This study is a first step towards the prediction of the behaviour of working fluids and compressor oils. Different thermodynamic models are investigated and a modified Flory-Huggins-based predictive model, termed MFH. is proposed for solubility of HFCs in long-chained hydrocarbons. From Flory-Huggins. ue to the fact that CFCs and HCFCs, the traditional D working fluids in heat pumps, refrigeration plants and air conditioning, will be forbidden for environmental reasons, there is an urgent need for alternative fluids. These may well be pure HFCs and mixtures of HFCs, but one of the problems is to find a compatible oil for the compressor. Viscosity and lubricity are very important factors for a successful compressor oil, and these factors are dependent on the solubility of the working fluid in the compressor oil. The solubility is also important when dimensioning an oil separation system, or when a detailed simulation of the internal behaviour in a compressor is to be carried out, notably for compressors with large oil content such as screw compressors. If a mixture of HFCs is used as the working fluid, differential solubility is important, especially when one component is flammable, since the charged composition can shift towards the flammability limit. Solubility is also needed as a basis to understand the influence on heat transfer in the evaporator and the condenser of the working-fluid system.To minimize costly experimentation, new thermodynamic tools that can predict the behaviour of HFCs and compressor oils will be very useful. A step towards such tools is taken by the present study, which seeks a predictive model for the solubility of HFCs in model substances for compressor oils. To develop an estimation model, it is necessary that the compressor oil has a well-defined molecular structure. If investigations are to be done on how the structure will influence properties, it is also favourable to have a simple structure. Depending on the kind of theory that should be developed, known properties such as vapour pressure, critical data, etc. may be required. These led us to the conclusion that it would be useful to base a theory on well-known model substances that have similarities to compressor oils. Therefore, familiar hydrocarbons have been chosen as model substances for method evaluation, before turning to the less-known compressor oils. Solubility for 14 binary systems of four HFCs in five hydrocarbons was used for the investigation.*Author to whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail address:asa.wahlstrom@hpt.chaImers.seIn the literature there are several suggestions of thermodynamic models to describe the solubility of working fluids in synthetic compressor oils. For example, Hesse and Kruse (1988) showed that a mixture of HCFC22 and CFCl14 dissolved in an oil of alkyl benzene type can be described with a homogeneous method which uses the Lee-Kessler equation of state, or with heterogeneous methods which use either the UNIQUAC or the Wilson activity factor model. Takaishi and Oguchi (1991) correl...