Vapor phase acoustic measurements for R125 and development of a Helmholtz free energy equation

Abstract

This paper presents speed of sound measurements on pentafluoroethane (R125) in the vapor phase. The measurements were performed in a stainless steel spherical resonator of ∼900cm3 at temperatures in the range 260–360K and pressures up to 500kPa. Acoustic virial coefficients and ideal gas heat capacities are deduced directly from the data. The whole set of speed of sound measurements and the ideal gas heat capacities are then correlated in the forms u2(T, p) and cp0(T), respectively.Analytical expressions for the temperature dependencies of the thermodynamic virial coefficients, based on a hard-core square-well potential, are then assumed and the model is fitted to the acoustic data, obtaining a virial equation of state for the vapor phase. A highly accurate Helmholtz equation of state a(ρ, T) is established on the basis of the measured data, representing the (pρT) surface of the vapor phase in the same temperature and pressure ranges. The ideal gas Helmholtz equation a0(ρ, T) is obtained from the former cp0(T) correlation. Given the high accuracy of the equation form, only very precise experimental data, such as acoustic measurements, are suitable for fitting the aR(ρ,T) equation parameters. Both the thermodynamic models are validated on available density data. The good level of consistency reached by the Helmholtz equation, shows its form to be very reliable.