Factor de Compresibilidad
Factor de Compresibilidad
Near the critical point, gases exhibit large deviations from ideal behavior due to the increased influence of intermolecular forces and the indistinction between liquid and gas phases. This makes the compressibility factor (Z) vary more significantly, affecting prediction accuracy. Empirical or generalized charts become less reliable near the critical point, as molecular interactions become complex and less predictable .
The compressibility factor (Z) generally increases with increasing pressure, as higher pressures lead to more frequent molecular collisions and significant repulsive forces, resulting in a molar volume of the real gas exceeding that of an ideal gas, making Z greater than 1. Conversely, Z decreases with increasing temperature, as the increased kinetic energy of molecules at higher temperatures alleviates attractive forces, allowing Z to approach 1 .
Generalized compressibility charts offer a significant advantage by providing a universal method of estimating the compressibility factor for a wide range of gases without needing detailed individual gas calculations. This simplifies and speeds up engineering processes by allowing quick reference of compressibility factors based on normalized reduced properties, which can achieve reasonable accuracy for many gases .
At high pressures, molecular collisions are more frequent, increasing the prominence of repulsive forces between molecules. These repulsive interactions cause the real gas to occupy a greater volume than an ideal gas under the same conditions, leading to a compressibility factor (Z) greater than 1 .
For quantum gases such as hydrogen, helium, and neon, the principle of corresponding states and generalized charts must be adjusted because their behavior deviates from classical gases. The recommended correction involves redefining their reduced temperature and pressure to new scales that more accurately reflect their quantum mechanical properties while using generalized compressibility charts .
A gas's critical temperature and pressure define its point beyond which the distinct liquid and gas phases no longer exist. By normalizing a gas's temperature and pressure as ratios of its critical temperature and pressure, the principle of corresponding states can predict the compressibility factor across different gases. This allows gases to be compared universally on generalized charts because these normalized states mitigate variations specific to each gas .
Generalized compressibility factor charts are less accurate for polar gases because these gases have significant dipole moments causing large deviations from non-polar behavior predicted by the charts. The estimated compressibility factors can be erroneous by as much as 15-20% for such gases. This is because polar gases do not conform well to the assumption of similar molecular interaction forces from which generalized charts are derived .
The principle of corresponding states implies that despite individual molecular distinctions, gases exhibit a universal behavior when normalized to their critical temperatures and pressures. This suggests that molecular forces, while specific in magnitude and effect, are fundamentally similar when analyzed at these normalized critical states, thereby allowing predictions of gas behaviors to be generalized across different gases .
Given that air is predominantly composed of nitrogen and oxygen, both of which are small, non-polar, and non-associative molecules, the ideal gas approximation is quite suitable across a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The non-polar nature reduces deviations from ideal gas behavior, and experimental values of the compressibility factor (Z) align closely with 1 under many conditions, supporting the use of the ideal gas approximation for air .
The principle of corresponding states posits that gases at the same reduced temperature and pressure will have similar compressibility factors regardless of their individual critical properties, because these states correspond to universal properties of molecular forces. This allows for the development of generalized compressibility charts that can predict the behavior of different gases under similar conditions, facilitating the estimation of the compressibility factor using universal PVT data for different gases by normalizing their critical temperatures and pressures .