Considerable interest has developed over the last decade in substitute refrigerants for dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12), which theories have suggested may contribute to the depletion of ozone in the upper atmosphere. One "stratospherically safe" new refrigerant is 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-134a), which is thermodynamically similar to R-12 and considered to be a potential direct replacement for R-12 in air-conditioning and refrigeration applications.

In this paper, new P-V-T, saturated vapor pressure, liquid density, ideal gas heat capacity, and critical constant data are presented on R-134a. The thermodynamic properties of R-134a are compared to those of R-12. In addition, the thermodynamic data are correlated to an equation of state from which enthalpies and entropies can be calculated. Using appropriate algorithms, a Fortran computer package has been developed to generate thermodynamic tables over a wide range of temperatures and pressures.

Units: Dual