Experimental tests are conducted in this study to determine the temperature distribution in a dry gas seal by establishing a temperature field test system and choosing sensors that are stable for extreme operating conditions. The temperatures of a narrow gap-occurring gas film with seal rings under different rotating speeds and pressures are measured, and a theoretical method is developed to compare the temperature data. A theoretical procedure based on the compressible Reynolds equation and energy equation considering thermal dissipation is used to explore the temperature distribution in the gas film. The results obtained from the experimental data and thorough theoretical calculations are consistent. The temperature distribution in the gas film face shows the following order: root radius temperature > inner radius > outer radius. Increases in temperature are attributed to thermal dissipation caused by a significant pressure drop in the root radius region. A seal isothermal model is compared with the thermal model and values of the sealing opening force and leakage flow in the thermal model are greater than the values in the isothermal model. Thus, the results of this research reveal that the proposed theoretical calculation method can be applied to analyze dry gas seal temperatures and that thermal dissipation is a significant factor that may be used to optimize groove designs in the future. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.