Empirical Correlations of

Saturated Steam Properties

Sze-Foo Chien, SPE, Texaco Inc.

Summary. Both steamdrive and steam stimulation processes for EOR involve thermodynamic and transport properties of steam. These
properties have roles in the fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass and heat balances of recovery processes. Hence, they affect, not only
the operation of the process, but also the economics and management of the oil recovery project. This paper presents empirical correlations
of thermodynamic and transport properties of saturated steam in dimensionless forms as functions of either reduced temperature or
reduced pressure. The pressure range of the correlations extends from atmospheric to 3,000 psia [20.7 MPa]. The properties include
saturation temperature, saturation pressure, specific volume, specific enthalpy, specific entropy, isobaric specific heat, dynamic viscosity,
thermal conductivity, dielectric constant, surface tension, and isentropic expansion exponents. Compared with values listed in current
steam tables, the calculated properties are accurate within ±0.02 % for saturation temperature and pressure, within ±0.12 % for ther-
modynamic properties, and within ±0.27% for transport properties.

Introduction
Steam is involved in many flow processes in petroleum engineering,
from EOR to refinery operations. Its thermodynamic and transport
properties are needed in design, processing, monitoring, and analysis
of flow processes. In many applications, the steam involved is a
wet steam, a mixture of saturated liquid and saturated vapor. With
knowledge of the steam quality, properties of wet steam can be deter-
mined from those of saturated liquid and saturated vapor available
in the steam tables. There are applications, however, where steam
properties need to be expressed as functions of steam pressure or
steam temperature. The popular applications of computers and
programmable calculators also demand steam properties that can
be programmed easily to avoid manual entry of these property
values. Using mathematical expressions to calculate these property
values reduces the memory required to store them and eliminates
the need for interpolation of properties between discrete table values.
In response to these needs, several papersl-S have appeared on
the empirical correlations of saturated steam properties. None of
these papers, however, presents a complete set of accurate corre-
lations for all the thermodynamic and transport properties over wide
pressure or temperature ranges. This paper presents empirical corre-
lations for a number of pertinent steam properties used in engineer-
ing applications. These correlations can be used to calculate prop-
erty values that have a high degree of accuracy compared with those
in the current published steam tables. They are expressed as ex-
plicit functions of either steam pressure or steam temperature in
dimensionless form, and they cover steam pressures from atmos-
pheric to 3,000 psia [20.7 MPa]. The steam properties covered in
this study are saturation temperature; saturation pressure; specific
volumes of saturated liquid, saturated vapor, and vaporization; spe-
cific enthalpies of saturated liquid and vapor; specific entropies of
saturated liquid and vapor; isobaric specific heat of saturated liq-
uid and vapor; dynamic viscosities of saturated liquid and vapor;
thermal conductivities of saturated liquid and vapor; dielectric con-
stants of saturated liquid and vapor; surface tension between the
liquid and the vapor phases of steam; and isentropic expansion ex-
ponents of saturated vapor.
The correlations for all these properties except isobaric specific
heat, thermal conductivity, and isentropic expansion exponents are
based on the property values published in Ref. 9. The correlations
for the three properties mentioned are based on the values listed in
Ref. 10. The property values in Refs. 9 and 10 are called "table
values. "

Copyright 1992 Society of Petroleum Engineers

TABLE 1-EMPIRICAL CORRELATION FOR TABLE 2-EMPIRICAL CORRELATION

SATURATION TEMPERATURE FOR SATURATION PRESSURE

Pressure range, psi a [MPa) 10.2 to 3,198.8 [0.07 to 22.06) Pressure range, psia [MPa) 2.9 to 3,161.7 [0.02 to 21.80)
Temperature range, OF [K) 194 to 705 [363 to 647) Temperature range, OF [K) 140 to 703 [333 to 646)

[ ;E 8
j [In(p/Pel] j] Form of correlation
P
-=8 0 exp
[(T~ ) E7.5

T Pe T ;=1
Form of correlation

[ ;~ AI [In(p/Pelr]
Reference properties
T e , OR [K) 1,164.827 [647.126) where i = 1, 1.5,3,3.5,4, and 7.5.
Pc, psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.055) Reference properties
Coefficient values Pc, psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.056)
80 1.0000000 Te , OR [K) 1,164.827 [647.126)
81 -3.3387306 Coefficient values
82 1.4265590 80 1.0001806
Ao 1.0000000 81 -7.8566745
A1 -3.4680733 81.5 1.8324990
A2 1.8779192 83 - 1.1595890 x 10
A3 - 2.1223784 x 10- 1 83.5 2.2218820 x 10
A4 - 3.5814371 x 10- 3 84 -1.5637130x10
A5 - 9.0903163 x 10- 5 8 7 .5 1.7245000
Error, % Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.0039 Maximum absolute 0.0159
Standard deviation 0.0022 Standard deviation 0.0092

SPE Reservoir Engineering, May 1992 295

 TABLE 3-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR SPECIFIC VOLUME OF SATURATED LIQUID

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa))

14.7 to 182.0 [0.10 to 1.25] 182.0 to 1,335.0 [1.25 to 9.20) 1,245.0 to 3,014.0 [8.58 to 20.78)

Temperature range, of [K] 212 to 374 [373 to 463) 374 to 581 [463 to 578) 572 to 696 [573 to 642]

Form of correlation VI/Vc = E

4

1=0
a;(p/pc)1 V,/Vc = E
4

1=0
a;(p/pc)1 V,/Vc =exp [ t
1=0
B;(P/Pc)l]

Reference properties
v c' ft 3 /1bm [m 3 /kg] 0.0497468 [0.00310559] 0.0497468 [0.00310559) 0.0497468 [0.00310559]
Pc, psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055)
Coefficient values
80 3.2931 007 x 10- 1 3.4444232 x 10 -1 -1.4115188
81 1.6699940 4.6716602 x 10- 1 3.2105379
82 - 4.4002253 x 10 -1.1950608 -4.7880621
83 7.3518335 x 10 2 2.6415460 -2.6579266
84 -4.7497294 x 10 3 -2.1301049 1.3685529 x 10
8s -4.9699783 x 10- 1
86 - 2.6656921 x 10
87 2.6411591 x 10
88 -7.5368481
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.0430 0.0250 0.1160
Standard deviation 0.0250 0.0180 0.0620

Correlation Development
I reviewed the correlations in the literature and checked them for
accuracy. Improvements were made to meet the variable range and
accuracy requirements of this study. New correlations were devel-
oped where correlations were not available or did not meet the re-
quirements of this work.
The new correlations were formulated with computer programs
based on the least-squares method of curve fitting. The candidate
correlations, including those selected from the literature, were then
evaluated over the entire pressure or temperature range to determine
their accuracy. I selected the simplest correlation that met the ac-
curacy requirements of this study. If one correlation was not ac-
curate for the full pressure or temperature range, the pressure or
temperature range was divided and the process of formulation and
error evaluation was repeated for each of the divided ranges.
The general form ofthe correlations used in this paper is a poly-
nomial with either steam temperature or steam pressure as an in-
dependent variable. Both the property and its independent variable
are presented in dimensionless form. The property is made dimen-
sionless by dividing (normalizing) it with the same property at the
critical condition or at some convenient reference condition. The
independent variable is either the reduced temperature, T/Tc' or
the reduced pressure, plpc' where Tc and Pc are critical absolute
temperature and critical pressure (1,164.827°R and 3,198.807 psia
[647.126 K and 22.055 MPaD, respectively. This dimensionless
form makes the correlations readily applicable to either SI metric
or other customary units.
Accuracy of a correlation was checked by determining the errors
and the standard deviation of errors of the calculated property. The
error refers to the difference between the property value calculated
according to the correlation and that listed in the published steam
tables and is expressed as the percentage of the table value. That is,
E=I00(Vc- VT)IVT,
where E=error, Vc=correlation value, and VT=table value.
The absolute value of the maximum error of the correlation prop-
erties in the specified pressure or temperature range is called the

TABLE 4-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR SPECIFIC VOLUME OF SATURATED VAPOR

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa))

14.7 to 405.4 [0.10 to 2.79) 405.4 to 3,050.1 [2.79 to 21.03)

Temperature range,
OF [K) 212 to 446 [373 to 503) 446 to 698 [503 to 643)

Form of correlation ~ = (!2.) exp[ E8i (.!!-.)]11J ~v (!2.)[ .E Bi [(.!!-.)]ilJ

[In =
vc P 1=0 Pc c P ,=0 Pc
Reference properties
v c' ft 3 /1bm [m 3 /kg) 0.0497468 [0.00310559) 0.0497468 [0.00310559)
Pc, psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055)
Coefficient values
80 8.5188000 x 10- 1 2.8570183
81 - 2.6786667 x 10 -1 1.1796202
a2 -1.0696316 x 10- 1 -6.0239948
83 -1.5826285 x 10- 2 5.5896454
84 - 9.0169534 x 10- 4 2.8224224 x 10 -1
as -1.1378390
86 -4.1258599
87 -5.3664933
88 1.7579898 x 10
89 -9.5465496
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.0675 0.1049
Standard deviation 0.0344 0.0359

296 SPE Reservoir Engineering, May 1992

 TABLE 5-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR SPECIFIC VOLUME OF VAPORIZATION

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa])

14.7 to 336.2 [0.10 to 2.32] 336.2 to 2,116.7 [2.32 to 14.59] 2,116.7 to 3,050.1 [14.59 to 21.03]

Temperature range, of [K] 212 to 428 [373 to 493] 428 to 644 [493 to 613] 644 to 698 [613 to 643]

Form of correlation
V~ Pc
-=-exp
Vc P .
[3E ( y]
i=O
8i
P
In-
Pc
Vtg =~
Vc P
E4 8i(
;=0
l!...-
Pc
Y Vtg
Vc
=~
P
E5 8i (
;=0
Inl!...-
Pc
Y
Reference properties
v c' ft3/lbm [m3/kg] 0.0497468 [0.00310559] 0.0497468 [0.00310559] 0.0497468 [0.00310559]
Pc, psia [MPa] 3,198.807 [22.055] 3,198.807 [22.055] 3,198.807 [22.055]
Coefficient values
80 9.0981944 x 10- 1 2.8411738 4.8663549 x 10 -1
81 -1.5220737 x 10- 1 1.0297836 -9.4309998
82 -4.6009362 x 10- 2 -7.4401186 -4.1267692 x 10
83 - 3.2736957 x 10 - 3 9.1734338 -1.3663187 x 10 2
84 -5.0779893 -2.4584549 x 10 2
as -1.7768088 x 10 2
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.0670 0.0722 0.0897
Standard deviation 0.0446 0.0358 0.0508

maximum absolute error. The standard deviation of errors measures
the degree to which the individual errors in a specified pressure
or temperature range deviate from the average error of the range
and is the square root of the sum of the square of the difference
between the individual error and the average error of the range divid-
ed by the number of data points checked in the specified pressure
or temperature range:
maximum absolute error for every property calculated according
to the correlations presented in this paper is <0.27%. Because of
truncation of values and for values between those compared, the
maximum absolute errors may be slightly higher; however, they
should not be more than 0.30%. The standard deviation of the errors
for every specified range investigated is < 0.15 %. An even higher
degree of accuracy was obtained for the temperature/pressure con-
version and for the thermodynamic properties. These accuracies
offer assurance to those who need accurate property values in their
applications.

where a=standard deviation of errors, n=number of data points,
and E=average error of the correlation values in the specified range.
A correlation value was compared to the table value for every
18°F [10 K] temperature change for pressures from atmospheric
t6 1,245 psia [8.6 MPa] , 9°F [5 K] temperature change for pressures
from 1,245 to 2,875 psia [8.6 to 19.8 MPa], and 1.8°F [1 K]
temperature change for pressures from 2,875 to 3,000 psia [19.8
to 20.7 MPa]. For properties that change significantly in a specific
pressure range, the frequency of comparison was increased. The
Empirical Correlations
Steam Saturation-Temperature/Pressure Relationships. The
correlations presented in this study express the steam property as
a function of either reduced pressure or reduced temperature. The
saturation-temperature/pressure relationship can be used to convert
the independent variable of the correlation from one to the other.
I present two correlations for this relationship: one expresses the
reduced temperature as a function of the reduced pressure and the
other expresses the reduced pressure as a function of the reduced
temperature.

TABLE 6-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR SPECIFIC ENTHALPIES OF SATURATED LIQUID AND VAPOR

Saturated Liquid Saturated Vapor

Pressure range, psia [MPa] 1.80 to 3,014.0 [0.01 to 20.80] 0.34 to 3,014.0 [0.002 to 20.80]
Temperature range, OF [K] 122 to 696 [323 to 642] 68 to 696 [293 to 642]

Form of correlation i
HtIHc=[.t 8 (1-TlT c
1=0
)i]/[.t A i(1-TlT c )i]
1=0
HgIHc=[.t 8;(1-TlT c
1=0
)I]/[.t1=0
i
A (1-TlT c )i]
Reference properties
He, Btu/lbm [kJ/kg] 896.819 [2086.0] 896.819 [2086.0]
Tc ' OR [K] 1,164.827 [647.126] 1,164.827 [647.126]
Coefficient values
80 1.0000000 1.0000000
81 5.0816948 x 10 3 5.0299207 x 10 3
82 8.6074681 x 10 s 1.5731724 x 10 6
83 4.0118239 X 10 6 3.2501253 x 10 7
84 -1.3332299 X 10 7 9.6785144 X 10 6
8s 7.5405379 X 10 6 -4.4418934 x 10 7
86 -1.7054074x10 6 2.7515798 x 10 7
Ao 1.0000000 1.0000000
A1 5.2887323 X 10 3 .4.8029656 X 10 3
A2 9.8242129 X 10 5 1.3858761 X 10 6
A3 7.8259063 X 10 6 2.3235662 X 10 7
A4 -4.6202282 x 10 6 8.1345411 x10 s
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.0708 0.1023
Standard deviation 0.0440 0.0640

SPE Reservoir Engineering, May 1992 297

 TABLE 7-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR SPECIFIC ENTROPIES OF SATURATED LIQUID AND VAPOR

Saturated Liquid Saturated Vapor

Pressure range, psia [MPa) 2.9 to 3,014.0 [0.02 to 20.78) 1.80 to 3,014.0 [0.012 to 20.78)
Temperature range, of [K) 140 to 696 [333 to 642) 122 to 696 [323 to 642)

Form of correlation

Reference properties
sc' Btu/(lbm-°F)
[kJ/(kg'l<)) 1.05307 [4.408993) 1.05307 [4.408993)
Tc ' OR [K) 1,164.827 [647.126) 1,164.827 [647.126)
Coefficient values
80 1.0000000 1.0000000
81 5.0377515 x 10 3 5.9664536 x 10 3
82 8.3303063 x 10 5 2.1372502 x 10 s
83 3.9204182 X 10 6 4.3995686 x 10 7
84 -1.1675782 X 10 7 -1.7684651 x10 7
85 3.3926298 x 10 6 -3.7337516 x 10 7
8s 1.2348738 x 10 s 4.3353958 x 10 7
Ao 1.0000000 1.0000000
Al 5.1872958 x 10 3 5.7829058 x 10 3
A2 9.1680340 x 10 5 1.9508403 x 10 6
A3 6.3195919 x 10 6 3.3519570 x 10 7
A4 - 6.7626452 X 10 6 - 3.6044330 x 10 7
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.0498 0.0939
Standard deviation 0.0313 0.0626

The saturation-temperature correlation, which expresses the satu-
ration temperature as a function of pressure, was modified from
that proposed by Ishimoto et al. 4 Table 1 shows the correlation,
the pressure and temperature ranges over which the correlation is
valid, and the accuracy of the calculated property values. I use this
form to describe each correlation in this paper.
The saturation pressure correlation, which expresses the saturation
pressure as a function of temperature, was modified from that pro-
posed by Sato et at. 5 and is shown in Table 2.
Please note that both of these correlations have a higher degree
of accuracy than other correlations presented in this paper. The error
of calculated values is less than 0.004% and 0.016% of the table
values, and the standard deviation of errors is less than 0.003%
and 0.01 % for the absolute saturation temperature and saturation
pressure, respectively.
Specific Volumes of Saturated Liquid, Saturated Vapor, and
Vaporization. The specific volume of steam is a frequently used
thermodynamic property in steam-flow and heat-transfer calcula-
tions. Its reciprocal is steam density. Table 3 shows three correla-
tions for the specific volume of saturated liquid, VI. Table 4 shows
two correlations for the specific volume of saturated vapor, vg. Ta-
ble 5 shows three correlations for the change in specific volume
caused by vaporization, v/g" All correlations are normalized by the
specific volume of steam at the critical condition and are functions
of reduced pressure.

TABLE 8-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR ISOBARIC SPECIFIC HEAT OF SATURATED LIQUID

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa))

14.5 to 1,015.3 [0.10 to 7.00) 1,015.3 to 2,326.6 [7.00 to 16.04) 2,326.6 to 3,002.3 [16.04 to 20.70)

Temperature range, OF [K) 211 to 546 [373 to 559) 546 to 657 [559 to 620) 657 to 695 [620 to 640)

~ t ~ ) J] ~=ak +ex p[ E ~ )J]

5
CI
Form of correlation -=
C lr
E 8i(plpc)' =8k +exp[ 8{ln( 8{ln(
;=0 C lr 1=0 Pc C lr 1=0 Pc
Reference properties
C lr , Btu/(lbm. OR)
[kJ/(kg·l<)) 1.006995 [4.2160867) 1.006995 [4.2160867) 1.006995 [4.2160867)
Pc. psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055)
CoeffiCient values ,
8k 9.9305359 x 10- 1 1.9861072
80 9.9505658 x 10- 1 1.7914360 3.1796616
81 1.3473307 7.0936232 2.7598083 x 10
82 -6.8565925 8.6788445 8.2823486 x 10
83 3.6716693 x 10 6.1763716· 9.9814697 x 10
84 - 8.6206131 x 10 1.7373571 - 5.0714844 x 10
8 5 7.7951737 x 10 -1.0322812 x 10 3
86 -5.0129375 x 10 3
87 1.5638750 X 10 4
8a 1.2209062 x 10 4
89 - 2.8370800 x 10 5
810 -6.1834000 x 10 4
811 -2.8136560 x 10 6
812 -1.1976786 X 10 7
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.1117 0.0916 0.1173
Standard deviation 0.0553 0.0560 0.0700

298 SPE Reservoir Engineering, May 1992

 TABLE 9-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR ISOBARIC SPECIFIC HEAT OF SATURATED VAPOR

Pressure Range, (psia (MPa)

14.5 to 652.7 [0.10 to 4.50) 652.7 to 2,320.6 [4.50 to 16.00) 2,320.6 to 3,002.3 [16.00 to 20.70)
Temperature range, of [K) 211 to 495 (373 to 530) 495 to 657 [530 to 620) 657 to 695 [620 to 640)
5 4 3
Form of correlation CgICgr = E aJCpIPe)' CgIC gr = E 8, (piPe)' CgIC gr =8k(pIPe)k + E 8, (piPe)'
i-O 1-0 1=0
Reference properties
C gr , Btu/(Ibm-°F) [kJ/(kg' 1<)) 0.484411 [2.0281324) 0.484411 (2.0281324) 0.484411 [2.0281324)
Pe, psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055)
Coefficient values
8k 7.8823660 x 10
k 3.8796345 x 10
80 9.5425830 x 10- 1 2.0167236 - 3.0806519 x 10 2
81 1.0786016x 10 -7.2229849 1.2848951 x 10 3
82 -1.1874860x 10 2 5.1029265 x 10 -1.7723700 x 10 3
83 1.0936254 X 10 3 - 9.9677589 x 10 8.2869634 X 10 2
84 -4.9349905 X 10 3 7.9836500 x 10
85 8.5192075 x 10 3
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.2496 0.2092 0.1229
Standard deviation 0.1487 0.1387 0.0573

TABLE 10-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR DYNAMIC VISCOSITY

OF SATURATED LIQUID

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa))

1.79 to 1,635.9 [0.012 to 11.28) 1,635.9 to 3,050.1 [11.28 to 21.03)

Temperature range, OF [K) 122 to 608 [323 to 593) 608 to 698 [593 to 643)

Form of correlation ~1/~c =exp[ i~ a{ln( ~) J} ~1/~e = .E 8{ln( ~

/~O Te
) J
Reference properties
~c' Ibm/(ft-s) [Pa· s) 2.620679 x 10 -5 [3.9000 x 10 -5) 2.620679 x1 0 - 5 [3.9000 x 10 - 5)
Te , OR [K) 1,164.827 [647.126) 1,164.827 [647.126)
Coefficient values
80 4.4292639 x 10 -1 1.2225295
81 -3.3322849 - 2.0024069 x 10
a2 -4.7424870 -3.0727613 x 10 2
83 -3.4267702 - 3.1857464 x 10 3
84 2.0787155 x 10 -1.2705404 X 10 4
85 3.7792801 x 10
86 2.0438843 x 10
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.2194 0.1969
Standard deviation 0.0914 0.1075

TABLE 11-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR DYNAMIC VISCOSITY OF SATURATED VAPOR

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa))

4.52 to 1,747.1 [0.03 to 12.05) 1,747.1 to 3,050.1 [12.05 to 21.03)

Temperature range, OF [K) 158 to 617 [343 to 598) 617 to 698 [598 to 643)

Form of correlation ~g/~e =exp[ .i~ 8,(~)'J

/zOTe
Reference properties
~e' Ibm/(ft-s) (Pa· s) 2.620679 x 10 -5 [3.90000 x 10 -5) 2.620679 x 10 -5 [3.90000 x 10 -5)
T e , OR [K) 1,164.827 [647.126) 1,164.827 [647.126]
Coefficient values
80 -2.0294702 - 2.0567680 x 10 -1
81 3.3158207 x 10- 1 1.4724745 x 10
82 1.7158422 2.0934543 x 10 2
83 6.2354116 -2.2936523 x 10 3
84 -1.4043987 x 10 -1.2029625 x 10 5
85 7.3749399 -1.1642810 X 10 6
86 9.7199900 x 10 5
87 4.2216112 x 10 7
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.1598 0.1740
Standard deviation 0.1034 0.1052

SPE Reservoir Engineering. May 1992 299

 TABLE 12-EMPIRICAL CORRELATION FOR THERMAL
by the enthalpy at the critical condition. The correlations are func-
CONDUCTIVITY OF SATURATED LIQUID tions of reduced temperature.

Pressure range. psia [MPa) 14.5 to 3.191.0 [0.10 to 22.0) Specific Entropies of Saturated Liquid and Vapor. The corre-
Temperature range. of [K) 211 to 705 [373 to 647) lations for the specific entropy of saturated liquid, sl' 'and saturated
vapor, Sg' are modified versions of those proposed by Ishimoto et
Form of correlation khf =ex/
khr
.E a [ln(2.)]iJ
L1=0 i Te
at. 4 The specific entropy in the correlation is normalized by the
specific entropy of steam at critical condition. These correlations,
Reference properties (Table 7) are functions of reduced temperature.
k hr , Btu/(hr-ft-oF) [W/(m· K)] 0.217249 [0.3760] In view of the frequent use of the above three thermodynamic
Te , OR [K] 1.164.827 [647.126] properties (specific volume, specific enthalpy, and specific entropy),
Coefficient values
-1.5250444 x 10- 3
a high degree of accuracy has been built into these correlations.
80
-4.5707493 Maximum absolute errors of the correlations for these three prop-
81
82 -1.6924927 x 10 erties are < 0.12 % of the table values, and the standard deviations
83 - 4.0390396 x 10 of the errors of these correlation values in their respective applicable
84 -5.5597351 x 10 ranges are <0.07% of the table values.
85 - 3.1171860 x 10
Error. % Isobaric Specific Heat of Saturated Liquid and Vapor. The corre-
Maximum absolute 0.1573
lations for isobaric specific heat are functions of reduced pressure.
Standard deviation 0.0775
The isobaric specific heat of saturated liquid, Clr , and saturated
vapor, Cgr , at the saturation temperature under atmospheric con-
Specific Enthalpies of Saturated Liquid and Vapor. The corre- dition, 14.7 psi and 212°P [0.10 MPa and 373 K], are used as the
lations for specific enthalpy of saturated liquid, HI' and saturated reference properties to make the property dimensionless. Tables
vapor, Hg. (Table 6) are modified from those proposed by 8 and 9 describe correlations for saturated liquid and vapor, re-
Ishimoto et al. 4 The enthalpy in these correlations is normalized spectively. Maximum absolute error of the isobaric specific heat

TABLE 13-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF SATURATED VAPOR

Pressure Range. (psi a [MPa])

14.5 to 435.9 [0.10 to 3.0) 435.0 to 1.740.0 [3.0 to 12.0] 1.740.0 to 3,002.0 [12.0 to 20.7]

Temperature range, OF [K] 211 to 454 [373 to 507) 454 to 616 [507 to 598) 616 to 695 [598 to 641]

Form of correlation khg'=exPL

k hr
.E
1=0 8{ln( 2.
Te ) TJ hg
k = eXPL
k hr '=0
8{ln(ETe 2. ) TJ hg
k =exPL
k hr
.E 8{ln( 2.Te )
1=0 TJ
Reference properties
k hr, Btu/(hr-ft-°F) [W/(m • K)) 0.217249 [0.3760] 0.217249 [0.3760) 0.217249 [0.3760)
Te. OR [K) 1.164.827 [647.126) 1.164.827 [647.126] 1.164.827 [647.126]
Coefficient values
80 -1.2822782 - 6.4802545 x 10 -1 - 2.2803920 x 10
81 3.5873089 1.2872831 x 10 3.9477042 x 10
a2 -2.2980213 5.2101379 x 10 7.8682201 X 10 2
a3 - 1.4909007 x 10 1.3675613 X 10 2 9.5197933 x 10 3
a4 -1.3771473x 10 1.5471500 x 10 2 2.3503658 X 10 4
a5 - 5.6828639 x 10 5
a6 - 3.8437988 x 10 6
Error. %
Maximum absolute 0.126 0.0618 0.2553
Standard deviation 0.0648 0.0228 0.1348

TABLE 14-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR DIELECTRIC CONSTANT OF SATURATED LIQUID

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa])

1.8 to 680.0 [0.012 to 4.69] 680.0 to 2.253.0 [4.69 to 15.53] 2.253.0 to 3.050.0 [15.53 to 21.03]

Temperature range. OF [K] 122 to 500 [323 to 533) 500 to 653 [533 to 618] 653 to 698 [618 to 643]
2 3 4
Form of correlation Ef = E 8i[ In(pIPe)]i Ef = E 8i[ln(pIPe)]i Ef = E 8,[ln(pIPc)]i
.i=O i=O i=O
Reference property
Pe,psia [MPa] 3,198.807 [22.056] 3,198.807 [22.056] 3.198.807 [22.056]
Coefficient values
80 1.2455101 x 10 9.1678032 7.3249254
81 -8.7905744 -1.5170365 - 3.5495041 x 10
82 -1.5104200 x 10- 1 -4.6894402 -9.7214828 x 10
83 -1.1529913 -1.9945985 x 10 2
84 -1.6229854 x 10 2
Error. %
Maximum absolute 0.1276 0.1193 0.0988
Standard deviation 0.0577 0.0752 0.0481

300 SPE Reservoir Engineering. May 1992

 TABLE 15-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR DIELECTRIC CONSTANT OF SATURATED VAPOR

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa])

6.87 to 1,078.8 [0.047 to 7.44) 1,078.8 to 2,116.7 [7.44 to 14.60) 2,116.7 to 3,050.0 [14.60 to 21.03)

Temperature range, OF [K) 176 to 554 [353 to 563) 554 to 644 [563 to 613) 644 to 698 [613 to 643)

Form of correlation

Reference property
Eg =1 + eXPL It a{ln(:c) J] Eg =1 +exPL I~ a{ln(:c) J] Eg =1 +exPL It a{ln(:J J]
Pc, psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055)
Coefficient values
ao 3.4299129 x 10-' 5.9650922 x 10 -, 1.0010477
a, 2.1733980 3.0604029 7.6362305
a2 5.3285676 x 10-' 1.5010138 2.3030579 x 10
a3 9.9768162 x 10- 2 4.3431473 x 10-' 4.8002823 x 10
a4 7.0968904 x 10- 3 4.0031906 x 10
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.1183 0.0229 0.1182
Standard deviation 0.0501 0.0136 0.0771

TABLE 16-EMPIRICAL CORRELATION FOR saturated vapor, Jl.g' are functions of reduced temperature. The dy-
SURFACE TENSION BETWEEN LIQUID namic viscosity in these correlations has been normalized by the
AND VAPOR PHASES OF STEAM dynamic viscosity of steam at the critical condition. Tables 10 and
11 show these correlations for saturated liquid and vapor, respec-
Pressure range, psia [MPa) 0.089 to 3,200 [0.00061 to 22.065) tively. Maximum absolute errors of the viscosity calculated accord-
Temperature range, OF [K) 32.1 to 705 [273.1 to 647.0) ing to these correlations are < 0.22 % of the table values.
2.256
Form of correlation r/r, = 1= E
1.256
ad1 - TIT,)', Thermal Conductivities of Saturated Liquid and Vapor. The
correlations for the thermal conductivity of saturated liquid, khf'
where i = 1.256 and 2.256.
and saturated vapor, k hg , are shown in Tables 12 and 13, respec-
Reference properties tively. These correlations are functions of reduced temperature. The
r" Ibflft [N/m) 0.0161574 [0.2358) reference property, k hr , used to normalize conductivity is obtained
T" OR [K) 1,164.87 [647.15) by extrapolating the table values of thermal conductivity to the crit-
Coefficient values ical condition. Maximum absolute errors of the thermal conductivity
a'.256 1.0000000
- 6.2500000) x 10 - ,
calculated according to these correlations are < 0.16 % and < 0.26 %
a 2.256
of the table values for saturated liquid and vapor, respectively.

by the correlations is < 0.12 % of the table values for saturated liquid
and <0.25% of the table values for saturated vapor.
Dynamic Viscosities of Saturated Liquid and Vapor. The corre-
lations for the dynamic viscosity of the saturated liquid, Jl.f' and
Dielectric Constants of Saturated Liquid and Vapor. The corre-
lations for the dielectric constants of saturated liquid, ff' and satu-
rated vapor, Eg, are functions of reduced pressure. The dielectric
constant is a dimensionless quantity, so no normalizing reference
is required. Tables 14 and 15 show these correlations for the satu-

TABLE 17-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR ISENTROPIC EXPANSION EXPONENT

OF SATURATED VAPOR, WET SIDE OF SATURATION

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa])

14.5 to 1,885.5 [0.1 b t013.00) 1,855.5 to 3,046.0 [13.00 to 21.00)

Temperature range, OF [K) 211 to 628 [373 to 604) 628 to 698 [604 to 643)
5 10
Form of correlation (3w = E a,(plpc)i (3w = E adplpc)'
1=0 1=0
Reference property
Pc, psia [MPa) 3,198.807 [22.055) 3,198.807 [22.055)
Coefficient values
ao 1.1389096 9.9345666 x 10 -,
a, 1.6029123x 10-' - 7.9356956 x 10 -,
a2 -4.0470131 1.3588896
a3 1.5738621 x 10 3.9806976
a4 -2.7474654 x 10 -8.0995951
a5 1.7218027x10 4.5975208 x 10-'
as - 9.5566714 x 10-'
a7 2.0556850
as 8.9865770
a9 -4.8235083
a,o -2.7185125
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.2697 0.2655
Standard deviation 0.1409 0.1292

SPE Reservoir Engineering, May 1992 301

 TABLE 18-EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS FOR ISENTROPIC EXPANSION EXPONENT OF
SATURATED VAPOR, DRY SIDE OF SATURATION

Pressure Range, (psia [MPa))

14.5 to 1,160.3 [0.10 to 8.00] 1,160.3 to 3,046.0 [8.00 to 21.00]

Temperature range, of [K] 211 to 563 [373 to 568] 563 to 698 [568 to 643]
4 6
Form of correlation (3d =E al(p/pc)1 (3d = E 8dp/Pc)1
1=0 ;=0
Reference property
Pc, psia [MPa] 3,198.807 [22.055] 3,198.807 [22.055]
Coefficient values
80 1.3207703 1.3686342
81 -5.8699304x 10- 1 - 2.2578621 x 10- 1
82 3.7793388 - 9.06301 08 x 10 -1
83 - 1.2793767 x 10 1.9122419
84 1.5036966 x 10 1.2719402
as -4.9905109
a6 2.9406109
Error, %
Maximum absolute 0.1980 0.1724
Standard deviation 0.0817 0.0922

rated liquid and vapor, respectively. Maximum absolute error of
the dielectric constants calculated according to these correlations
is <0.13% of the table values.
Surface Tension Between Liquid and Vapor Phases. The corre-
lation for the surface tension, 'Y, is obtained from Ref. 11. The cor-
relation is a function of reduced temperature, as shown in Table
16. According to Ref. 11, the surface tension in the correlation is
normalized by a surface tension value ofO.01615741bf/fi [0.2358
N/m], and a critical temperature is equal to 705.20°F [647.15 K].
The correlation values are the same as those tabulated in Ref. 9.
Isentropic Expansion Exponents of Saturated Vapor. Tseng et
at. 10 list the isentropic expansion exponents for the saturated vapor
of steam. There are two sets of expansion exponents: one for the
wet side of the saturation line, {3w' and one for the dry side of the
saturation line, {3d' These exponents, dimensionless quantities cor-
related as functions of reduced pressure, are shown in Tables 17
and 18 for the wet-side exponent and for the dry-side exponent,
respectively. Maximum absolute errors of the correlation exponents
are <0.27% of the table values for the wet side and <0.20% of
the table values for the dry side.
Comparison of Correlations
Table 19 shows a comparison of the maximum absolute errors of
the correlation values established in this work with those of Ejiogu
and Fiori 2 and Tortike and Farouq Ali. 8 The comparison is for
properties in the 500- to 2,500-psia [3.45- to 17.24-MPa] pressure
range. The errors values in Table 19 are those claimed by the
authors. 8 The table shows that the property values calculated ac-
cording to the correlations of this work have the smallest errors.
Note that one of the objectives of this paper is to obtain correla-
tions to calculate properties within ±0.27% of the table values.
Another unique characteristic of the present work is that both the
property and the independent variable in the correlations are in
dimensionless form. The value of the coefficients of the correla-
tions can be applied to any system of units; whereas most correla-
tions in the literature, including those of Refs. 2 and 8, have been
developed for a specific system of units.
Computer Program for Steam Properties
Based on the correlations presented in this paper, a computer pro-
gram was developed to tabulate all the properties for a specified
temperature or pressure range and a desired temperature or pressure

TABLE 19-COMPARISON OF MAXIMUM ABSLUTE ERROR OF THE CORRELATIONS

FOR PRESSURE IN THE 500 to 2,500 psia [3.45 to 17.25 MPa] RANGE

Maximum Absolute Error of Correlations, %

Ejiogu and Tortike and
Steam Property Present Study Fiori 2 Farouq Alia
Saturation temperature 0.004 0.040 0.040
Saturation pressure 0.016 0.110
Specific volume of saturated liquid 0.116 0.600 1.170
Specific volume of saturated vapor 0.027 0.900 3.560
Specific volume of vaporization 0.060 0.800 1.480
Specific enthalpy of saturated liquid 0.071 0.200 0.390
Specific enthalpy of saturated vapor 0.102 0.240 0.270
Specific entropy of saturated liquid 0.050
Specific entropy of saturated vapor 0.094
Specific heat of saturated liquid 0.092
Specific heat of saturated vapor 0.209
Viscosity of saturated liquid 0.219 0.400 2.630
Viscosity of saturated vapor 0.174 4.000 2.540
Conductivity of saturated liquid 0.145 1.800
Conductivity of saturated vapor 0.100 4.060
Dielectric constant of saturated liquid 0.128
Dielectric constant of saturated vapor 0.118
Surface tension between liquid and vapor 0.000
Wet-side isentropic expansion exponent 0.270
Dry-side isentropic expansion exponent 0.173

302 SPE Reservoir Engineering, May 1992

increment. This program can also import data, export data, and
perform related calculations.
Concluding Remark.
This work presented the following.
1. Empirical correlations to calculate all pertinent saturated steam
properties needed for fluid-flow and heat-transfer calculations at
steam pressures ranging from atmospheric to 3,000 psia [20.7 MPa].
2. Correlations as explicit functions of either steam temperature
or steam pressure.
3. Correlations in dimensionless form that are readily applicable
to either the customary or SI metric system of units.
4. Correlations which calculate properties with accuracies within
±0.02 % of current table values for saturation temperature and pres-
sure, ±0.12% for thermodynamic properties, and ±0.27% for
transport properties.
5. Correlations that can be programmed easily for computer ap-
plications.
Nomenclature
ao,aj,ak = coefficients for polynomial correlation
Aj = coefficients for polynomial correlation
Cf = isobaric specific heat of saturated liquid,
Btu/(lbm-OF) [kJ/(kg·K)]
Cfr = reference isobaric heat of saturated liquid,
1.006995 Btu/(lbm-OF) [4.216108 kJ/(kg· K)]
Cg = isobaric specific heat of saturated vapor,
Btu/(lbm- OF) [kJ/(kg· K)]
Cgr = reference isobaric specific heat of saturated vapor,
0.484411 Btu/(lbm-OF) [2.028132 kJ/(kg·K)]
E = error of correlation value, % of table value
it = average error of correlation values in specified
range, %
E; = error of ith correlation value, % of table value
Hc = specific enthalpy of steam at critical condition,
896.819 Btu/lbm [2086.0 kJ/kg]
Hf = specific enthalpy of saturated liquid,
Btu/lbm [kJ/kg]
H g = specific enthalpy of saturated vapor, Btullbm [kJ Ikg]
i ,j ,k = indices of summation and exponents of the
polynomial in correlations
k = specified index and exponent
k hf = thermal conductivity of saturated liquid, Btu/(hr-
ft-OF) [W/(m.K)]
k hg = thermal conductivity of saturated vapor,
Btu/(hr-ft- OF) [W/(m· K)]
khr = reference thermal conductivity,
0.217249 Btu/(hr-ft-OF) [0.3760 W/(m·K)]
n = number of data points in specified range
P = steam pressure, psia [MPa]
Pc = critical pressure of steam, 3198.807 psi
[22.055 MPa]
Sc = specific entropy at critical condition of steam,
1.05307 Btu/(lbm-OF) [4.40899 kJ/(kg·K)]
Sf = specific entropy of saturated liquid, Btu/(lbm-OF)
[kJ/(kg·K)]
Sg = specific entropy of saturated vapor, Btu/(lbm-OF)
[kJ/(kg·K)]
T = absolute temperature, (459.67 +temperature in
OF) °R[(273.15+temperature in °C)K]
Tc = absolute temperature at critical condition,
1,164.827°R [647.126 K]
Tr = reference temperature, 1,164.87°R [647.150 K]
vc = specific voiume of steam at critical condition,
0.0497468 ft 3 /lbm [0.00310559 m 3 /kg]
vf = specific volume of saturated liquid, ft 3 /lbm [m3/kg]
Vfg = specific volume of vaporization, ft 3 /lbm [m 3 /kg]·
Vg = specific volume of saturated vapor, ft 3 1lbm [m3/kg]
Vc = correlation value of steam property
SPE Reservoir Engineering, May 1992
Author
Sze·Foo Chien Is a research consultant
In the E&P Technology Dept. of Texaco
Inc. In Houston. He specializes In fluid
mechanics and heat transfer of multi·
phase and non·Newtonlan fluids and
recovery of unconventional energy
resources. He holds MS and PhD
degrees In mechanical engineering from
the U. of Minnesota.
VT = table value of steam property
f3d = isentropic expansion exponent on dry side of
saturation
f3 w = isentropic expansion exponent on wet side of
saturation
"I = surface tension, lbf/ft [N/m]
'Yr = reference surface tension, 0.0161574 lbf/ft
[0:2358 N/m]
€f = dielectric constant of saturated liquid
€ g = dielectric constant of saturated vapor
J.Lc = dynamic viscosity of steam at critical condition,
2.620679 x 10- 5 lbm/(ft-s) or 3.9000 x 10- 2 cp
[3.900xlO- 5 Pa·s]
J.Lf = dynamic viscosity of saturated liquid, lbml(ft-s)
or cp [Pa·s]
J.L g = dynamic viscoscity of saturated vapor, lhm/(ft-s)
or cp [Pa·s]
(J = standard deviation of errors, %
Acknowledgment
I thank Texaco Inc. for permission to publish this work.
Reference.
1. AI-Najjar, H.S.H. and Abdul-Ahad, P.G.: "Equation Calculates Prop-
erties of Saturated Steam," Oil & Gas J. (Sept. 4, 1989) 84-85.
2. Ejiogu, G.C. and Fiori, M.: "High-Pressure Saturated-Steam Corre-
lations," JPT (Dec. 1987) 1585-90.
3. Gonzalez-Pozo, V.: "Formulas Estimate Properties for Dry Saturated
Steam," Chern. Eng. (1986) 93, 123.
4. Ishimoto, S., Uematsu, M., and Tanishita, 1.: "New Equations for the
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ton Tables for the Thermodynamic Properties of Water and Steam,"
Proc., Tenth Int!. Conference on the Properties of Stearn, Moscow (Sept.
1984) 1, 71-89.
6. Stoa, T .A.: "Formulas Estimate Data for Dry Saturated Stearn," Chern.
Eng. (Dec. 10, 1984) 97.
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Function of Temperature and Pressure," Bull. Japan Soc. Mech. Eng.
(1971) 14, No. 77, 1187-98.
8. Tortike, W.S. and Farouq Ali, S.M.: "Saturated-Stearn-Property Func-
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SPERE (Nov. 1989) 471-74; Trans., AIME, 287.
9. Harr, L., Gallagher, 1.S., and Ken, G.S.: NBSINRC Steam Tables,
Hemisphere Publishing, Washington, D.C. (1984).
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AECL-591O, Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario
(1977).
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ton, DC (1975).
SPERE
Original SPE manuscript received for review Jan. 15, 1990. Revised manuscript received
July 22, 1991. Paper accepted for publication Sept. 9, 1991. Paper (SPE 20319) first present-
ed at the 1991 SPE Asia-Pacific Conference held in Perth, Nov. 4-7.
303