Theory of multicomponent nucleation: Effective medium approach

Abstract

This chapter proposes an effective medium approach to homogeneous vapor–liquid nucleation of multicomponent mixtures in the regime of retrograde condensation. A transformation from the original multicomponent to an effective unary system is accompanied by renormalization of the surface tension. A generalized Fisher droplet model for the cluster distribution is formulated and applied at the effective saturation point within the framework of the kinetic approach to nucleation. The theory contains no adjustable parameters. A 4-component mixture of hydrocarbons is studied at conditions approximately corresponding to retrograde condensation of natural gas.