Tutorial 1 Part II: Vapour liquid Equilibrium

QUESTION 1
(Using the DePriester Chart - Figure 1 below)
Consider the problem of estimating the bubble-point temperature of a liquid at 500
kPa having the following composition:

n-butane (B)

= 30 % (on a mole basis)

n-pentane (P)

= 30 %

n-hexane (H)

= 40%

QUESTION 2
Experimental values for the vapour pressure p* (in kPa) of n-hexane (H) and n-octane
(O) are given below as a function of temperature.
T (oC)
68.7
79.4
93.3
107.2
121.1
125.7

p*(H)
101
137
197
284
400
456

p*(O)
16
23
37
58
87
101

(a) Assuming that Raoults and Daltons laws apply, develop expressions that allow
the vapour (ie yH and yO) and liquid phase compositions (ie xH and xO) to be
calculated directly from the vapour pressure data.
(b) Use these expressions to construct x-y and T-x-y plots for this system at
atmospheric pressure.
(c) When a liquid containing 30 mole % H is heated at atmospheric pressure, what is
the composition of the initial vapour formed ?
(d) What is the temperature when it first begins to boil?
(e) What is the composition of the saturated vapour in equilibrium with the saturated
liquid at this point?
(f) Calculate as a function of temperature. Would it be reasonable to use a
constant value for the relative volatility of this system ?

(g) Calculate the K values for n-hexane and n-octane as functions of temperature
Note: This assumes that negligible amounts of vapour are formed; otherwise the
composition of the liquid will change.

QUESTION 3
Assuming Raoults Law to be valid for the system of acetonitrile(1)/nitromethane(2),
Prepare a T-x-y diagram for a pressure of 101.33 kPa
Vapour pressures of the pure species are given by the following Antoine equation
below. (Pisat in kPa and T in oC)

2945.47
acetonitrile
T + 224
2972.64
nitromethane
ln Pi sat = 14.2043
T + 209

ln Pi sat = 14.2724

QUESTION 4
Derive y =

x
and then analyse the x-y equilibrium curves using of this
1 + ( 1) x

relation for:
(a) the limits
(b) under increasing values of

Figure 1: K-values for light hydrocarbons1.

Taken from Equilibrium Stage Separation Operations in Chemical Engineering, E.J. Henley and J.D.
Seader, John Wiley and Sons, 1981