CHAPTER 1

MIXTURES
A pure substance is defined as a substance having a constant and
uniform chemical composition (No chemical reaction taking place).
Properties of a mixture of gases can be determined as for a single gas,
e.g. the properties of air are considered as a single substance
1.1 Daltons Law and the Gibbs-Dalton Law
Consider;

Figure 1.1 Gas mixture

By conservation of mass:
m m A mB

(1.1)

By Daltons law:
P PA PB

(1.2)

For the mixture of a number of gases;

m m A m B mC ...
m mi

or
(1.3)

Where mi is the mass of a constituent

Similarly for the pressure:
P PA PB PC ...

or

P Pi

(1.4)

Where Pi is the partial of a constituent

Example 1.1
A vessel of volume 0.4m3 contains 0.45kg of carbon monoxide (CO) and
1kg of air, at 15C. Calculate the partial pressure of each constituent and the
total pressure in the vessel. The gravimetric analysis of air is to be taken as
23.3% Oxygen and 76.7% Nitrogen. Take the masses of CO, O 2, and N2 as
28, 32 and 28kg/kmol.
Solution:
Mass of oxygen=
Mass of nitrogen=

23.3
1 0.233kg
100
76.7
1 0.767 kg
100

Thus,
PO 2

0.233 8.3145 288

43.59kN / m 2 0.4359bar
32 0.4

PO 2

0.767 8.3145 288

163.99kN / m 2 1.6399bar
28 0.4

PCO

0.45 8.3145 288

96.21kN / m 2 0.9621bar
28 0.4

Total pressure in the vessel:

P Pi 0.436 1.64 0.962 3.038bar

1.2 Volumetric Analysis of a Gas Mixture

Consider a volume V of a gaseous mixture at a temperature T, considering of
three constituents A, B and C. Let P is the total pressure and T is temperature
and remains constant.

Figure 1.2 Mass, pressure and mole of gas mixture

mA

PAV
R AT

m m A m B m C m i
P PA PB PC Pi
n n A n B n C n i

Where

Figure
And referring to Figure 1.1
mA

PV A
R AT

Equating the two values for mA, we have

PAV
PV A

R AT
R AT

i.e. PAV PV A
In general therefore,
Vi

i.e

Pi
V
P

(1.8)

Vi

Pi
V
V Pi
P
P

Now equation 1.4,

Vi V

or

n A n B nC n

P Pi ,

therefore

V A V B VC V

or

n n i

(1.9)
(1.10)

1.3 The Molar Mass and Specific Gas Constant

For any gas in a mixture,
PiV ni T

(1.11)

Therefore,
( PiV ) ( ni T )

i.e.

VPi Tni

From equation 1.4,

P Pi

PV Tni

Also from equation 1.10,

n n i

therefore

PV nT

Thus, the mixture is acted as a perfect gas and obeys all the perfect gas laws.

To find the specific gas constant for the mixture in terms of the specific gas
constants of the constituents,
i.e. PV mRT

and

PiV mi Ri T

Then,
PiV mi Ri T

VPi Tmi Ri

or

P Pi ,

Now from equation 1.4,

PV Tmi Ri

i.e.

mR mi Ri

where

mi
m

therefore;

or

PV mRT Tmi Ri

or

mi
Ri
m

(1.12)

is the mass fraction of a constituent.

From equation 1.11;

PiV ni T

PV
nT

Pi ni

P
n

or

(1.13)

This can be combined with equation 1.8, to give

Pi ni Vi

P
n V

(1.14)

This means that the molar analysis is identical with the volumetric analysis.
Another method of determining the molar mass is as follows:
mi

PiV
Ri T

From equation 1.3,

PV
PV
i
RT
Ri T

and

PV
RT

m m i ,

or

thus
P
P
i
R
Ri

Using equation of R
P
P
i i

i.e.

or

and substituting, we have

P

Pi
i
P

(1.15)

Also using equation 1.14,

Vi
i
V

and

ni
i
n

(1.16)

Example 1.2
Consider a gas mixture that consists of 3kg of oxygen (O2), 5kg of nitrogen
(N2), and 12kg of methane (CH4). Determine:
(a) the mass fraction of each component
(b) the mole fraction of each component
(c) the average molar and gas constant of the mixture
Solution:
(a) Total mass = 3 + 5 + 12 = 20kg
Oxygen:
mO 2

3
0.15
20

Nitrogen:
mN 2

5
0.25
20

Methane:
m NH 4

12
0.6
20

(b) The mole fraction for:

Oxygen:
nO 2

3
0.094kmol
32

Nitrogen:
nN 2

5
0.179kmol
28

Methane:
n NH 4

12
0.75kmol
16

Total molar fraction= 0.094 + 0.179 + 0.75 = 1.023kmol

(c) Average molar gas and gas constant of mixture:
Average molar gas, Mm= 20kg/1.023kmol = 19.6kg/kmol
Gas constant, Rm= 8.314/19.6 = 0.424kJ/kgK
1.4 Specific Heat Capacities of a Gas Mixture
Using the Gibbs-Dalton law the internal energy of mixture of gases;
mu mi u i

and for a perfect gas,

mC v T

u C vT

. Hence,

m C

vi

Therefore,
mC v

m C
i

vi

or

Similarly form equation (1.6),

mC p T

m C
i

pi

Cv

mh mi hi

mi
C vi
m

, and

(1.18)
h C pT

, Therefore;

Therefore;
mC p mi C pi

Cp

or

mi
C pi
m

(1.19)

From equation (1.18) and equation (1.19)

C p Cv

mi
m
m
C pi i C vi i (C pi C vi )
m
m
m

Ri C pi C vi

Using equation,

, therefore
C p Cv

Also from equation (1.12), R

mi
Ri ,
m

mi
Ri
m

therefore the mixture

C p Cv R

The equations below can be applied to a mixture of gases,

Cp
Cv

Cp

R
1

Cv

R
1

The molar heat capacities are defined as follows:

c p mC P

and

From the equation

cv mCV

C p Cv R ,

(1.20)

therefore

c p c v mC p mC v mR

And

mR

c p cv

From equation

(1.21)
U mC v T

Also from equation m= nM and

mC v cv

U ncv T

(1.22)

1.5 Adiabatic Mixing of Perfect Gases

Consider two gases A and B separated from each other in a closed by a thin
diaphragm as shown in Figure 3.4. If the diaphragm is punctured, then the
gases mix as in Figure 3.4, and each then occupies the total volume.
The process is equivalent to a free expansion and assumed adiabatic. From
equation (1.22):
U 1 n A C vAT A n B C vB TB

and

U 1 ( n A C vA n B C vB )T

Extending this results to any number of gases,

U1

n C
i

vi

and

Ti

Then

U1 = U2

i.e.

n C

i.e.

vi

U 2 T ni C v

Ti T ni C vi

n C T
n C
i

vi

vi

Another form of mixing is that which occurs when streams of fluid meet to
form a common stream in steady flow. The steady flow used in the mixing
section is
m A h A1 m B hB1 Q W m A h A 2 m B hB 2

For adiabatic flow, Q= 0, and also W= 0,

m A h A1 m B hB1 m A h A 2 m B hB 2

From the equation, h= CpT

m A C PA T A m B C PB TB m A C PA T m B C PB T

For any other gases this becomes

m C
i

Pi

Ti T mi C Pi

m C T
m C
i

Pi

Since

Pi

cpi = mCP

Then
nc p mC P

Hence, T

n c T
n c
i

pi

pi

1.6 Real-Gas Mixture

Daltons law can also be used for real gases. For this case, the component
pressures or component volumes should be evaluated from relations which
account for real gas effects. This is done either by using more exact solutions
of state like van der Waals equation or by using the compressibility factor as
PV nT

It can be shown that,

k

i ni
i 1

Where is the compressibility factor for the mixture and i is that for a
component. Further by experience it is established that Daltons law is more
appropriate for mixtures at low pressures.
1.7 Gas and Vapor Mixture

Consider a vessel of fixed volume that maintained at a constant temperature,

Figure 1.3 Mixture of gas and vapor

In Figure 1.3(a), the vessel is evacuated and the absolute pressure is
zero. When a small quantity of water introduced, it evaporates and
occupy the whole volume. The pressure in the vessel is less than the
saturation pressure corresponding to the vessel temperature.
Until, the additional water will not evaporate and the vapor in contact
with its liquid.
If the heat supplied to the vessel, more vapor will evaporate, the
temperature and pressure of vessel will increase.
When a mixture contains a saturated vapor, the partial pressure of
vapor can be found in the table and obeys the Gibbs-Dalton law. This
is only valid for low values of the total pressure.
1.8 The Steam Condenser

Figure 3.4 Air extractions in a condenser

Condenser is used in the steam power plant. The condensation occurs
at 25C to 40C corresponding at Psat= 0.03166 and 0.07375bar
respectively.
There is some leakage of air into condenser and dissolved in the feed
water causes reduction in performance.
The condenser contains a mixture of steam, air and water. The air is
pumped out continually from the condenser to maintain the vacuum
and the air moved out carries some of the steam. Thus, a loss of feed
water to the boiler.
The pressure in the condenser approximately constant at steady
condition. The steam is condensed due to the partial pressure of steam
decreases and the partial pressure of air increases to maintain the same
total pressure.
Example 1.3
A rigid tank contains 0.35kg of steam of quality 0.2 and 0.1kg of nitrogen
gas. If the temperature of the mixture is 90C, determine the volume of the
tank and the pressure of the mixture.