Inducing arbitrary vapor pressures, and quantifying leakages

Abstract

We generalize the Maxwell drop evaporation equation to cover the range from closed system to open system through semiclosed system where the evaporation is restricted to an arbitrary degree which we show how to characterize. We first consider a suspended drop, and then a drop contacting a surface where the surface's vicinity restricts the evaporation paths. We show how to use these results to obtain arbitrary values of vapor pressure by simple manipulations of the numbers and sizes of droplets added to the system for a constant leak size, or, alternatively, control the leak size with a valve for given sizes of drops. We further show how to use this result to quantify a leakage in a system. Such a leakage is characterized using a single parameter (leakage length) which the described method calibrates. The calibrated leakage length can be used for systematic control of vapor concentrations within the chamber. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 4548–4553, 2016