Virial equation state

This chapter presents a general method for estimating nonidealities in a vapor mixture containing any number of components this method is based on the virial equation of state for ordinary substances and on the chemical theory for strongly associating species such as carboxylic acids. The method is limited to moderate pressures, as commonly encountered in typical chemical engineering equipment, and should only be used for conditions remote from the critical of the mixture. 

Numerous empirical equations of state have been proposed but the theoretically based virial equation (Mason and Spurling, 1969) is most useful for our purposes. We use this equation for systems which do not contain carboxylic acids. 

The virial equation of state is a power series in the reciprocal molar volume or in the pressure ... 

This chapter uses an equation of state which is applicable only at low or moderate pressures. Serious error may result when the truncated virial equation is used at high pressures. 

The Virial Equation of State, Pergamon Press, Oxford (1969)... 

Enthalpies are referred to the ideal vapor. The enthalpy of the real vapor is found from zero-pressure heat capacities and from the virial equation of state for non-associated species or, for vapors containing highly dimerized vapors (e.g. organic acids), from the chemical theory of vapor imperfections, as discussed in Chapter 3. For pure components, liquid-phase enthalpies (relative to the ideal vapor) are found from differentiation of the zero-pressure standard-state fugacities these, in turn, are determined from vapor-pressure data, from vapor-phase corrections and liquid-phase densities. If good experimental data are used to determine the standard-state fugacity, the derivative gives enthalpies of liquids to nearly the same precision as that obtained with calorimetric data, and provides reliable heats of vaporization. 

VPLQFT is a computer program for correlating binary vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data at low to moderate pressures. For such binary mixtures, the truncated virial equation of state is used to correct for vapor-phase nonidealities, except for mixtures containing organic acids where the "chemical" theory is used. The Hayden-0 Connell (1975) correlation gives either the second virial coefficients or the dimerization equilibrium constants, as required. 

Real gases follow the ideal-gas equation (A2.1.17) only in the limit of zero pressure, so it is important to be able to handle the tliemiodynamics of real gases at non-zero pressures. There are many semi-empirical equations with parameters that purport to represent the physical interactions between gas molecules, the simplest of which is the van der Waals equation (A2.1.50). However, a completely general fonn for expressing gas non-ideality is the series expansion first suggested by Kamerlingh Onnes (1901) and known as the virial equation of state ... 

The same result can also be obtained directly from the virial equation of state given above and the low-density fonn of g(r). B2(T) is called the second virial coefficient and the expansion of P in powers of is known as the virial expansion, of which the leading non-ideal temi is deduced above. The higher-order temis in the virial expansion for P and in the density expansion of g(r) can be obtained using the methods of cluster expansion and cumulant expansion. 

Virial equation represents the experimental compressibility of a gas by an empirical equation of state ... 

The volumetric properties of fluids are conveniently represented by PVT equations of state. The most popular are virial, cubic, and extended virial equations. Virial equations are infinite series representations of the compressibiHty factor Z, defined as Z = PV/RT having either molar density, p[ = V ), or pressure, P, as the independent variable of expansion ... 

The virial equations are unsuitable forhquids and dense gases. The simplest expressions appropriate (in principle) for such fluids are equations cubic in molar volume. These equations, inspired by the van der Waals equation of state, may be represented by the following general formula, where parameters b, 9 5, S, and Tj each can depend on temperature and composition ... 

Cubic equations, although simple and able to provide semiquantitative descriptions of real fluid behavior, are not generally useful for accurate representation of volumetric data over wide ranges of T and P. For such appHcations, more comprehensive expressions with large numbers of adjustable parameters are needed. 7h.e simplest of these are the extended virial equations, exemplified by the eight-constant Benedict-Webb-Rubin (BWR) equation of state (13) ... 

Although PVT equations of state are based on data for pure fluids, they are frequently appHed to mixtures. 7h.e virial equations are unique in that rigorous expressions are known for the composition dependence of the virial coefficients. Statistical mechanics provide exact mixing rules which show that the nxh. virial coefficient of a mixture is nxh. degree in the mole fractions ... 

SemiempiricalRelationships. Exact thermodynamic relationships can be approximated, and the unknown parameters then adjusted or estimated empirically. The virial equation of state, tmncated after the second term, is an example of such a correlation (3). 

The PirialExpansion. Many equations of state have been proposed for gases, but the virial equation is the only one having a firm basis in theory (1,3). The pressure-expHcit form of the virial expansion is... 

Virial Equations of State The virial equation in density is an infinite-series representation of the compressiDility factor Z in powers of molar density p (or reciprocal molar volume V" ) about the real-gas state at zero density (zero pressure) ... 

An alternative form of the virial equation expresses Z as an expansion in powers of pressure about the real-gas state at zero pressure (zero density) ... 

Gamma/Phi Approach For many XT E systems of interest the pressure is low enough that a relatively simple equation of state, such as the two-term virial equation, is satisfactoiy for the vapor phase. Liquid-phase behavior, on the other hand, may be conveniently described by an equation for the excess Gibbs energy, from which activity coefficients are derived. The fugacity of species i in the liquid phase is then given by Eq. (4-102), written... 

Evaluation of 9 is usually by Eq. (4-196), based on the two-term virial equation of state, but other equations, such as Eq. (4-200), are also applicable. The activity coefficient Jj is evaluated by Eq. (4-119), which refates In Jj to G /RT as a partial proper. Thus, what is required for the hquid phase is a relation between G /BT and composition. Equations in common use for this purpose have already been described. 

Other volume-explicit equations of state are sometimes required, such as the compressibility equation V = zRT/P or the truncated virial equation V= (1 -i- B P)RT/P. The quantities z a.ndB are not constants, so some land of averaging will be required. More accurate equations of state are even more difficult to use but are not often justified for kinetic work. 

A. Milchev, K. Binder. Osmotic pressure, atomic pressure and the virial equation of state of polymer solutions Monte Carlo simulations of a bead-spring model. Macromol Theory Simul 5 915-929, 1994. 

In their classic review on Continuous Distributions of the Solvent , Tomasi and Persico (1994) identify four groups of approaches to dealing with the solvent. First, there are methods based on the elaboration of physical functions this includes approaches based on the virial equation of state and methods based on perturbation theory with particularly simple reference systems. For many years... 

Equations of state, such as the virial equation, demonstrate that o remains finite as p— 0. See Appendix 3 for a discussion of the virial and other equations of state. 

The next level of approximation is valid to higher pressures. It assumes that the gas mixture obeys the virial equation of state, with the third, fourth and higher, virial coefficients equal to zero. Thus... 

The virial equation is a general equation for describing real gases. The van der Waals equation is an approximate equation of state fora real gas the parameter a represents the role of attractive forces and the parameter b represents the role of repulsive forces. 

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