THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ETHANE

New correlations for the thermophysical properties of fluid ethane are presented. The correlations are based on a critical evaluation of the available experimental data and have been developed to represent these data over a broad range of the state variables. Estimates for the accuracy of the equations and comparisons with measured properties are given. The reasons for this new study of ethane include significant new and accurate data and improvements in the correlating functions which allow increased accuracy of the correlations - especially in the extended critical region. Short tables of the thermophysical properties of ethane are included. This study complements an earlier study of methane and uses the same correlating equations and format. For the thermodynamic properties, a classical equation for the molar Helmholtz energy, which contains terms multiplied by the exponential of the quadratic and quartic powers of the system density, is used. The resulting equation of state is accurate from about 90 K to 625 K for pressures less than 70 MPa and was developed by considering PVT, second virial coefficient, heat capacity, and sound speed data. Tables of coefficients and equations are presented to allow the calculation of these and other thermodynamic quantities. Ancillary equations for properties along the liquid-vapor phase boundary, which are consistent with the equation of state and lowest order scaling theory, are also given. For the viscosity of ethane, a contribution based on a theoretical fit of low-density data is combined with an empirical representation of the excess contribution. The approximate range of the resulting correlation is 90 K to 500 K for pressures less than 60 MPa. The correlation for the thermal conductivity includes a theoretically based expression for the critical enhancement; the range for the resulting correlation is about 90 K to 600 K for pressures below 70 MPa.