MTX311

Gas Mixtures
Study Theme 3: Borgnakke and Sonntag, Chapter 11
Lecture 1
Dr WG Le Roux

Additional Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdIB1sEpWVI

Çengel, Y.A. and Boles, M.A., Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, 8 th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2015.
 Important equations:
n = m/M
[kmol] = [kg] / [kg / kmol]

A mixture can be described by:

mole fraction OR mass fraction

(concentration)
 Class Example 1:
Consider a gas mixture that consists of
3 kg of O2, 5 kg of N2, and 12 kg of CH4.
(a) Determine the mass fraction of each
component.
(b) Determine the mole fraction of each
component.
(c) Determine the average molar
mass and gas constant of the mixture.
Partial pressure (Dalton model)
For a mixture of ideal gases, the pressure is
the sum of the partial pressures of the
individual components:
For an ideal gas mixture:
For an ideal gas mixture:
 Class Example 2:
A mixture of oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2),
and helium (He) gases with mass fractions of
0.0625, 0.625, and 0.3125, respectively, enter an
adiabatic turbine at 1000 kPa and 600 K steadily
and expand to 100 kPa pressure. The isentropic
efficiency of the turbine is 90%. Assuming
constant specific heats at room temperature,
determine:
(a) the work output per unit mass of mixture;
(b) the change in entropy.
Also see Example 11.2 in the textbook (when Cp is not constant).