PVT analysis. Ternary system.

It is common to illustrate the phase behavior of 3-component systems at

constant pressure and temperature in so called triangular diagrams. Each corner
of the triangle represents one pure component. On the basis of the equilaterality
of the triangle, the sum of the perpendicular distances from any point to each
side of the diagram is a constant equal to length of any of the sides. Thus, the
composition - expressed in mole fractions - of a point in the interior of the
triangle is given by:

(eq. 6.5)
Where

(eq.6.6)

Several other useful properties of the triangular diagrams are also

illustrated by figure 6.12:
• For mixtures along any line parallel to a side of the diagram, the fraction
of the component of the corner opposite to that side is constant.
• Mixtures lying on any line connecting a corner with the opposite side
contain a constant ratio of the component at the ends of the side.
• Mixtures of any two compositions lie on a straight line connecting the
two initial points on the ternary diagram. The principle of the lever finds
application again and

(eq. 6.7) gives the mixing ratio leading to mixture D.

 Figure 6.12 Properties of ternary diagrams.
Figure 6.13 shows the 2-phase region for chosen p and T. Any mixture with
an overall composition lying inside the binodal curve will split into a liquid and
a vapor phase. The “tie lines” connect compositions of liquid and vapor phases
in equilibrium. Any overall composition on a certain tie line gives the same
liquid and vapor composition being in equilibrium. Only the amounts of the
phases change as the overall composition changes.

Figure 6.13. Typical features of a ternary phase diagram

The liquid and vapor portions of the binodal curve meet at the “plait point”
which represents the critical composition. By drawing the tangent in the plait
point on the binodal curve, the single-phase region is splitted into three sections.
Mixtures of a composition being located in the critical region with another one
being located in the liquid or vapor region will, in any case, also result in a
single-phase system if the straight line connecting the two initial compositions
does not intersect the 2-phase region.
Example 6.3.
The hydrocarbon mixture is composed of 8 [kg] methane (M = 16[kg kmol-
1], 13,2 [kg] propane (M = 44.1[kg kmol-1]) and 32.5 [kg] n-pentane (M =
72.2[kg kmol-1]). The critical data of this mixture can be evaluated by use of
figure 6.14.

Figure 6.14. Critical loci of methane/propane/n-pentane systems

The liquid and vapor portions of the binodal curve meet at the “plait point”
which represents the critical composition. By drawing the tangent in the plait
point on the binodal curve, the single-phase region is splitted into three sections.
Mixtures of a composition being located in the critical region with another one
being located in the liquid or vapor region will, in any case, also result in a
single-phase system if the straight line connecting the two initial compositions
does not intersect the 2-phase region.
Figure 6.15 illustrates the influence of pressure on the phase behavior of a
certain ternary system at constant temperature. As pressure increases, the 2-
phase region shrinks.
 It is useful to comprise the two heavier components of a ternary system and
to reduce this system to a fictitious binary system, on the basis of a hypothetical
component. Figure 6.14 illustrates a corresponding application by the respective
p,T-diagram of the methane/propane/n-pentane system. The mole-% of methane
are specified along the outermost envelope curve. All envelope curves are
characterized by the portion of propane in the hypothetical component
(propane/n-pentane) which is given by

(eq. 6.8)
In accordance to this aspect, the critical state properties, pc and Tc, can be
determined for any mixture of the three components.

Figure 6.15. Triangular diagrams for the methane/propane/n-pentane

system at 160o F(71oC).