Properties critical point

Q.lb), T = 2,al(21kb). This follows from the property that at the critical point on die P-V plane there is a... 

This is the well known equal areas mle derived by Maxwell [3], who enthusiastically publicized van der Waal s equation (see figure A2.3.3. The critical exponents for van der Waals equation are typical mean-field exponents a 0, p = 1/2, y = 1 and 8 = 3. This follows from the assumption, connnon to van der Waals equation and other mean-field theories, that the critical point is an analytic point about which the free energy and other themiodynamic properties can be expanded in a Taylor series. 

A feature of a critical point, line, or surface is that it is located where divergences of various properties, in particular correlation lengths, occur. Moreover it is reasonable to assume that at such a point there is always an order parameter that is zero on one side of the transition and tliat becomes nonzero on the other side. Nothing of this sort occurs at a first-order transition, even the gradual liquid-gas transition shown in figure A2.5.3 and figure A2.5.4. 

Critical Point Properties for Selected Supercritical Fluids... 

Changing the distance between the critical points requires a new variable (in addition to the three independent fractional concentrations of the four-component system). As illustrated by Figure 5, the addition of a fourth thermodynamic dimension makes it possible for the two critical end points to approach each other, until they occur at the same point. As the distance between the critical end points decreases and the height of the stack of tietriangles becomes smaller and smaller, the tietriangles also shrink. The distance between the critical end points (see Fig. 5) and the size of the tietriangles depend on the distance from the tricritical point. These dependencies also are described scaling theory equations, as are physical properties such as iuterfacial... 

Supercritical Fluid Extraction. Supercritical fluid (SCF) extraction is a process in which elevated pressure and temperature conditions are used to make a substance exceed a critical point. Once above this critical point, the gas (CO2 is commonly used) exhibits unique solvating properties. The advantages of SCF extraction in foods are that there is no solvent residue in the extracted products, the process can be performed at low temperature, oxygen is excluded, and there is minimal protein degradation (49). One area in which SCF extraction of Hpids from meats maybe appHed is in the production of low fat dried meat ingredients for further processed items. Its apphcation in fresh meat is less successful because the fresh meat contains relatively high levels of moisture (50). 

Va.por Pressure. Vapor pressure is one of the most fundamental properties of steam. Eigure 1 shows the vapor pressure as a function of temperature for temperatures between the melting point of water and the critical point. This line is called the saturation line. Liquid at the saturation line is called saturated Hquid Hquid below the saturation line is called subcooled. Similarly, steam at the saturation line is saturated steam steam at higher temperature is superheated. Properties of the Hquid and vapor converge at the critical point, such that at temperatures above the critical point, there is only one fluid. Along the saturation line, the fraction of the fluid that is vapor is defined by its quaHty, which ranges from 0 to 100% steam. 

Solvent. The solvent properties of water and steam are a consequence of the dielectric constant. At 25°C, the dielectric constant of water is 78.4, which enables ready dissolution of salts. As the temperature increases, the dielectric constant decreases. At the critical point, the dielectric constant is only 2, which is similar to the dielectric constants of many organic compounds at 25°C. The solubiUty of many salts declines at high temperatures. As a consequence, steam is a poor solvent for salts. However, at the critical point and above, water is a good solvent for organic molecules. 

Some values of physical properties of CO2 appear in Table 1. An excellent pressure—enthalpy diagram (a large Mohier diagram) over 260 to 773 K and 70—20,000 kPa (10—2,900 psi) is available (1). The thermodynamic properties of saturated carbon dioxide vapor and Hquid from 178 to the critical point,... 

Cerium metal has unique soHd-state properties and is the only material known to have a soHd—soHd critical point. Three aHotropes, a, P, y, are stable at or close to ambient conditions and have complex stmctural interrelationships. 

Properties of Light and Heavy Hydrogen. Vapor pressures from the triple point to the critical point for hydrogen, deuterium, tritium, and the various diatomic combinations are Hsted in Table 1 (15). Data are presented for the equiUbrium and normal states. The equiUbrium state for these substances is the low temperature ortho—para composition existing at 20.39 K, the normal boiling point of normal hydrogen. The normal state is the high (above 200 K) temperature ortho—para composition, which remains essentially constant. 

Values calculated from NIST Thermodynamic Properties of Refrigerants and Refrigerant Mixtures Database (REFPROP, Version 5). Thermodynamic properties are from. 32-term MBWR equation of state transport properties are from extended corresponding states model, t = triple point c = critical point. 

The method is applicable at reduced temperatures above 0.30 or the freezing point, whichever is higher, and below the critical point. The method is most reliable when 0.5 prediction average 3.5 percent when experimental critical properties are known. Errors are higher for predic ted criticals. The method is useful when solved iteratively with Eq. (2-23) to predict the acentric factor. 

With the availabihty of computers, the transfer matrix method [14] emerged as an alternative and powerful technique for the study of cooperative phenomena of adsorbates resulting from interactions [15-17]. Quantities are calculated exactly on a semi-infinite lattice. Coupled with finite-size scaling towards the infinite lattice, the technique has proved popular for the determination of phase diagrams and critical-point properties of adsorbates [18-23] and magnetic spin systems [24—26], and further references therein. Application to other aspects of adsorbates, e.g., the calculation of desorption rates and heats of adsorption, has been more recent [27-30]. Sufficient accuracy can usually be obtained for the latter without scaling and essentially exact results are possible. In the following, we summarize the elementary but important aspects of the method to emphasize the ease of application. Further details can be found in the above references. 

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) refers to the use of mobile phases at temperatures and pressures above the critical point (supercritical) or just below (sub-critical). SFC shows several features that can be advantageous for its application to large-scale separations [132-135]. One of the most interesting properties of this technique is the low viscosity of the solvents used that, combined with high diffusion coefficients for solutes, leads to a higher efficiency and a shorter analysis time than in HPLC. 

The fact that the decay becomes arbitrarily slow as p —> 0 indicates the presence of a critical point, p = 0. (Another example of critical-like behavior in a probabilistic system is given later in this subsection). A more detailed discussion of various critical-like properties of CA appears in chapter 7. 

The investigation above is due initially to Gibbs (Scient. Papers, I., 43—46 100—134), although in many parts we have followed the exposition of P. Saurel Joum. Phys. diem., 1902, 6, 474—491). It is chiefly noteworthy on account of the ease with which it permits of the deduction, from purely thermodynamic considerations, of all the principal properties of the critical point, many of which were rediscovered by van der Waals on the basis of molecular hypotheses. A different treatment is given by Duhem (Traite de Mecanique chimique, II., 129—191), who makes use of the thermodynamic potential. Although this has been introduced in equation (11) a the condition for equilibrium, we could have deduced the second part of that equation directly from the properties of the tangent plane, as was done by Gibbs (cf. 53). 

The (vapor + liquid) equilibrium line for a substance ends abruptly at a point called the critical point. The critical point is a unique feature of (vapor + liquid) equilibrium where a number of interesting phenomena occur, and it deserves a detailed description. The temperature, pressure, and volume at this point are referred to as the critical temperature, Tc. critical pressure, pc, and critical volume, Vc, respectively. For COi, the critical point is point a in Figure 8.1. As we will see shortly, properties of the critical state make it difficult to study experimentally. 

A condition of phase equilibrium is the equality of the chemical potentials in the two phases. Therefore, at all points along the two-phase line, //(g) = p( ). But, as we have noted above, the approach to the critical point brings the liquid and gas closer and closer together in density until they become indistinguishable, At the critical point, all of the thermodynamic properties of the liquid become equal to those of the gas. That is, Hm(g) = Um(g) - /m(l),... 

---