Reference Quality Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium Data for the Binary Systems Methane + Ethane, + Propane, + Butane, and + 2-Methylpropane, at Temperatures from (203 to 273) K and Pressures to 9 MPa

Abstract

A specialized cell designed for vapor liquid equilibrium (VLE) measurements at cryogenic temperatures and high pressures was used to measure new (p,T,x,y) data for binary mixtures of methane + ethane, + propane, + 2-methylpropane (isobutane), and + butane from (203 to 273) K at pressures up to 9 MPa. A literature review of VLE data for these binary mixtures indicates that a significant number have large uncertainties; however, because estimates of uncertainties in measured phase compositions are often not quantified sufficiently, it can be difficult for equation of state (EOS) developers to identify which data sets are of poor quality. Robust quantitative uncertainties were estimated for the VLE data acquired in this work, which allowed the identification of literature data sets that should not be included in future EOS development. The new data were compared with the predictions of the Peng–Robinson (PR) EOS and the Groupe European de Recherche Gaziere (GERG-2008) multiparameter EOS. The former describes the new data measured at low pressures within experimental uncertainty but deviates systematically from the data as the bubble point pressure is increased; for the binary mixtures containing either of the butanes, the maximum relative deviation of the data from the PR EOS amounted to nearly 10 % of the methane liquid mole fraction. The GERG-2008 EOS was better able to describe the new high-pressure data for the CH4 + C3H8 system than the PR EOS. However, for both the CH4 + C4H10 mixtures, the GERG EOS deviated from these data by an amount twice as large as the PR EOS because of ambiguity about which VLE literature data sets should be used in model development. The new data resolve these ambiguities and should facilitate the development of improved EOS as needed, for example, in simulations of low temperature natural gas separation processes.