Generalized Van der Waals Equation for Liquid-Vapor Equilibria in a Stationary Gravitational Field

Abstract

The behavior of liquids undergoing phase transition in the gravitational field is studied by considering the generalized Van der Waals equation. Considering the two simple models for liquid-vapor boundary of a pure classical fluid, the generalized Van der Waals equation shows how the three critical parameters (critical temperature, critical volume and critical pressure), suffice to describe the reduced state parameters (reduced temperature, reduced volume and reduced pressure), the concentration profile and the liquid-vapor boundary position, which can be used to observe transition phenomenon. This model shows how the form of the equation can influence the vertical phase separation induced by the stationary gravitational field, and on the gas condensation effects.