Construction of Joule Thomson inversion curves for mixtures using equation of state

Abstract

The Joule-Thomson effect is at the heart of Joule-Thomson cryocoolers and gas liquefaction cycles. The effective harnessing of this phenomenon necessitates the knowledge of Joule-Thomson coefficient and the inversion curve. When the working fluid is a mixture, (in mix refrigerant Joule-Thomson cryocooler, MRJT) the phase diagrams, equations of state and inversion curves of multi-component systems become important. The lowest temperature attainable by such a cryocooler depends on the inversion characteristics of the mixture used.In this work the construction of differential Joule-Thomson inversion curves of mixtures using Redlich-Kwong, Soave-Redlich-Kwong and Peng-Robinson equations of state is investigated assuming single phase. It is demonstrated that inversion curves constructed for pure fluids can be improved by choosing an appropriate value of acentric factor. Inversion curves are used to predict maximum inversion temperatures of multicomponent systems. An application where this information is critical is a two-stage J-T cryocooler using a mixture as the working fluid, especially for the second stage. The pre-cooling temperature that the first stage is required to generate depends on the maximum inversion temperature of the second stage working fluid.