EES_REFPROP Interface
EES provides properties for many pure fluids and some refrigerant mixtures such as R407C, R410A, R449A, R450A. R452A, R452B, R454C, R470A, R470B, R471A, R507A, R508B, R513A, R514A and ammonia-water. Click here to view a list of the fluids for which property data are available in EES. Some of these fluids are only available with a Professional license. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed REFPROP (also called NIST Standard Reference Database 23), which provides high accuracy property data for pure refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures. REFPROP uses the most advanced methods for estimating property data. Transport properties as well as thermodynamic properties are provided in all fluid regimes, including compressed liquid and near critical states.
An interface has been developed for REFPROP that allows the NIST property data base to be used with the equation-solving and other features of EES. If you are involved in modeling refrigeration systems that use property information not included in EES, you will find the NIST REFPROP program and the EES_REFPROP interface to be of considerable interest. Contact NIST to order REFPROP. Single and multiple-user licenses for the EES_REFPROP interface can be ordered. Note that the EES_REFPROP interface is paired to an EES license and it will only operate with that license. The number of users for the EES_REFPROP interface must match the number of users for the EES license. If, for example, an EES 5-user license is in use, a 5-user EES_REFPROP interface is required. Click here to view the EES_REFPROP user instructions.
Starting with EES Version 11.477, property data can be obtained from REFPROP with the EES_REFPROP interface using exactly the same property commands as used for built-in EES fluids. All that is needed is to add _RP to the name of the fluid that REFPROP recognizes. For example, the following EES command provides the specific enthalpy of propane using REFPROP property data. Click here to view a YouTube video demonstrating the this capability.
h=enthalpy(Propane_RP, T=25 [C], P=100 [kPa])
Property calls to made in this manner use the unit system specified in EES. Any valid set of independent properties can be provided, just as for the built-in EES functions. The fluid name may be a pure fluid (e.g., Propane_RP) or predefined mixture (e.g, R466A_RP). The Property Plot command can be used to prepare property plots using REFPROP data.
An EES_REFPROP interface dated May 27, 2022 is required to use property functions with EES format or to produce plots. The current EES_REFPROP interface is dated: May 3, 2023
You can determine the date of your EES_REFPROP interface using the EES_REFPROP_DATE$ function. If you wish to update to the current version and you purchased it less than one year ago, send an email to info@fchart.com to request a free update. If you purchased the interface more than one year ago, you can order the update for 20% of the current cost. The order can be placed at our webstore.
The standard EES_REFPROP interface is a 32-bit dynamic link library (DLL) that interfaces with the 32-bit REFPROP program. A 64-bit version of EES is available and it requires 64-bit DLLs. If you have previously purchased the EES_REFPROP interface and are using the 64-bit version of EES, you may wish to upgrade to the 64-bit EES_REFPROP interface. Calculation speeds can be significantly improved with the 64-bit version.
