Silanes and Siloxanes Thermal Conductivity in the Liquid Phase: A Critical Review and an Improved Prediction Method

Abstract

The thermal conductivity λ of the silanes and siloxanes families in the liquid phase at atmospheric pressure or along the saturation line is investigated as function of the reduced temperature. Because of the large scarcity or even of the lack of accurate experimental λ data an empirical equation is proposed as a generalization based on investigations presented in previous works [1, 2]. The families of silanes and siloxanes (21 chlorosilanes, 5 cyclosiloxanes, 10 linear siloxanes, 10 silanes and 19 other silanes) are taken into consideration using a large database [3] in order to extend the use of a general formula valid for organic compounds (alcohols, alkanes, ketones,….) and to improve preceeding results obtained in the case of the cited silanes and siloxanes, for which experimental thermal conductivity data at atmospheric pressure or along the saturation line in the liquid phase are available in very few cases. The equation is proposed as acceptable for engineering purposes and comparable with the existing prediction methods [3]. The database DIPPR [3] in the version 2020 containing a linear correlation with various parameters is taken into account, also considering the results of 7 other prediction methods existing in the technical and scientific literature. An extensive and critical comparison points out that the method proposed in this work can be considered valid with absolute errors usually not greater than 5%.