Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.

: 2(2), 2012, 158-171

ISSN 2277-2669

VAPOR LIQUID EQUILIBRIA: A REVIEW

MAYA B. MANE* and S. N. SHINDE
Master Student in Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering Department, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University,
College of Engineering, PUNE (M.S.) INDIA
(Received : 30.05.2012; Revised : 03.06.2012; Accepted : 04.06.2012)

ABSTRACT
Vapor-liquid equilibrium data may be readily evaluated and extended when they are calculated as activity
coefficients. The equations proposed by Van Laar, Margulas, Wilson, NRTL and UNIQUAC, which express the activity
coefficients of the components of a mixture as functions of the liquid composition and empirical constants, are capable of
fitting most of the available vapor liquid equilibrium data. Equations of state play an important role in chemical engineering
design and they have assumed an expanding role in the study of the phase equilibria of fluids and fluid mixtures.
Key words: VLE, Van Laar, Margulas, Wilson, NRTL, UNIQUAC, Equation of States.

INTRODUCTION
The term Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium (VLE) refers to systems in which a single liquid phase is in
equilibrium with its vapor, schematic diagram of the vapor-liquid equilibrium is illustrated in Fig. 1. In
studies of phase equilibrium, however, the phase containing gradients is not considered. Wherever gradients
exist there is a tendency for change with time; hence there is no equilibrium. On the other hand, there can be
two or more phases, each of which is homogenous throughout, with no tendency for any change in
properties with time, even though the phases are in intimate physical contact with one another. The latter is
the condition that we denote by the term phase equilibrium. In a condition of phase equilibrium there are
some properties that are drastically different between the phases and others that must be identical for all
phases to prevent a change in properties within individual phases from occurring1. The thermodynamic
equilibrium determines how components in a mixture are distributed between phases.

liquid
vapor
Fig. 1: Schematic diagrams illustrating the vapor-liquid equilibrium of binary system1
________________________________________

Available online at www.sadgurupublications.com

*
Author for correspondence; E-mail: [email protected], [email protected];
Mo.: +91-7875089217; 91-8805001490

Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.: 2(2), 2012

159

The system is in the equilibrium state, if only reversible process can occur in it.
This verbal formulation makes it possible mathematically to express the condition of equilibrium:
Let us consider a closed system on which a constant pressure is acting as the only external force. In
an infinitesimal reversible process at constant temperature and pressure, the free enthalpy of this system
does not change; hence at equilibrium we have
dT = 0, dP = 0, dG = 0

(1)

where T is the absolute temperature, P the pressure and G the free enthalpy of the system. This
formulation of the condition of equilibrium is sufficiently general for all cases with which we shall be
concerned2.

Vapour liquid equilibrium laws

Vapour liquid equilibria are best understood with the help of simple, empirical laws which may,
however, only apply within certain limits.

Daltons law
It describes the vapour phase:
pi"/pt" = ni"/nt"

(2)

where p is the pressure and n the number of moles of substance. The subscript i denotes component i.
since ni"/nt" = yi (where yi is the mole fraction of component i in the vapour).
This law generally holds low pressure (pt < pcr, where pcr is the critical pressure). At higher
pressure, however, it may require modification instead of using pressure p, the equation is written in terms
of fugacity f:
fi" = yi ft"

(3)

Raoults law
The liquid phase is described by Raoults law giving a relation for the partial pressure pi' of
component i over a liquid mixture:
pi' = xi pio

(4)

According to Equation (4) the partial pressure pi' depends only on the vapour pressure pio of the pure
component i and its liquid mole fraction xi; it is not affected by the nature and concentration of other
substances in the mixture. Raoults law holds only as the forces of interaction between different types of
molecules are equal (ideal mixture). Nonideal liquid phase behavior is described by using the activity
coefficient i which is defined as follows:
pi' = ixi pio

(5)

M. B. Mane and S. N. Shinde: Vapor Liquid Equilibria.

160

Equations (4) and (5) are valid only for mole fractions. The activity coefficient i is often called as
Raoults law correction factor and is highly concentration dependent. Eq. (4) and (5) apply only at
temperatures below the critical temperature (T < Tcr).

Henrys law
At higher temperatures, Henrys law is applied instead of Raoults law:
pi' = Hijxi

(6)

Where Hij is the Henrys coefficient for substance i in solvent j. Again, a correction must be made
for nonideal mixtures by using the activity coefficient i :
pi' = Hijixi

(7)

This relationship is analogous to Raoults law, except that the proportionality constant3.

Vapour liquid equilibrium in ideal systems

(I) Binary systems
(a) At constant temperature
Let us first consider a system with the two constituents A and B; according to equation (4)
PA = x A p oA ,

(8)

PB = xB p Bo ,

(9)

The total pressure, according to Daltons law, is given by the sum of the partial pressures:
p = pA + pB = x A p oA + xB p Bo

(10)

As the system is binary, it is possible to substitute (1-xA) for xB; after this modification:
P = xA ( p oA p Bo ) + p Bo )

(11)

Equation (11) states that the total pressure over an ideal solution is, at constant temperature, a linear
function of composition.
According to Daltons law we have for the vapour phase:
pA = yAp,

(12)

pB = yBp = (1 yA)p,

(13)

where yA denotes the mole fraction of constituent A in the vapour phase and similarly for yB.
It follows from the relations (8), (9), (12) and (13) that
yAp = x A p oA ,

(14)

yBp = xB p Bo ,

(15)

On taking the ratio of these equations we find

Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.: 2(2), 2012

161

y A x A y A (1 x A ) p oA
=
= ;
/
=
y B xB x A (1 y A ) p Bo

(16)

For an ideal solution is a constant independent of the composition; it is called the relative volatility
or enrichment ratio.
Equation (16) states that the ratio of the mole fractions of the constituents A and B in the vapour
phase divided by the corresponding ratio in the liquid phase is constant.
From (11) and (12) it is possible after elimination of xA to obtain a relation expressing the isothermal
dependence of the total pressure on the composition of the vapour phase
p=

p oA

(17)

p oA p Bo

(18)

y A ( 1)

or
p=

p oA y A ( p oA p Bo )

The relation giving the dependence between the mole fraction of constituent A in the liquid phase
and its mole fraction in the vapour phase is obtained from equation (18) by a simple rearrangement:
yA =

x A
1 + x A ( 1)

(19)

(b) At constant pressure

Practically speaking however knowledge of the isobaric vapour-liquid equilibrium is more
important. In this case we have by equation (14) p = pA + pB = x A p oA (T ) + (1 x A ) p Bo (T )

(20)

We write pio (T) to emphasize that the vapour pressures of the pure constituent i dependes on the
temperature, which in this case is not constant.
The relation giving the dependence between the compositions of the vapour and liquid phases is
given by the equation
yA =

x A (T )

1 + x A [ (T ) 1]

(21)

(T) = p oA (T ) / pBo (T ) is generally speaking a function of temperature; however the ratio of the vapour
pressures of the pure constituents varies but little in a short range of temperatures, so that can often be
considered as constant over the entire range of compositions.

(II) Multicomponent systems

In a multicomponent system containing an ideal liquid phase and a vapour phase that obeys the ideal
gas laws, it is possible to derive relations similar to those for binary systems.

M. B. Mane and S. N. Shinde: Vapor Liquid Equilibria.

162

For an arbitrary constituent I we have

pI = xI pIo
yI =

pI
p

xI p Io

J = A xJ pJo
K

(22)
(23)

By division of the numerator and denominator of the right side of (23) by p Ko we obtain after a
simple rearrangement.
yI =

where IK =

p oA

o
K

xI IK

(24)

pA = x A p oA

(25)

pB = xB p Bo ,

(26)

pC = xC pCo ,

(27)

p = x A p oA + xB p Bo + (1 x A xB ) pCo ,

(28)

1 + x A ( IK 1) + xB ( BK 1) + ... + xK 1 ( K 1,K 1)

, AK =

p oA

p Ko

etc.

Thus in a ternary system-

pA

yA =

yB =

pB
p

x A p oA
x A p oA + xB p Bo + (1 x A xB ) pCo '
xB pBo
x A p oA + xB pBo + (1 x A xB ) pCo '

(29)

(30)

By division of numerator and denominator of the right sides of (29) and (30) by pCo and by
substitution of AC = p oA / pCo and BC = p Bo / pCo we obtain

yA =

yB =

x A AC

(31)

xB BC

(32)

1 x A ( AC 1) + xB ( BC 1)
1 x A ( AC 1) + xB ( BC 1)

Strictly speaking, equations (31) and (32) are valid only at constant temperature; they can however
be used for the case of constant pressure in many problems, since the ratio of the vapour pressures of the
pure constituents is only weakly dependent on temperature, and the ranges of temperature that occur in
distillation problems are frequently small2.

Vapour liquid equilibrium in real systems

Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.: 2(2), 2012

163

Deviations from ideal behavior are more likely to occur in the liquid phase than in the vapur phase.
As a result of smaller intermolecular distances, the forces of interaction between molecules in the liquid are
considerably stronger. In contrast, the vapur phase can be assumed to behave ideally at moderate pressure.
At higher pressures, the vapur phase must be described by equation of state. The phase behavior of real
liquids is usually described by means of the activity coefficient 2,3.
The method for calculating phase equilibrium in systems that are nonideal in liquid phase only is
based on the activity coefficient models such as Margules, Van Laar, Wilson, NRTL, UNIQUAC and
UNIFAC whereas at higher pressure, nonideality in vapor phase is described by equations of state.

Calculation of phase equilibrium from excess enthlpy

(1) Margules Equation
Max Margules introduced in 1895, a simple thermodynamic model for the excess Gibbs free energy
of a liquid mixture. After Lewis had introduced the concept of the activity coefficient, the model could be
used to derive an expression for the activity coefficients i of a compound i in a liquid and the activity
coefficient is a measure for the deviation from ideal solubility. In Chemical Engineering the Margules' Gibbs
free energy model for liquid mixtures is better known as the Margules activity or activity coefficient model.
Although the model is old it has the characteristic feature to describe extrema in the activity coefficient,
while modern models like UNIQUAC, NRTL and Wilson cannot.
Margules expressed the excess Gibbs free energy of binary liquid mixtures is as follow,

gE
= x1x2 (A21x1 + A12x2)
RT

(33)

The activity coefficient of component i is found by differentiation of the excess Gibbs energy
towards xi. This yields, when applied only to the first term and using the Gibbs-Duhem equation,
ln 1 = x22 ( A12 + 2( A21 A12 ) x1 )

(34)

ln 2 = x12 ( A21 + 2( A12 A21 ) x2 )

(35)

In here A12 and A21 are constants which are equal to the logarithm of the limiting activity
coefficients: ln 1 and ln 2 respectively4.

(2) Van Laar Equation

The Van Laar equation is an activity model, which was developed by Johannes Van Laar in 19101913, to describe phase equilibria of liquid mixtures. The equation was derived from the Van der Waals
equation. The original Van der Waals parameters didn't give good description of vapor-liquid phase
equilibria, which forced the user to fit the parameters to experimental results. Because of this, the model lost
the connection to molecular properties, and therefore it has to be regarded as an empirical model to correlate
experimental results.
Van Laar expressed the excess Gibbs free energy of binary liquid mixtures is as follow,

A12 x1 x2
gE
=
RT
x1 ( A12 / A21 ) + x2

(36)

M. B. Mane and S. N. Shinde: Vapor Liquid Equilibria.

164

In here A12 and A21 are constants, which are obtained by regression of experimental vapor-liquid
equilibria data.
The activity coefficient of component i is derived by differentiation to xi. This yields:

A21 x2

ln 1 = A12
A x +A x
21 2
12 21

A21 x2

ln 2 = A21
A x +A x
21 2
12 1

(37)

(38)

This shows that the constants A12 and A21 are equal to logarithmic limiting activity coefficients
ln 1 and ln 2 , respectively. The model gives increasing (A12 and A21 > 0) or only decreasing (A12 and
A21 > 0) activity coefficients with decreasing concentration. The model can not describe extrema in the
activity coefficient along the concentration range5.

(3) Wilson Equation

Based on molecular considerations, Wilson (1964) presented the following expression for the excess
Gibbs energy of a binary solution:

gE
= x1 ln (x1 + A12x2) x2 ln (x2 + A21x1)
RT

(39)

Activity coefficients derived from this equation are

A12
A21
ln 1 = ln (x1 + A12x2) + x2

x1 + A21 x2 x2 + A21 x1

(40)

A12
A21
ln 2 = ln (x2 + A21x1) x1

x1 + A12 x2 x2 + A21 x1

(41)

In Equation (39) the excess Gibbs energy is defined with reference to an ideal solution in the sense
of Raoults law; Equation (39) obeys the boundary condition that gE vanishes as either x1 or x2 becomes zero.
Wilsons equation has two adjustable parameters, A12 and A21. In wilson derivation, these are related
to the pure-component molar volumes and to characteristic energy differences by

A12 =

A21 =

11

exp 12
RT
v1

(42)

22

exp 21
RT
v2

(43)

v2
v1

Wilson equation has two disadvantages that are not serious for many applications. First, Eqs. (40)
and (41) are not useful for systems where the logarithms of the activity coefficients, when plotted against x,
exhibits maxima or minima. (Van Laar equations are also not useful for this case). Such systems, however,

Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.: 2(2), 2012

165

are not common. The second and more serious disadvantage of Wilsons equation lies in its inability to
predict limited miscibility. When Wilsons equation is substituted into the equations of thermodynamic
stability for a binary system, no parameters A12 and A21 can be found that indicates the existence of two
stable liquid phases. Wilsons equation, therefore, should be used only for liquid systems that are
completely miscible or else for those limited regions of partially miscible systems where only one liquid
phase is present.
For a solution of m components, Wilsons equation is
m
m

gE
= xi ln x j Aij
j =1

RT
i =1

(44)

Where

Aij =

Aji =

ij ii

exp

RT
vi

(45)

jj
exp ji

vj
RT

(46)

vj

vi

The activity coefficient for any component k is given by

m
xA
m

ln k = ln x j Akj + 1 m i ik
j =1

i =1
x A

j =1 j ij

(47)

Equation (47) requires only parameters that can be obtained from binary data; for each possible
binary pair in the multicomponent solution, two parameters are needed6.

(4) NRTL Equation

The basic idea in Wilsons derivation of Eq. (39) follows from the concept of local composition.
This concept was also used by Renon (1968) in his derivation of the NRTL (nonrandom, two-liquid)
equation; however, Renons equation, unlike Wilsons is applicable to partially miscible as well as
completely miscible systems. The NRTL equation for the excess Gibbs energy is
G
21G21
gE

= x1x2 21 21 +
x +x G

RT
+
x
x
G
2 21
1
2 21
1
Where
12 =

g12 g 22
RT

G12 = exp (1212)

21 =

g 21 g11
RT

G21 = exp (1221)

(48)

(49)
(50)

The significance of gij is similar to that of ij in Wilsons equation; gij is an energy parameter
characteristic of the i-j interaction. Parameter 12 is related to the non randomness in the mixture; when 12 is
zero, the mixture is completely random and Eq. (48) reduces to the two-suffix Margules equation. The
NRTL equation contains three parameters, but reduction of experimental data for a large number of binary
systems indicates that 12 varies from about 0.20 to 0.47; when experimental data are scarce, the value of
12 can often be set arbitrary; a typical choice is 12 = 0.3. From Eq. (48), the activity coefficients are

M. B. Mane and S. N. Shinde: Vapor Liquid Equilibria.

166

G12
12G12

+
ln 1 = x 21
x1 + x2G21
( x2 + x1G12 ) 2

(51)

2
G

21G21
12
+

ln 2 = x 12
x2 + x1G12
( x1 + x2G21 ) 2

(52)

2
2

2
1

For a solution of m components, the NRTL equation is

m
gE
= xi
RT
i =1

Gx
Gx
m

j =1 ji
m
l =1

li

li

(53)

Where
ji

g ji g ii

(54)

RT

Gji = exp (jiji)

(ji = ij)

(55)

The activity coefficient for any component i is given by xG

Gx +
Gx
Gx

ln i =

j =1 ji
m
l =1

ji

li l

j =1

ij

l =1

lj l

x G

j =1 r rj rj

m
ij

l =1 Glj xl

(56)

Equations (53) and (56) contain only parameters obtained from binary data6.

(5) Uniquac Equation

A critical examination of the derivation of the NRTL equation shows that this equation, like those
obtained from Wohls expansion is more suitable for hE than gE (Renon and Prausnitz, 1969). Further,
because experimental data for typical binary mixtures are usually not sufficiently plentiful or precise to yield
three meaningful binary parameters, attempts were made (Abrams, 1975; Maurer 1978; Anderson, 1978;
Kemeny and Rasmussen, 1981) to derive a two-parameter equation for gE that retains at least some of the
advantages of the equation of Wilson without restriction to completely miscible mixtures. Abrams derived
an equation that in a sense, extends the quasichemical theory of Guggenheim for nonrandom mixtures to
solutions containing molecules of different size. This extension was therefore called the universal quasichemical theory. The UNIQUAC equation for gE consists of two parts, a combinatorial part that attempts to
describe the dominant entropic contribution, and a residual part that is due primarily to intermolecular forces
that are responsible for the enthalpy of mixing. The combinatorial part is determined only by the
composition and by the sizes and shapes of the molecules; it requires only pure component data. The
residual part, however, depend also on intermolecular forces; the two adjustable binary parameters, therefore,
appear only in the residual part. The UNIQUAC equation is
gE
gE
gE

=
+
RT
RT combinatorial RT residal

For a binary mixture,

(57)

Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.: 2(2), 2012

167

*
* z

gE

= x1 ln 1 + x2 ln 2 + x1q1 ln 1* + x2 q2 ln 2*

x1
x2 2
1
2
RT combinatorial

(58)

gE

= x1q1 ln (1 + 2 21 ) x2 q2 ln ( 2 + 1 12 )
RT residal

(59)

Where the coordination number z is set equal to 10. Segment fraction, * and area fractions, and ',
are given by
x1r1

1* =
1* =

x1r1 + x2 r2
x1q1

x1q1 + x2 q2

2* =
2 =

x2 r2
x1r1 + x2 r2
x1q2

x1q1 + x2 q2

(60)

(61)

Parameters r, q and q' are pure component molecular structure constants depending on molecular
size and external surface areas.
For each binary mixture, there are two adjustable parameters, 12 and 21. These, in turn, are given in
terms of characteristic energies u12 and u21, by

u
12 = exp 12 = exp 12
T
RT

(62)

u

21 = exp 21 = exp 21
RT
T

(63)

For many cases, Eqs. (62) and (63) give the primary effect of temperature on 12 and 21
characteristic energies u12 and u21 are often only weakly dependent on temperature.
Activity coefficients 1 and 2 are given by
ln 1 = ln

1*
x1

r
z
q1 ln 2* + 2* l1q1 1 l2

2
r2
1

21

12

q2 ln(1 + 2 21 ) + 2 q1

+
1
2
21
2
1
12

ln 2 = ln

2*
x2

r
z
q2 ln 2* + 2* l2 2 l2

2
r1
2

12
21

q2 ln ( 2 + 1 12 ) + 1q2

+
1 12
1
2 21
2
Where

(64)

(65)

M. B. Mane and S. N. Shinde: Vapor Liquid Equilibria.

168

l1 =

z
(r q ) (r1 1 )
2 1 1

(66)

l2 =

z
(r q2 ) ( r2 1 )
2 2

(67)

For a multicomponent system, the UNIQUAC equation for the molar excess Gibbs energy is given
by the sum of
g (Ecombinatorial )
RT

= xi ln
i =1

i*
xi

z m
qi xi ln *i

2 i =1
i

(68)

and
g (Eresidual )
RT

m
m

= qixi ln qj ji
i =1
i =1

(69)

Where segment fraction * and area fractions and ' are given by

i* =

rx

i i
m

rj x j
j =1

qi xi

i =

qjxj
j =1

qixi

qix j
j =1

(70)

and

aij
ij = exp and ji = exp
T

a ji

The coordination number z is set equal to 10. For any component i, the activity coefficient is given by ln i = ln

i
* m
z
+ qi ln
+ li i x j l j qi ln j ji + qi
j =1

xi j =1
i* xi
xi 2

i*

i ij
k kj
j =1
m

qi

m
k =1

(70)

Equation (70) requires only pure component and binary parameters6.

(6) UNIFAC Equation

UNIFAC provides a method for estimating activity coefficients in non electrolyte liquid mixtures.
To use this method, no experimental data are required for the particular mixture of interest. In addition to the
temperature and composition of the system, it is necessary only to know the molecular structure of every
component in the mixture and the necessary group parameters. A large number of group-interaction
parameters of different groups have been calculated.
The UNIFAC model is developed as a combination of the UNIQUAC (Universal Quasi-Chemical)
model and the solution of functional groups concept.
The solution of functional groups concept is a flexible method with a large range of applicability.
Instead of considering a liquid as a solution of molecules it is considered as a solution of groups where the
groups are structural units or building blocks such as CH3, OH, CH. These building blocks form the

Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.: 2(2), 2012

169

molecule. In the group contribution method it is assumed that a physical property of a fluid is the sum of the
contributions made by the molecules' functional groups. So, the activity coefficients are determined by the
properties of the groups rather than by the properties of the molecules.

ln i = ln ic + ln iR

(71)

C = combinatorial and R = Residual

I. Combinatorial Part: The combinatorial contribution is -

ln ic = ln

i
xi

z
i
i
+ qi ln + li x j l j
2
xi j
i

(72)

Where,
li =
i =

z
(ri qi ) (ri 1); z = 10
2
q i xi
;
j qjxj

i =

ri xi
j rj x j

(74)

Pure-component parameters ri and qi are respectively measures of molecular van der Waals volumes
and molecular surface areas. They are calculated as the sum of the group volume and group-area parameters,
Rk and Qk (Bondi, 1968).
ri =

v
k

(i )
k

Rk ; qi = vk( i )Qk

(75)

where vk( i ) , always an integer, is the number of groups of type k in molecule i. Group parameters Rk
and Qk are obtained from Van der Waals group volumes and surface area Vk and Ak, given by Bondi (1968).
Rk = Vk/15.17; Qk = Ak/(2.5*10^9)

(76)

II. Residual part:

The contribution from group interactions, the residual part, is assumed to be the sum of the
individual contributions of each solute group in the solution less the sum of the individual contributions in
the pure component environment.
ln iR =

(i )
k
ks groups

(ln k ln k( i )

(77)

All groups
k is the group residual activity coefficient and k(i ) is the residual activity coefficient of group k in a
reference solution containing only molecules of type i.
The individual group contributions in any environment containing groups of kinds 1,2, ...N are
assumed to be only a function of group contributions and temperature.

m km
ln k = Qk 1 ln m mk

m
m n n nm

(78)

M. B. Mane and S. N. Shinde: Vapor Liquid Equilibria.

170

m =

i vm(i ) xi
Qm X m
; Xm =
n Qm X m
i k vk(i ) xi

(79)

Xm is the fraction of group m in the mixture.

U mn U nn
amn
mn = exp
= exp

RT

(80)

The group interaction parameter mn is given in equation (81) where Umn is the interaction energy
between the groups m and n. Parameter amn is the group interaction parameter for groups m and n. There are
two parameters for each group-group interaction, amn and anm, where amn anm. The group interaction
parameters are evaluated from experimental phase equilibria data.
The equation for k can also be used for calculating k(i ) except that the group composition variable
k is changed to be the group fraction of group k in pure fluid i7,8.

Calculation of phase equilibrium from equation of state

(1) Van der Waals Equation
The Van der Waals equation of state, proposed in 1873 (Rowlinson, 1988), was the first equation
capable of representing vapor-liquid coexistence.
Z=

v
a

v b RT v

(81)

where,
a=

27 R 2Tcr2
;
64 pcr

b=

RTcr
8 pcr

where Z is the compressibility factor Z = pV / RT; T is temperature, V is volume, p is the pressure,

and R is the molar universal gas constant. The parameter a is a measure of the attractive forces between the
molecules, and the parameter b is the volume occupied by the molecules. The and b parameters can be
obtained from the critical properties of the fluid9.

(2) Redlich Kwong Equation

The most important model for the modification of the Van der Waals equation of state is the
Redlich-Kwong equation (Redlich and Kwong, 1949). It retains the original van der Waals hard-sphere term
with the addition of a temperature- dependent attractive term9,10.
Z=

v
a

3/ 2
v b RT (v + b)

(82)

where, a = 0.42748 R2 Tcr2.5 / Pcr ; b = 0.08664 RTcr / Pcr

(3) Redlich Kwong Soave Equation

The success of the Redlich-Kwong equation has been the impetus for many further empirical
improvements Soave (1972). Suggested replacing the term a/a/T1.5 with a more general temperaturedependent term a(T), that is

Sci. Revs. Chem. Commun.: 2(2), 2012

171

Z=

v
a (T )

v b RT (v + b)

where, a(T) = 0.42748

(83)

R 2Tcr2
(T )
pcr

(T) = 1 + (0.48 + 1.574 0.176 2 ) 1 T / Tcr

b = 0.08664 RTcr/pcr;

))

( = accentric factor)

To test the accuracy of Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) equation, the vapor pressures of a number of
hydrocarbons and several binary systems were calculated and compared with experimental data (Soave,
1972). In contrast to the original Redlich-Kwong equation, Soaves modification fitted the experimental
curve well and was able to predict the phase behavior of mixtures in the critical region9.

(4) Peng Robinson Equation

The Peng-Robinson (PR) equation of state slightly improves the prediction of liquid volumes and
predicts a critical compressibility factor of Zc = 0.307. Peng and Robinson (1976) gave examples of the use
of their equation for predicting the vapor pressure and volumetric behavior of single-component systems,
and the phase behavior and volumetric behavior of the binary, ternary, and multicomponent system and
concluded that Eq. (84) can be used to accurately predict the vapor pressures of pure substances and
equilibrium ratios of mixtures. The Peng-Robinson equation performed as well as or better than the SoaveRedlich-Kwong equation. Han et al. (1988) reported that the Peng-Robinson equation was superior for
predicting vapor-liquid equilibrium in hydrogen and nitrogen containing mixtures.

Z=

v
a (T )v

v b RT (v(v + b) + b(v b))

where, a(T) = 0.45724

(84)

R 2Tcr2
(T )
pcr

(T) = 1 + (0.37464 + 1.54226 0.26992 2 ) 1 T / Tcr

))

b = 0.0778 RTcr/pcr; ( = accentric factor)

The Peng-Robinson and Soave-Redlich-Kwong equations are used widely in industry. The
advantages of these equations are that they can accurately and easily represent the relation among
temperature, pressure, and phase compositions in binary and multicomponent systems. They only require the
critical properties and acentric factor for the generalized parameters9.

CONCLUSION
In ideal system, activity coefficient is equal to one and Roults, Dalton laws are used. Activity
coefficient models are applicable to systems that are nonideal in the liquid phase and equations of state are
effective to describe both the vapour and liquid phase but at high pressure. Therefore, activity coefficient
models and equation of states are useful for phase equilibria in non-ideal system.

REFERENCES

172

M. B. Mane and S. N. Shinde: Vapor Liquid Equilibria.

1.

R. N. Harold, Phase Equilibrium in Process Design, Wiley-Interscience Publisher, New York (1970).

2.

Eduard Hala, Vapour Liquid Equilibrium, Pregamon Press, 3rd Edition, London (1967) pp. 3-24.

3.

J. G. Stichlmair and J. R. Fair, Distillation Principles and Practice, Wiley-VCH (1998) pp. 6-69.

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Harrison C. Carlson and Allan P. Colburn, Vapor-Liquid Equilibria of Nonideal Solutions, Ind. Eng.
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7.

A. Bondi, Physical Prosperities of Molecular Crystals, Liquids and Glasses, Wiley, New York (1968).

8.

Group-Contribution Estimation of Activity Coefficients in Nonideal Liquid Mixtures, AIChE Journal,

21(6), November, 1086-1099 (1975).

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Ya Song Wei and Richard J. Sadus, Equations of State for the Calculation of Fluid-Phase Equilibria,
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10.

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