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The effect of relative humidity on binary gas diffusion.

Nelson G C Astrath1, Jun Shen, Datong Song

  • 1National Research Council of Canada, Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation, 4250 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1W5 Canada. AstrathNGC@pq.cnpq.br

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|June 12, 2009
PubMed
Summary

The diffusion coefficient of oxygen-nitrogen gas mixtures increases with humidity. A generalized equation accurately predicts these changes, crucial for understanding gas transport.

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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Thermodynamics

Background:

  • Gas diffusion is fundamental in many chemical processes.
  • Understanding the influence of water vapor on gas diffusion is critical for accurate modeling.
  • Existing models often do not fully account for humidity effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally determine the O2-N2 diffusion coefficient dependence on relative humidity (RH) and temperature.
  • To analyze mass transport in a ternary gas system using Maxwell-Stefan theory.
  • To generalize the Fuller, Schettler, and Giddings (FSG) equation for RH-dependent binary diffusion coefficients.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an in-house Loschmidt diffusion cell for experiments.
  • Maintained constant RH in diffusion cell chambers and ambient pressure.
  • Applied Maxwell-Stefan theory for mass transport analysis.
  • Generalized the FSG empirical equation.

Main Results:

  • O2-N2 diffusion coefficient increased by over 17% with RH from 0% to 80% at 79°C.
  • Ternary system diffusion was effectively treated as binary O2-N2 diffusion.
  • Generalized FSG equation predictions showed <1.5% difference from experimental results.

Conclusions:

  • Water vapor significantly increases O2-N2 diffusion coefficients.
  • The generalized FSG equation accurately predicts RH-dependent binary diffusion coefficients.
  • The study provides a valuable tool for calculating gas diffusion under varying humidity conditions.