Elsevier US Job Code:CAPA Chapter:0capa03 22-12-2006 3:30 p.m. Page:103 Trimsize:8.

3
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF LIQUIDS AND GASES
n important but time-consuming factor Physical property data of compounds are frequently

A in practically every design situation and

in development of flowsheets is the collection
and assembly of physical property data for the
components of the system in question. Often it is not
sufficient to obtain single data points from various
tables, since many designs cover rather wide ranges of
temperature and pressure, and the effects of these on the
properties must be taken into account.
Data may be located in many useful handbooks [1–4]
as well as published technical papers and company
compilations. However, experience indicates that
extensive literature searches may be necessary to locate
specific data on a particular compound. It is surprising to
find so many common compounds for which the data are
incomplete and sometimes inaccurate. Empirical
correlations must often be utilized, sometimes to
generate a value and sometimes to check a questionable
literature value.
Therefore, when developing an estimate of process
engineering it is important to recognize the amount of
effort that may be necessary to collect physical property
data before the flowsheet calculations can commence.
This same concern exists when evaluating K values and
activity coefficient data for phase equilibrium.
required for pilot plant studies or for the design of large
process plants. These data are not readily available
except in some simulation design packages or in the
largest libraries. The data can, of course, be obtained by
conducting experiments to measure the properties of
individual substances or of mixtures, which may exhibit
non-ideal behavior. However, this is often
time-consuming and expensive. Therefore
the process engineer may resort to correlations and
interpolations to obtain data of sufficient accuracy for
design purposes. Thermodynamic data of this type are
required in most calculations such as sizing vessels,
process pipeline sizing, and separation of
multicomponents, gas absorption, and chemical
reactor design.
Many predictions and correlations of thermodynamic
physical data have been published. This chapter
reviews physical property data for liquids and gases
and presents the Excel spreadsheet programs for
determining these properties for a range of
temperature and correlation constants, which can
be downloaded from the companion website.
Appendix C provides tables of some selected physical
property data.

3.1 DENSITY OF LIQUIDS point. Values for liquid density at 25 C are provided in the last
column. The Excel spreadsheet program from the companion
Liquid density data are essential in process engineering design website (density-of-liquid.xls) provides calculations for the density
such as sizing of storage vessels that contain the basic raw mate- of saturated liquids and plots with given correlation constants,
rials and products for a plant, in process piping design involving temperatures, and at their critical temperatures. Table C-1 in
either single-phase incompressible fluids, compressible fluids or
Appendix C lists the density of chemical compounds, and
two-phase flow mixtures. In distillation, absorption, or stripping,
Figure 3-1 shows the plot for saturated liquid density of methanol
liquid density data are required in the determination of flooding
as a function of temperature.
and sizing of column diameter. Additionally, liquid density usage is
encountered in various heat-, mass-, and momentum-transfer oper-
ations. Saturated liquid densities at any temperature are based upon
the modified form of the Rackett equation as [5]
 n CH3OH
T
− 1−
Density = AB TC
(3-1) 1
0.9
where
0.8
Liquid density, g/ml

0.7
Density = saturated liquid density, g/mL
0.6
A B, and n = regression coefficients for chemical
compound 0.5
T = temperature, K 0.4
TC = critical temperature, K 0.3
Tr = Reduced temperature, T/TC . 0.2
0.1
Appendix C gives tabulated values of the correlation constants and 0
results for saturated liquid density between the minimum and the –100 –50 0 50 100 150 200 250
maximum temperature ranges for which the equation is applicable, Temperature, ° C
and denoted by Tmin and Tmax . For many of the compounds, the
temperature range corresponds to the freezing point and critical Figure 3-1 Saturated liquid density of Methanol (CH3 OH).

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