Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The History of NIST's Refrigerants Program: II. Thermophysical Properties Research

Published

Author(s)

Mark O. McLinden

Abstract

The history of the research program on thermophysical properties of refrigerants at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is described in this paper. The program has roots extending back to at least 1909. The current program began in 1981 as a collaboration between the physical and Chemical Properties Division and the NIST Thermal Machinery Group to provide properties for the refrigerant mixtures being investigated for use in heat pumps. With the implication of the CFC refrigerants in the destruction of stratospheric ozone, the program increased dramatically in scope in 1987. The program includes experimental measurements and modeling of both the thermodynamic and transport properties of a wide variety of fluids and fluid mixtures; these results are transferred to industry in a variety of ways, includinga computer database known as REFPROP. Because of its long-standing program in fluid properties. NIST was in a unique position to respond to the urgent international need for data on new refrigerants.
Proceedings Title
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Annual Meeting | | | ASHRAE
Volume
107
Issue
Pt. 2
Conference Dates
June 1, 2001
Conference Location
Cincinnati, OH
Conference Title
ASHRAE Transactions

Keywords

history, measurements, mixture, modeling, refrigerant, thermodynamic properties, transport properties, zeotrope

Citation

McLinden, M. (2001), The History of NIST's Refrigerants Program: II. Thermophysical Properties Research, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Annual Meeting | | | ASHRAE, Cincinnati, OH (Accessed April 19, 2024)
Created June 1, 2001, Updated February 17, 2017