various cooling schemes. The results show that the effective thermal conductivity of PCM/TPMS composites reaches 21 W/(m·K), which can effectively enhance the heat absorption rate of PCM. In particular, the I-graph-and-wrapped-package (IWP) structure combined with PCM is the most effective. Under the continuous cooling scheme, when the coolant flow rate is 0.04 m/s, the temperature of the battery at a 3C discharge rate can be controlled at 308.28 K, but the PCM utilization rate is only 0.25. After adopting the delayed cooling scheme, the performance of the BTMS cooling remains excellent, with the battery temperature at only 309.88 K and the liquid phase rate of PCM reaching 0.97. For the first time, the heat absorbed by passive cooling is comparable to that of active cooling in the BTMS heat absorption energy distribution, with a 73 % reduction in pumping energy consumption. Furthermore, under cycling conditions, the delayed cooling scheme still performs well, recovering all the latent heat from PCM and keeping the battery temperature below 313.15 K. In addition, it should be noted that the flow rate of the coolant should be determined by the charging rate. Additionally, the BTMS is capable of addressing the heat dissipation challenges in different ambient temperatures. This study can guide for the design of PCM in hybrid BTMS.

Graphene functionalized nanoencapsulated composite phase change material based nanofluid for battery cooling: An experimental investigation

The graphene-nano encapsulated composite phase change material (GnePCM) based nanofluid holds great potential as a coolant for batteries in electric vehicles. The current work focuses on the synthesis and study of the cooling performance of GnePCM-based nanofluid. Few layered graphene (FLG) was synthesized via the liquid phase exfoliation method. Mini-emulsion polymerization was adopted to encapsulate composite PCM (octadecane: paraffin wax) within polystyrene shell and distribute these nanoballs across the graphene flakes of FLG to obtain GnePCM. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to optimize the composition of composite PCM based on the melting range and latent heat. GnePCM was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), DSC, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Raman Spectroscopy. Nanofluid was made by mixing GnePCM slurry with the base fluid (ethylene glycol − water mixture) and its thermo-physical properties were estimated. The analysis of thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity showed a 14.7 % and 56 % increase for the nanofluid compared to the base fluid. The optimal concentration of nanofluid for maximum stability was 10 % v/v based on zeta potential measurements. The heat transfer studies and pressure drop studies were conducted on a set of 10 cylindrical heaters, mimicking a 18,650 battery cell pack. The nanofluid could potentially achieve a maximum reduction of 5 °C in average surface temperatures of the cells as compared to the base fluid. The enhanced cooling efficiency of nanofluid could be related to the increased thermal conductivity and heat capacity of GnePCM, as well as the absorption of latent heat during its melting process. Enhancement in heat transfer parameters was found to be more prominent at lower flow rates for the nanofluids. The results reveal that the flow rate and power input play a significant role in the cooling performance of the nanofluid. Due to the increased viscosity of the nanofluid, a slight increase in the pressure drop and pumping power was observed at higher flow rates, as compared to base fluid.

A local synergy angle of velocity, temperature and pressure fields for enhancement of comprehensive heat transfer performance

The field synergy principles for convective heat transfer and flow resistance are integrated in this study. A local three-field synergy angle of velocity, temperature and pressure fields is proposed to evaluate the local comprehensive performance of heat transfer and pumping power consumption. The angle is based on the polar angle of a plot with dot products of velocity and enthalpy/total pressure gradients, respectively, as coordinates. The polar angle is then shifted by the observation that the enhancement of heat transfer rate at the cost of pumping power decreases from the second quadrant to the forth quadrant. The application of the synergy angle is demonstrated by examples of flow and heat transfer in channels with different fin structures. Inspired by the distribution of the synergy angle, Airfoil-Rect fin and Rhom-Rect fin structures are designed, which can improve the heat transfer rate with constraints of pumping power consumption. The present study provides a possible approach for heat transfer enhancement.

Thermo-hydraulic performance evaluation of lattice structures with triply periodic minimal surfaces for latent heat storage devices

Triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures exhibit significant potential in latent heat storage (LHS) applications. In this study, numerical investigations were conducted to study the thermal storage performance of four TPMS lattice types: Primitive, IWP, FRD, and Gyroid lattices, used as metallic skeletons in LHS devices. The volumes of both the TPMS skeletons and the phase change material (PCM) were kept constant, with PCM embedded either inside or outside the lattices. The melting process of PCM, the heat storage energy density, and the power density of the LHS units for different configurations were examined. Additionally, a performance evaluation coefficient was introduced to assess the heat transfer and flow characteristics of heat transfer fluid (HTF) flowing on both sides of the lattices. The results indicated that when using Primitive and FRD lattices, embedding the PCM within the internal space of the lattices resulted in a 20 % and 9.8 % higher energy storage compared to embedding it outside the lattices. The internal space of IWP and Gyroid lattices was more suitable for HTF flow channels, resulting in performance evaluation coefficients (PECs) that improved by 27.7 % and 86.3 %, respectively, when HTF flowed through the internal channels of these lattices. Moreover, the Gyroid lattice exhibited the most balanced overall heat transfer performance due to its minimal flow resistance, whereas the FRD lattice had the lowest flow performance due to its complex structure. Therefore, the Primitive and Gyroid lattices could be considered as new heat transfer structures for LHS devices, while the FRD lattice was more suitable for replacing traditional fin structures in heat sink devices.

Intelligent Predictive Networks for Cattaneo-Christov Heat and Mass Transfer Dissipated Williamson Fluid Through Double Stratification

This study aims to develop an efficient predictive model for Cattaneo-Christov heat and mass transformation of dissipative Williamson fluid with the effects of double stratification (CCHMT-DWF-DS) using the Levenberg-Marquardt Backpropagation (LMA-BP) algorithm. The under-consideration Williamson fluid flow is magneto-hydro-dynamic, incompressible and two-dimensional through a stretching sheet. The mathematical model of nonlinear partial differential equations for physical phenomena is transformed into ordinary differential equations by means of renowned similarity transformations. The solutions of physical problem are computed by bvp4c technique through MATLAB. The LMA-BP is employed to train a backward neural network capable of accurately predicting velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles under various physical conditions such as changes in the Hartmann number , Prandtl number , Schmidt number , Williamson parameter , the relaxation time of temperature , the relaxation time of concentration , temperature stratification , and concentration stratification for generating a variety of graphical outcomes and statistics. This research is significant for its innovative use of the LMA-BP in analyzing the complex dynamics of non-Newtonian fluids specifically the Williamson fluid, alongside the Cattaneo-Christov heat and mass flux model. The obtaining graphs have been discussed in detail. The thermal and solutal relaxation factors reduce heat and mass flow while fluid motion is delayed by the time-dependent parameter and further reduced by the Hartman number. The Cattaneo-Christov heat flux model enhances simulation accuracy by integrating temporal delays in heat transfer, proving beneficial for sophisticated industrial and scientific endeavors related to non-Newtonian fluids. This analysis offers a powerful predictive tool for applications in thermal management, industrial cooling systems, and biomedical fluid dynamics, advancing machine learning in fluid mechanics.

Flow field and heat transfer in the transitional type of turbulent round jet impingement

Jet impingement heat transfer in the transitional type involves the occurrence and disappearance of the secondary maximum heat transfer, which is challenging for numerical simulation. In the paper, the effects of the nozzle-plate spacing H/D on heat transfer and flow fields in the range of 5≤H/D≤7 within the transitional type are investigated. In this type, the secondary maximum heat transfer rate gradually vanishes. In addition, the transitional properties of jet impingement are further discussed. It is found that the heat transfer rate at the stagnation point shows an important relationship with the arriving stream Reynolds number and turbulence intensity. Additionally, three heat transfer modes, i.e., the peak (5<H/D≤5.5), swelling (5.5<H/D≤6.6), and linear modes (6.6<H/D≤7), are identified in the transitional type based on the analysis of the heat transfer rate, development of the intermittency, and the wall shear stress. For the latter two aspects, the laminar zone and the turbulence zone are discussed in detail for different H/D. In the peak mode, heat transfer rate is largely influenced by the transition process, resulting in a secondary peak. While in the swelling mode, the second peak evolves to a swelling and the effect of transition becomes weak. As a result, the influences of the laminar region will extend to downstream. However, in the linear mode, the swelling vanishes with a mild change of intermittency in the boundary layer and the sudden mutation of heat transfer mainly takes place in the stagnation region.

The Effect of Channel Surface Roughness on Two–Phase Flow Patterns: A Review

This review article highlights the critical impact of surface roughness in modifying the structure of two-phase flow within mini- and microchannels, particularly in processes such as boiling and condensation. Channel surface roughness enhances flow resistance, affects the distribution of vapor bubbles, and enhances heat transfer by providing additional nucleation sites. Several experiments have shown that while increased surface roughness enhances the efficiency of heat transfer, increased flow resistance may hurt system performance. This is so because too high a surface roughness negatively impacts flow resistance, a factor of importance in the optimization for a balance between heat transfer and flow resistance, especially in high-performance compact heat exchangers. Furthermore, the review identifies that higher-degree measurement and characterization techniques of the surface roughness are increasingly required, as traditional 2D parameters may not fully represent the actual physics of complex surface interactions in two-phase flow systems. Consequently, the article calls for further research that can examine the exact relationship between roughness, flow structure, and thermal performance with the aim of improving design strategies for future heat exchanger technologies.

Effects of rotor squealer tip with non-uniform heights on heat transfer characteristic and flow structure of turbine stage

Squealer tip has a significant influence on both aerodynamic and heat transfer characteristics of the high-pressure turbine. Among the geometric parameters of the squealer, squealer height is one of the essential parameters in the tip design. However, due to the complexity of parameterization and meshing of the squealer, the related research is usually carried out on the squealer with a constant height. In this paper, a parameterization strategy generates squealer of assigned heights at four key positions of the blade, the leading edge-pressure side, the leading edge-suction side, the trailing edge-pressure side, and the trailing edge-suction side. An in-house mesh generation platform (NuFlux) is adopted to automatically generate the structured meshes. The aerothermal performance of a transonic turbine stage is assessed using steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations with the k−ω shear stress transport model for the turbulence closure. The main purpose is to obtain the squealer tip configuration with the lowest heat transfer coefficient. The results show that non-uniform squealer further reduces the cavity floor heat transfer on the basis of uniform squealer by changing the interaction process between the asymmetric vortex pair (the pressure-side corner vortex and the casing-driven scraping vortex), which provides a valuable reference for the design of the squealer tip of advanced high-pressure turbines.

Thermodynamic and buoyancy force effects of Cu and TiO2 nanoparticles in engine oil flow over an inclined permeable surface

This study investigates the heat and mass transmission behavior in an unsteady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) movement of nanofluids over an inclined permeable surface, with applications in enhancing thermal management systems such as automotive cooling and industrial heat exchangers. The model specifically examines the consequence of thermal diffusion (Soret effect) and buoyant forces on Cu and TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed in engine oil. The governing equations, comprising velocity, energy, and concentration equations, are recast into nonlinear ODEs manipulating similitude adaptations. These ODEs are then solved through a standard perturbation method under appropriate boundary conditions. The key findings indicate that enhancing thermal radiation diminishes the velocity and temperature profiles, while raising chemical reaction rates decrease concentration levels. Additionally, higher Soret parameter values are associated with increased velocity and concentration. Quantitatively, TiO2-engine oil nanofluids exhibit a 15% higher velocity compared to Cu-engine oil nanofluids, highlighting the superior performance of TiO2 in dynamic thermal systems. Furthermore, numerical outcomes for the local skin contention, Nusselt numeral, and Sherwood digit are tabulated to illustrate the consequence of material properties. The outcomes of this study are particularly beneficial in optimizing the design of heat exchangers, improving fuel efficiency in automotive engines, and enhancing industrial processes where precise thermal control is critical.

Predictions of windage heating and flow characteristics in a high-speed rotating seal of aero-engine

The labyrinth seal plays a crucial role within the secondary air system of an aeroengine, significantly impacting its safety and reliability. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the complex windage heating phenomenon within a high-speed rotating labyrinth seal system. Employing similarity criteria and dimensional analysis, the multifactorial influences on the seal system are thoroughly characterized. A dedicated high-speed rotating labyrinth seal test rig was constructed to conduct an experimental investigation into the windage heating characteristics of a four-tooth, stepped-slanted labyrinth seal. The results demonstrate a peak windage heating of 11.8 K and windage heating coefficient of 1.14 when the inlet temperature rose from ambient to 100 °C, under the rotating Mach number of 0.418 and pressure ratio of 1.1. Conversely, as the seal clearance increased from 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm, with a rotating Mach number of 0.487 and a pressure ratio of 2.0, the windage heating coefficient decreased to 0.57. Furthermore, five dimensionless operating cases were analyzed using similarity principles to elucidate the correlation between system performance and the combined effects of strong rotating flow and windage heating characteristics. The analysis revealed that the windage heating coefficient exhibited a decreasing trend with increasing flow Reynolds number, effective pressure ratio, inlet swirl ratio, and dimensionless clearance, as the effective pressure ratio increase from 1.1 to 5.0, with the rotating Mach number of 0.624 and flowing Reynolds number of 9600, the windage heating coefficient decrease from 1.831 to 0.797, representing a 56 % reduction. Conversely, the windage heating coefficient increased with a rising rotating Mach number, while the flowing Reynolds number demonstrated a minor influence.