Phase Equilibrium

When a gas and a liquid phase which are not thermodynamically in

equilibrium are brought into close contact, transfer of one or more
components may occur from the gas phase to the liquid or, vice versa,
by the mechanism of molecular diffusion.
Mass transfer by molecular diffusion is the basic physical
mechanism underlying many important areas of soil science,
petroleum engineering, chemical engineering, biotechnology and
nuclear engineering.
In this experiment, a method for determining diffusion coefficients
of Carbon dioxide gas in Stoddard solvent at constant volume,
pressure and temperature is developed using Integral Phase
Equilibria Unit.

Objective
Determine
diffusion coefficient,
Solubility,
Henrys Constant
The enthalpy of solution of carbon dioxide
in Stoddard solvent in the range of 18 35C and at 1.0 atmosphere pressure.

Introduction

Diffusion Coefficient
Measures the rate of diffusion
Time-dependent

Solubility
Measures maximum amount of gas dissolved in liquid
Time-independent

Henrys Law constant

Dissolved gas in liquid is proportional to partial pressure in
vapor phase

Heat of mixing
Correlation between Henrys Law constant and T

Determination of diffusion coefficient

from experimental data
A number of mathematical models have
been proposed to determine the
diffusion coefficients from experimental
volumetime profiles, however all these
models are developed from the equation
of continuity for the solute component:

C
t

Gas phase

.Cu v .J v r

where
r = Rate of reaction (kg/m3s)
J = Mass transfer by the mechanism of
molecular diffusion (kg/m2s)
v = Molar volume (m3)

Cav

Interface

Z(t)

Z=0

Referring to Fig 1&2

for a one-dimensional diffusion cell
absence of chemical reaction,
movement of the interface in the boundary conditions of
the system, in which a component in the gas phase is
absorbed into a liquid phase starting at time zero and
continuing at longer times.
Based upon a model proposed by Higbie (penetration theory)
the liquid interface is thus always at saturation, since the
molecules can diffuse in the liquid phase away from the
interface only at rates which are extremely low with respect
to the rate at which gaseous molecules can be added to the
interface.
It is also assumed that the distance between the interface
and the bottom of the cell is semi-infinite; that is, diffusion
is slow enough that the concentration at the bottom of the
cell is negligible compared to the concentration at the
interface.
According to the film theory
the gas and the liquid phases at the interface are
thermodynamically in equilibrium, i.e. the interface
concentration of the solute, Ci remains unchanged as long as
temperature and pressure of the system are kept constant.

Gas
V=104 CC

Ci
Stoddard
Solvent Z(t)
V=100 CC
C(t,Z)
Z

Thus the unsteady-state differential equation representing concentration

changes with time and position is:

2C C
D12

Z 2
t

Solution of Ficks 2nd Law using the boundary conditions described is:

Z
Ci C
erf
2 D t

Ci

12

The boundary
conditions are:

Solve for the number of moles added up to a time t:

1
2

D
N T = 2ACi 12

where
C = Concentration of
dissolved CO2 in the
liquid phase at Z and t.
Z = Distance in cm
traveled from the
liquid interface.
t = time
D12 =Diffusion
coefficient of species 1
in 2.

Z=0
C = Ci
Z : C = 0

If one plots NT versus t1/2, the slope of this line is equal to

2ACi (D12/)1/2

The initial
condition is
C=0
at t = 0:

Solubility
Henrys Law constant

The solubility of a gas in a liquid solvent may be represented to good accuracy at

dilute concentrations of the dissolved gas by Henry's Law:
f=HX

where f is the fugacity of the gas in the gas phase in equilibrium with the liquid
phase of concentration X of dissolved gas.
H is the Henrys law constant, which is a function of temperature.
Thus, by measuring the solubility one can obtain an estimate of the Henry's law
constant.

n
X
n n solvent

PT (VP Vd ) Vcg (PT P1 )

n

Z pRTP
Z cRTc

gram moles of carbon dioxide absorbed in the liquid phase

PT

=
=

corrected barometer reading

vapor pressure of Stoddard Solvent at cell temperature

Tp

temperature at the pump

Tc

=
=

temperature of the cell (bath temperature)

total gas volume delivered from the pump to the cell

Vcg

volume of the gas phase in the cell

Zp

compressibility factor of CO2 at pump T and PT

Zc

compressibility factor of CO2 at cell T and PT

Vd

dead volume in the system (cc)

The fugacity, f, can be determined from the Lewis and Randall

Rule, which gives

f f y

f
fo
y

=
=
=

fugacity of CO2 in the gas phase

fugacity of pure gaseous CO2 at PT and cell T
mole fraction of CO2 in gas phase

PT P1
y
PT

Thus

f
f P T P1
PT

by definition:

the fugacity coefficient for pure CO2 in the gas phase at cell T and P T

PT

Heat of Mixing

Use Henrys Law coefficients at the three experimental temperatures to

obtain the heat of mixing:
ln H
H mix
i

R
1/T P,xCO
2

Plotting ln(H) vs. 1/T gives a line with a slope of Hmix/R.

Hmix is expected to be negative, which would indicate that CO2 and

Stoddard solvent are more energetically stable than apart (i.e., the
interactions are favorable).

Experimental: Cell Evacuation

Experimental: Filling Syringe

Experimental: Reduce to
Atmospheric Pressure

Experimental: Fill Cell

0
between
V4 and the
cell is 40.5
cm and the
pipe
diameter is
0.15 cm

Penetration Model
Concentration as a function of time for a given height
0.05
0.045

Concentration [=] Molarity

0.04
0.035
0.03
0.025
0.02
0.015
Concentration at bottom of tank
Concentration at middle of tank
Ending time of experiment

0.01
0.005
0

4
5
6
Time [=] Seconds

10
4

x 10

References

Koretsky, Milo D. Engineering and Chemical Thermodynamics.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2004.
Ophardt, Charles E. Virtual Chembook. Elmhurst College, 2003.
[Online] Available at:
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/174temppres.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos

Cell information

the dimension
Diameter = 51.43 mm
Height of the lid = 21.7 mm
Diameter to the lower section = 50.4 mm
Depth of the lower section averaged = 70.5
mm
Volume of the Stoddard liquid 100ml
Volume of the space (Gas) 104 ml