MIL-PRF-83282 Specific Heat Capacity Chart

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MIL-PRF-83282 specific heat capacity vs temperature in degrees F, compared with MIL-PRF-5606

Measured values for MIL-PRF-83282: -18 °C to 204 °C (-0.4 °F to 399.2 °F) at ambient pressure, at five temperatures.
The line is a straight-line fit to those five measurements and is drawn only across that range; nothing is extrapolated.

Markers are the five NADC-79248-60 measured points for the 1980 NADC reference lot of MIL-H-83282 (lot and revision not stated). The blue MIL-PRF-5606 series is shown for comparison over the same -18 °C to 204 °C range.

Data from: NADC-79248-60 (Conte & Hammond, 1980), DTIC ADA081597, Table 7 (measured, MIL-H-83282 and MIL-H-83282 columns).

Toggle data sets by clicking the legend.

MIL-PRF-83282 Specific Heat Capacity Calculator
Degrees (°F):
Degrees (°C):
J / (kg·K):  
kJ / (kg·K):  
J / (g·K):  
kWh / (kg·K):  
Btu / (lbm·°F):  
cal / (g·°C):  
MIL-PRF-5606 (J/(kg·K)):  

Calculator valid -18 °C to 204 °C (-0.4 °F to 399.2 °F), ambient pressure, using the linear fit to the NADC measurements. The MIL-PRF-5606 row uses the same kind of fit to its own NADC measurements over the same range.

Specific Heat Capacity of MIL-PRF-83282
What Is Isobaric Specific Heat Capacity (Cp)?

Specific heat capacity (Cp) is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass by one degree at constant pressure. For MIL-PRF-83282 it is measured in J/(kg·K) [SI] or Btu/(lbm·°F) [Imperial], and governs sizing of heat exchangers and thermal management systems. The heat transfer equation is:

\[ Q = \dot m\,C_p\,\Delta T \]

where Q is heat flow (W or BTU/hr), ṁ is mass flow rate, and ΔT is the temperature difference across the heat exchanger or system boundary.

About This Data

MIL-PRF-83282 is a fire-resistant, synthetic hydrocarbon aircraft hydraulic fluid. The specific heat values are the MIL-H-83282 entries of Table 7 in NADC-79248-60 (Conte & Hammond, Naval Air Development Center, 1980, DTIC ADA081597), tabulated at -18, 38, 93, 149 and 204 °C. The report does not state the measurement method, the specification revision (MIL-H-83282 predates the MIL-PRF designation) or the lot tested, and it gives no uncertainty. Treat the data as the 1980 NADC reference lot of MIL-H-83282 (lot and revision not stated).

The smooth curve is the straight-line fit cp = 1946.01 + 3.6523 · T°C J/(kg·K), used only between -18 °C and 204 °C. It departs from the five measured values by at most 7.7 J/(kg·K). Cp rises nearly linearly with temperature, from 1881 J/(kg·K) at -18 °C to 2696 J/(kg·K) at 204 °C. The steps between the measured points are slightly uneven (209, 188, 209 and 209 J/(kg·K)), so the table was probably read from a chart.

MIL-PRF-83282 — Isobaric Specific Heat Capacity vs. Temperature
Temp (°C) Temp (°F) Measured Cp (J/(kg·K)) Measured Cp (Btu/(lbm·°F)) Linear fit (J/(kg·K))
-18-0.418810.4501880.3
38100.420900.5002084.8
93199.422780.5452285.7
149300.224870.5952490.2
204399.226960.6452691.1

Measured columns are NADC-79248-60 Table 7 (MIL-H-83282). Btu/(lbm·°F) values are as printed in the report at 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 °F (the first two digits at 0 and 100 °F are faint in the scan; the J/(kg·K) values convert to 0.449 and 0.499). Linear fit: cp = 1946.01 + 3.6523 · T°C J/(kg·K), -18 to 204 °C only. No uncertainty is given in the report.

MIL-PRF-83282 vs MIL-PRF-5606

MIL-PRF-83282 is a synthetic hydrocarbon fluid; MIL-PRF-5606 is a petroleum (mineral oil) hydraulic fluid. Over -18 to 204 °C, both from the same NADC table, MIL-PRF-83282 has the higher specific heat at low temperature. The difference shrinks as the fluids get hotter, from about 171 J/(kg·K) (10 %) at -18 °C to about 20 J/(kg·K) (0.8 %) at 204 °C.

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) MIL-PRF-83282 (J/(kg·K)) MIL-PRF-5606 (J/(kg·K)) Difference (J/(kg·K)) Difference (% of MIL-PRF-5606)
-18-0.41880.31709.0171.310.0 %
032.01946.01787.0159.08.9 %
2068.02019.11873.6145.47.8 %
38100.42084.81951.6133.26.8 %
50122.02128.62003.6125.06.2 %
70158.02201.72090.3111.45.3 %
93199.42285.72189.995.74.4 %
100212.02311.22220.391.04.1 %
149300.22490.22432.657.62.4 %
200392.02676.52653.622.90.9 %
204399.22691.12670.920.20.8 %

Both columns use the linear fit to the NADC-79248-60 measurements (Table 7), -18–204 °C only. The MIL-PRF-5606 fit is cp = 1786.96 + 4.3331 · T°C J/(kg·K). Both come from the same report, but the lot and specification revision are not stated for either.

Sources
  • A. A. Conte Jr. and J. L. Hammond, Development of a High Temperature Silicone Base Fire-Resistant Hydraulic Fluid, NADC-79248-60, Naval Air Development Center, Warminster PA, 5 Feb 1980. DTIC ADA081597. apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA081597.pdf. Table 7 (MIL-H-83282 and MIL-H-83282 columns), accessed 25 Oct 2026.
  • US Department of Defense, MIL-PRF-83282D, Performance Specification: Hydraulic Fluid, Fire Resistant, Synthetic Hydrocarbon Base, Metric, NATO Code Number H-537, 30 September 1997, with Amendment 1. everyspec.com. Identification of the fluid; the specification has no specific heat requirement.

The NADC report does not state the specification revision or lot of the MIL-H-83282 tested, the measurement method, or any measurement uncertainty. Data are also listed in tools/mil-prf-83282-sources.json.

Cite This Work