SYMPOSIUM ON THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Photo of Mountain Harebells in Fern Meadow, Boulder, CO, by Marcia L. Huber

About The Conference

Boulder's famous backdrop, the 'Flatirons' rock formations

This is the Symposium of the well-established series of conferences on thermophysical properties. The Symposium is concerned with theoretical, experimental, simulation, and applied aspects of the thermophysical properties of gases, liquids, and solids, including biological systems. Appropriate topics are:

• Thermodynamic Properties, including equation of state, phase equilibria, p-V-T behavior, heat capacity, enthalpy, thermal expansion, sound speed, and critical phenomena.
• Transport Properties, including thermal and electrical conductivity, viscosity, mass diffusion, thermal diffusion, non-Newtonian behavior, and thermal, thermoacoustic, and other diffusion waves.
• Optical and Thermal Radiative Properties, including dielectric constant, refractive index, emissivity, reflectivity, and absorptivity.
• Interfacial Properties, including solid-solid interfaces, surface tension, interfacial profiles, interfacial transport, and wetting.
• Data Correlation, including data evaluation and prediction, standard reference data, databases, and storage and retrieval of thermophysical-property data.

Plenary and Keynote Speakers:

• Prof. John Ågren
  Professor
  Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
• Prof. J. Ilja Siepmann
  Distinguished McKnight University Professor
  Distinguished Teaching Professor, Chemistry
  University of Minnesota
• Prof. Joan F. Brennecke
  Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering
  University of Texas at Austin
• Prof. Marc Olivier Coppens
  Ramsay Memorial Chair and Head of Department
  University College London

Technical Areas at the Symposium:

Click on a Session Title below to open a description of the session:

The CU campus, with the snow-capped Rockies.
(Photo by Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado)

• Correlations, Databases, and Engineering Equations of State
  Eric Lemmon, NIST
  Monika Thol, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
  

  This session deals with equations of state, correlations, or empirical models that can be used to calculate thermophysical properties of fluids or mixtures. Examples are Helmholtz energy based equations, cubic equation of state, BWR pressure explicit equations, corresponding states models, transport models, vapor pressure correlations, spline interpolations, estimation models or calculation methods for vapor-liquid equilibrium or solubilities, and surface tension correlations. Other topics might include fitting techniques, or group contribution methods.

• Fluid Property Measurements
  Diego Cristancho, Dow Chemical
  Ala Bazyleva, NIST
  

  The sessions on Fluid Property Measurements are a forum for reports of experimental studies of thermophysical properties in broad ranges of pressure, temperature, and composition, including safe handling of toxic and corrosive compounds. Emphasis should be placed on the industrial relevance of the results and/or their scientific significance to better understand molecular interactions, to advance property models and databases, or to benchmark force fields and simulation results. The topic, scope, and style of the presentations should fit the broad audience of these sessions.

• Instrumentation and Measurement Techniques
  Tara Fortin, NIST
  Markus Richter, Technische Universität Chemnitz
  

  This session will focus only on contributions reporting novel experimental techniques or instrumentations, either not yet published, or published within the past 12 months. The focus is on the development of new techniques. Contributions made with established apparatus should be submitted to other sessions.

• Ionic Liquids
  José Nuno Canongia Lopes, Instituto Superior Técnico - Lisbon
  Joan Brennecke, University of Texas
  

  Sessions in this area relate to the thermophysical properties of ionic liquids and their mixtures and solutions. Topics of interest include gas solubility, molecular interactions, thermal conductivity, viscosity, diffusion, densities, excess volumes and enthalpies, isothermal compressibilities, surface tension, enthalpy of fusion, phase behavior, calorimetry, modeling and simulation of ionic liquids, and ionic liquids as functional materials.

• Molecular Simulation
  Andrei Kazakov, NIST
  Michael Shirts, University of Colorado Boulder
  

  This session focuses on the use of molecular simulations to estimate and understand thermodynamic and thermophysical properties. Applications of molecular simulations to predict properties of fluid and/or solid systems and to elucidate physical phenomena are of particular interest. Other strongly encouraged topics are new modeling and simulation methods, including coarse-grained/multiscale approaches and analyses of error propagation and uncertainty quantification between molecular models and physical properties.

• Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics
  Fernando Bresme, Imperial College
  David Reguera, University of Barcelona
  

  The sessions on non-equilibrium thermodynamics will focus on recent advances highlighting the applicability of theoretical methods to investigate transport phenomena (heat, mass, charge transport in bulk and under confinement conditions) and dissipation processes, non-equilibrium modeling/simulation techniques and experimental studies under non-equilibrium conditions.

• Optical and Thermal Radiative Properties
  Zhuomin Zhang, Georgia Tech
  Liping Wang, Arizona State University
  Leonard Hanssen, NIST
  

  Optical and thermal radiative properties of advanced materials are critically needed for energy conversion systems, thermal management, microelectronics, materials process and manufacturing, and non-contact temperature measurement. This focused topic will provide a forum for participants to present the most recent research results on all aspects of measurement, theory, simulation, and modeling of emittance, absorptance, reflectance, transmittance, and scattering properties of surfaces, thin films, particles, periodic and aperiodic structures and composites. Reports on the state-of-the-art theories and methods in modeling, designing, fabricating, and testing micro/nanostructures to tailor the radiative properties in both the far field and the near field will be welcomed.

• Properties for Materials Science at High Temperatures
  Doug Matson, Tufts University
  Gernot Pottlacher, TU Graz
  

  These sessions will concentrate on experimental and theoretical aspects for the measurement of thermophysical properties of materials at high temperature. Measurement timescales span the continuum from highly non-equilibrium subsecond thermophysics to quasi-static and equilibrium techniques used for identification of properties for metallurgical process design.

• Properties of Aqueous Systems
  Andre Anderko, OLI Systems
  Simona Lago, INRiM
  

  We seek papers about the measurement, theory, and correlation of thermophysical properties of aqueous systems, including solutions of electrolytes and nonelectrolytes in water. In addition to fundamental studies of thermodynamic and transport properties, we encourage papers that relate the properties of aqueous solutions to applications such chemical process design, geochemistry, oceanography, water treatment, power generation, hydrometallurgy, materials science, electrochemical energy sources, life sciences, and protection of the environment.

• Properties for Fuels and Energy Systems
  Sergio Quiñones-Cisneros, Ruhr Univ. - Bochum
  Kurt Schmidt, Schlumberger Technology Corporation
  

  These sessions deal with thermophysical properties of fuels including natural gas, petroleum-based fuels, coal-based fuels, oil sands, shale gas, and gas hydrates. Also of interest are properties of systems related to carbon capture and sequestration as well as gas injection. Past sessions have included viscosity, density, calorimetry, phase behavior, fuel and oil characterization, thermal conductivity, and thermal degradation. Experimental, modeling, and simulation studies are all encouraged.

• Properties of Polymers
  Nic Rorrer, NREL
  Anthony Kotula, NIST
  

  These sessions focus on measurements, theories, and simulations of properties of polymeric systems and materials. While any new concepts pertaining to the properties of polymers are welcomed, specific interests include new methods of measurement such as nanocalorimetry, systems of growing interest such as charged and ion-containing polymers, and new developments in age-old problems such as polymer/polymer and polymer/solvent interactions.

• Properties of Solids
  Heng Ban, University of Pittsburgh
  Ursula Kattner, NIST
  

  Sessions in this area are devoted to the thermophysical properties of solids. Topics of interest include but are not limited to thermal properties of solids, thermodynamic studies of phase transitions, and thermal deformation. We seek papers using experimental, theoretical and/or computational methods in fundamental research and/or applications in areas such as energy, environment, industrial processes and life sciences.

• Properties of Working Fluids including Refrigerants
  Mark McLinden, NIST
  Stephanie Outcalt, NIST
  

  Papers reporting experimental measurements or models for the properties of fluids intended as working fluids in thermodynamic cycles are solicited. This would include thermodynamic and transport properties, equations of state and other models, pure fluids and mixtures. Working fluids for refrigeration and power cycles are of interest. Data and models for the "new" low-GWP refrigerants and working fluids for organic Rankine cycles are particularly welcome. Papers comparing one cycle versus another or one fluid versus another in a particular cycle are generally not of interest, unless the focus is clearly on the property characteristics.

• Theory of Thermophysical Properties
  Clare McCabe, Vanderbilt University
  Amparo Galindo, Imperial College
  

  This session focuses on the use of molecular theory to predict thermophysical properties, including molecular based equations of state, classical density functional theory, and first principles based approaches.

• Thermal Properties of Nanostructured Materials
  Xinwei Wang, Iowa State University
  Yangsu Xie, Shenzhen University
  

  This session will cover wide-spectrum research related to thermophysical properties of nanostructured materials (including nanofluids). Examples include, but not limited to, thermal properties of novel nanostructured materials (quantum dots, nanowires, thin films, graphene, carbon nanotubes and their composites), new technology development to explore the thermal transport behavior of nanostructured materials, effect of material structure on thermophysical properties, and theoretical investigation and computer modeling to look into the physics underpinning thermal transport in nanostructured materials.

• Properties of Metastable and Glassy Systems
  Frédéric Caupin, Lyon University
  

  Metastability covers here all conditions beyond the usual stability boundaries of a phase, in which equilibrium can still be reached for a finite time; this includes e.g. supercooled and superheated liquids, supersaturated solutions, metastable polymorphs of crystals... These states play a key role for our understanding of phase transitions, as well as in natural phenomena and industrial applications. The sessions will highlight the original experimental strategies (e.g. small and/or container-less samples, ultrafast techniques...) that are implemented to prepare materials and measure their thermodynamic and dynamic properties under these challenging conditions. The specific case of supercooled liquids has a strong connection with the glass transition, involving complex dynamic phenomena (relaxation time, dynamic heterogeneity, ageing...). Reports on emerging experimental topics in this field are welcome.

• Wetting, Interfaces, Membranes, and Hydrates
  Marcus Müller, University of Göttingen
  Carolyn Koh, Colorado School of Mines
  

  Submissions that relate to the following topics are encouraged for these sessions: structure and thermodynamics of interfaces, theory and computer simulation, wetting and fluctuation effects, interplay between wetting and phase behavior in confined geometry, kinetics of phase transitions, dynamics at interfaces, structure formation in synthetic and biological, amphiphilic systems, energy materials, and gas hydrates.

• Posters
  Joe Magee, NIST
  Jason Widegren, NIST
  

  Posters may cover any topic area of the Symposium.

• Software Demonstrations
  Vladimir Diky, NIST
  

  Software Demonstartions may cover any topic area of the Symposium.

Please send your comments and suggestions to the Symposium organizers through the Symposium email address:

All technical sessions will be held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. The Symposium is organized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Joint ASME-AIChE Committee on Thermophysical Properties.