Phase-Boundary Calculations in Systems Involving More than Two Phases, with Application to Hydrocarbon Mixtures

An algorithm to track phase boundaries in systems with more than two phases is presented. The method follows the basic principles for phase diagram construction developed by Michelsen. The method is applied successfully to some normal alkane systems with solid−liquid−vapor (SLV) phase behavior. Some thermodynamic aspects of correlating the phase-boundary data for these systems are discussed, particularly the influence of equation of state parameters on the solid−liquid and SLV boundary calculation.