Molecular modeling of fluoropropene refrigerants

Different fluoropropenes are currently considered as refrigerants, either as pure compounds or as components in low GWP (global warming potential) refrigerant mixtures. Due to their limited commercial production, experimental data for the thermophysical properties of fluoropropenes and their mixtures are in general rare, which hampers the exploration of their performance in technical applications. In principle, molecular simulation can be used to predict the relevant properties of refrigerants and refrigerant blends, provided that adequate intermolecular potential functions ("force fields") are available. In our earlier work (Raabe, G.; Maginn, E. J., J. Phys. Chem. B2010, 114, 10133-10142), we introduced a transferable force field for fluoropropenes comprising the compounds 3,3,3-trifluoro-1-propene (HFO-1243zf), 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propene (HFO-1234yf), and hexafluoro-1-propene (HFO-1216). In this paper, we provide an extension of the force field model to the trans- and cis-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propene (HFO-1234ze(E), HFO-1234ze) and the cis-1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoro-1-propene (HFO-1225ye(Z)) as well as revised simulation results for HFO-1216. We present Gibbs ensemble simulation results on the vapor pressures, saturated densities, and heats of vaporization of these compounds in comparison with experimental results. The simulation results show that the force field model enables reliable predictions of the properties of the different fluoropropenes and also reproduces well the differing vapor-liquid coexistence and vapor pressure curve of the cis- and trans-isomers of 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propene, HFO-1234ze and HFO-1234ze(E). For these two isomers, we also present molecular dynamics simulation studies on their local structure.