Specific heat capacity
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Specific heat capacity (SHC):
The specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of energy (J) absorbed per unit mass (kg) of the material when its temperature increases 1 K (or 1 °C), and its units are J/(kg K) or J/(kg °C). Source
Simply put this means the higher the SHC the more joules of energy (heat) it takes to increase or decrease the temperature. This also means that a higher SHC fluid will take longer to cool down or heat up in a radiator which is more efficient. If you were using a low SHC fluid then that fluid would reach equilibrium faster and you would need to bring more fluid to the radiator to keep heating or cooling the area.
You must of course balance this with your requirements in so far as temperature and pressure are concerned as passing these limits in either direction will cause a phase change, which can be a bad thing if unexpected.
| Fluid | J(kg K) |
|---|---|
| Methane (CH4) | 20.4 |
| Hydrogen (H2) | 20.4 |
| Nitrous Oxide (N2O) | 37.2 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 20.6 |
| Carbon Dioxide (CO2) | 28.2 |
| Oxygen (O2) | 21.1 |
| Pollutant (POL) | 24.8 |
| Water (H2O) | 72.0 |
| Hydrazine (N2H4) | 48.4 |
| Polluted Water (PW) | 64.0 |
| Alcohol (ALC) | 33.0 |
| Helium | 20.8 |
| Sodium Chloride (NaCl) | 130.0 |
| Silanol | 101.0 |
| Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) | 37.0 |
| Ozone | 38.6 |