The physical and chemical properties of refrigeration lubricants are discussed. Although much attention has been focused on the performance of candidate lubricants for use with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in order to obtain satisfactory lubrication performance in compressors, the properties of the lubricants themselves have not been well discussed. In this paper, the properties of refrigeration lube base stocks and of lube-refrigerant mixtures are described, specifically the viscosity, density, and refrigerant solubility, the change in viscosity and density due to solution with HFCs, and the insulation properties of the base stocks and the refrigerant mixture.

Units: SI