Multicomponent systems vapor-liquid equilibrium

For mixtures containing more than two species, an additional degree of freedom is available for each additional component. Thus, for a four-component system, the equihbrium vapor and liquid compositions are only fixed if the pressure, temperature, and mole fractious of two components are set. Representation of multicomponent vapor-hquid equihbrium data in tabular or graphical form of the type shown earlier for biuaiy systems is either difficult or impossible. Instead, such data, as well as biuaiy-system data, are commonly represented in terms of ivapor-liquid equilibrium ratios), which are defined by... 

Multicomponent distillations are more complicated than binary systems due primarily to the actual or potential involvement or interaction of one or more components of the multicomponent system on other components of the mixture. These interactions may be in the form of vapor-liquid equilibriums such as azeotrope formation, or chemical reaction, etc., any of which may affect the activity relations, and hence deviations from ideal relationships. For example, some systems are known to have two azeotrope combinations in the distillation column. Sometimes these, one or all, can be broken or changed in the vapor pressure relationships by addition of a third chemical or hydrocarbon. 

These equations can be solved simultaneously with the material balance equations to obtain x[, x, xf and x1,1. For a multicomponent system, the liquid-liquid equilibrium is illustrated in Figure 4.7. The mass balance is basically the same as that for vapor-liquid equilibrium, but is written for two-liquid phases. Liquid I in the liquid-liquid equilibrium corresponds with the vapor in vapor-liquid equilibrium and Liquid II corresponds with the liquid in vapor-liquid equilibrium. The corresponding mass balance is given by the equivalent to Equation 4.55 ... 

Although the methods developed here can be used to predict liquid-liquid equilibrium, the predictions will only be as good as the coefficients used in the activity coefficient model. Such predictions can be critical when designing liquid-liquid separation systems. When predicting liquid-liquid equilibrium, it is always better to use coefficients correlated from liquid-liquid equilibrium data, rather than coefficients based on the correlation of vapor-liquid equilibrium data. Equally well, when predicting vapor-liquid equilibrium, it is always better to use coefficients correlated to vapor-liquid equilibrium data, rather than coefficients based on the correlation of liquid-liquid equilibrium data. Also, when calculating liquid-liquid equilibrium with multicomponent systems, it is better to use multicomponent experimental data, rather than binary data. 

Separation systems include in their mathematical models various vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) correlations that are specific to the binary or multicomponent system of interest. Such correlations are usually obtained by fitting VLE data by least squares. The nature of the data can depend on the level of sophistication of the experimental work. In some cases it is only feasible to measure the total pressure of a system as a function of the liquid phase mole fraction (no vapor phase mole fraction data are available). 

The same reference (standard) state, f is chosen for the two phases, so that it cancels on both sides of equation 39. The products stffi and y" are referred to as activities. Because equation 39 holds for each component of a liquid—liquid system, it is possible to predict liquid—liquid phase splitting when the activity coefficients of the individual components in a multicomponent system are known. These values can come from vapor—liquid equilibrium experiments or from prediction methods developed for phase-equilibrium problems (4,5,10). Some binary systems can be modeled satisfactorily in this manner, but only rough estimations appear to be possible for multicomponent systems because activity coefficient models are not yet sufficiendy developed in this area. 

When applying an equation of state to both vapor and liquid phases, the vapor-liquid equilibrium predictions depend on the accuracy of the equation of state used and, for multicomponent systems, on the mixing rules. Attention will be given to binary mixtures of hydrocarbons and the technically important nonhydrocarbons such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide -Figures 6-7. 

In Chap. 6 we treated the thermodynamic properties of constant-composition fluids. However, many applications of chemical-engineering thermodynamics are to systems wherein multicomponent mixtures of gases or liquids undergo composition changes as the result of mixing or separation processes, the transfer of species from one phase to another, or chemical reaction. The properties of such systems depend on composition as well as on temperature and pressure. Our first task in this chapter is therefore to develop a fundamental property relation for homogeneous fluid mixtures of variable composition. We then derive equations applicable to mixtures of ideal gases and ideal solutions. Finally, we treat in detail a particularly simple description of multicomponent vapor/liquid equilibrium known as Raoult s law. 

The example discussed here pertains to binary systems. By contrast, multicomponent vapor-liquid equilibrium behavior cannot easily be represented on diagrams and instead is usually calculated at a given state by using the procedures described in the preceding two examples. 

The Non-Random, Two Liquid Equation was used in an attempt to develop a method for predicting isobaric vapor-liquid equilibrium data for multicomponent systems of water and simple alcohols—i.e., ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-methyl-l-propanol (2-butanol), and 3-methyl-l-butanol (isoamyl alcohol). Methods were developed to obtain binary equilibrium data indirectly from boiling point measurements. The binary data were used in the Non-Random, Two Liquid Equation to predict vapor-liquid equilibrium data for the ternary mixtures, water-ethanol-l-propanol, water-ethanol-2-methyl-1-propanol, and water-ethanol-3-methyl-l-butanol. Equilibrium data for these systems are reported. 

A significant advantage of the Wilson equation is that it can be used to calculate the equilibrium compositions for multicomponent systems using only the Wilson coefficients obtained for the binary pairs that comprise the multicomponent mixture. The Wilson coefficients for several hundred binary systems are given in the DECHEMA vapor-liquid data collection (DECHEMA, 1977) and by Hirata (1975). Hirata gives methods for calculating the Wilson coefficients from vapor-liquid equilibrium experimental data. 

Now we will use the ideal solution model to develop a mathematical description of vapor-liquid equilibrium in a multicomponent solution. We will make the assumption that we have a system that is separated into a coexisting vapor and liquid phase. The vapor phase will be assumed to behave like an ideal gas, while the liquid phase will be assumed to behave as an ideal solution. 

Eew multicomponent systems exist for which completely generalized equilibrium data are available. The most widely available data are those for vapor-liquid systems, and these are frequently referred to as vapor-liquid equilibrium distribution coefficients or K value. The K values vary with temperature and pressure, and a selectivity that is equal to the ratio of the K values is used. Eor vapor-liquid systems, this is referred to as the relative volatility and is expressed for a binary system as... 

The Wilson equation is widely used for many nonpolar, polar, and associated solutions in vapor-liquid equilibrium systems. It is often best for hydrogen-bonded substances. For multicomponent solutions, it makes effective use of binary-solution parameters to give good results, but it cannot predict the liquid immiscibihty phenomena. 

Using one of these activity coefficient equations it is possible to calculate liquid-liquid equihbrium (LLE) behavior of multicomponent hquid systems. Consider, for example, the ternary system of Figure 1. A system of overall composition A splits into two liquid phases B and C. The calculation of compositions of B and C is analogous to the flash ciculation of vapor-liquid equilibrium problems. By using the UNIQUAC equations to obtain the partition coefficients, Kj, this problem can be solved for any composition A of the overall system. The calculations are lengthy but computer programs for this purpose (2) have been published. In this paper simpler approximate methods for phase equilibrium problems of environmental interest is sought. For the moment it is sufficient to note that the activity coefficients provide the means of complete liquid-liquid equihbrium computations. 

VDW one-fluid rules. Comparisons of predicted and experimental vapor-liquid equilibrium for ternary and multicomponent systems are given in Tables V, VI, and VII, for both the semiempirical and VDW one-fluid mixing rules. In these calculations, the unlike interaction parameters for interactions of ethane and heavier components with each other were taken to be unity. This is a reasonable approximation for the unlike interaction parameters for the heavier components for the interaction of ethane and... 

Bertucco et al. investigated the effect of SCCO2 on the hydrogenation of unsaturated ketones catalyzed by a supported Pd catalyst, by using a modified intemal-recycle Berty-type reactor [63]. A kinetic model was developed to interpret the experimental results. To apply this model to the multiphase reaction system, the calculation of high-pressure phase equilibria was required. A Peng-Robinson equation of state with mixture parameters tuned by experimental binary data provided a satisfactory interpretation of all binary and ternary vapor-liquid equilibrium data available and was extended to multicomponent... 

Consider a multicomponent mixture in vapor-liquid equilibrium let x represent the set of mole fractions for the liquid and let y be the same for the vapor. In a closed system, the compositions x] and y will change, often drastically, with changes in T and P. However, in many systems the ratio y, /x,-, for each component i, is less sensitive to changes of state than is either x,- or y,- by itself. This observation is exploited by introducing two quantities the K-factor and the relative volatility ( 12.1.2). We have already encountered the K-factor in the Rachford-Rice method for flash calculations see (11.1.24) and Problem 11.7. 

The McCabe-Thiele method is a graphical approach that shows very nicely in pictorial form the effects of vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE), reflux ratio, and number of trays. It is limited to binary systems, but the effects of parameters can be extended to multicomponent systems. The basic effects can be smnmarized... 

In the example distillation system considered in Chapters 3 and 4, we studied the binary propane/isobutane separation in a single distillation column. This is a fairly ideal system from the standpoint of vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE), and it has only two components, a single feed and two product streams. In this chapter, we will show that the steady-state simulation methods can be extended to multicomponent nonideal systems and to more complex column configurations. 

---