Restrictions on patterns of residue curves around heterogeneous azeotropes.

Abstract

The definition of the residue curve is extended to heterogeneous systems by use of the mean liquid composition to analyze characteristics of heterogeneous azeotropes. The analysis of patterns of residue curves around heterogeneous azeotropes shows that the number of possible types for n-component heterogeneous azeotropes is given by (n-m+1), where m is the number of coexisting liquid phases, and that when n=m, in particular, the only possible type is a minimum azeotrope.