Thermodynamic properties of steam and water adapted for the IBM 360/195 computer. [Programs STEAM67 and ASTEM for interpolation of data points]

In 1921, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers began an effort to provide reliable and consistent tables of the thermodynamic properties of steam and water. In 1936, J.H. Keenan and F.G. Keyes published a set of steam tables that served as an accepted reference. These tables were revised in 1969 using the least squares technique on a computer to interpolate the data points. Because the tables are based on physical data points, they remain the standard for checking the fit of any formulation of thermodynamic properties. A set of formulations describing the properties of steam was adopted in 1966 as an international standard by the ASME International Formulation Committee of the Sixth Conference on the Properties of Steam. These formulations are reproduced in Appendices 1 and 2 of the 1967 ASME Steam Tables. Computer programs based on these formulations were published by McClintock and Sylvestri in 1967 and improved in 1970. The program STEAM67 was developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; it is a collection of individual routines each designed for a specific problem. A second program, ASTEM, was developed by the Aerojet Nuclear Company; it is more general and provides information used to calculate specific solutions. Themore » programs were tested on the IBM 360/195 computer and results compared with published values.« less