Chris Baryiames

4/7/15
Real Gasses Part I: The Joule-Thompson Coefficient
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the JouleThompson coefficients, JT, for carbon dioxide and nitrogen. To
accomplish this, the gasses were flowed through a porous frit at a
range of pressures. The temperature difference between the gas
before passing through the frit and after was measured as a voltage
with thermocouples. This voltage was converted into a temperature
difference, which was then plotted as a function of pressure. The
slopes of these plots were determined to be JT, with a value of
1.560.02 K/atm for CO2 and 0.250.04 K/atm for N2. These results
were compared against calculated values and accepted literature
values. CO2 was found to be 40.5% larger than the literature value of
1.11 K/atm, while N2 was found to be 7.41% smaller than the literature
value of 0.27 K/atm.

CO2
Pressure (PSIg)
25

32

40

50

60

70

80

DATA

IncreasingP
P (Atm)
-0.69160888
-0.69160888
-0.69160888
-0.69160888
-1.16796138
-1.16796138
-1.16796138
-1.16796138
-1.712364239
-1.712364239
-1.712364239
-1.712364239
-1.712364239
-2.392867811
-2.392867811
-2.392867811
-2.392867811
-2.392867811
-3.073371384
-3.073371384
-3.073371384
-3.073371384
-3.073371384
-3.753874956
-3.753874956
-3.753874956
-3.753874956
-3.753874956
-4.434378529
-4.434378529
-4.434378529
-4.434378529
-4.434378529

V
60
60
60
60
50
40
40
40
20
20
20
20
10
0
-10
-10
-10
-10
-30
-40
-30
-40
-40
-60
-70
-70
-70
-70
-90
-90
-90
-100
-90

DecreasingP
T (K)
Pressure(PSIg) Pressure (Atm)
uV
1.53846154
80
6.453678633
-100
1.53846154
65
5.432923274
-70
1.53846154
60
5.092671488
-60
1.53846154
50
4.412167915
-30
1.28205128
40
3.731664343
-10
1.02564103
30
3.05116077
-10
1.02564103
25
2.710908984
30
1.02564103
0.51282051
0.51282051
0.51282051
0.51282051
0.25641026
0
-0.2564103
-0.2564103
-0.2564103
-0.2564103
-0.7692308
-1.025641
-0.7692308
-1.025641
-1.025641
-1.5384615
-1.7948718
-1.7948718
-1.7948718
-1.7948718
-2.3076923
-2.3076923
-2.3076923
-2.5641026
-2.3076923

T (K)
-2.564102564
-1.794871795
-1.538461538
-0.769230769
-0.256410256
-0.256410256
0.769230769

LINEST
1.055647118
2.291780536
0.015569907
0.044260015
0.993301504
0.111687726
4596.904426
31
57.34246683
0.386698593

N2
Pressure(PSI)
25

35

45

55

66

76

IncreasingP
P (Atm)
-0.69160888
-0.69160888
-0.69160888
-0.69160888
-0.69160888
-1.372112452
-1.372112452
-1.372112452
-1.372112452
-1.372112452
-2.052616025
-2.052616025
-2.052616025
-2.052616025
-2.052616025
-2.052616025
-2.052616025
-2.733119597
-2.733119597
-2.733119597
-2.733119597
-2.733119597
-3.481673527
-3.481673527
-3.481673527
-3.481673527
-3.481673527
-4.1621771
-4.1621771
-4.1621771
-4.1621771
-4.1621771

uV
90
80
90
90
90
90
90
90
90
90
90
80
90
80
80
90
80
80
80
80
80
80
70
70
70
70
70
70
70
60
70
70

DecreasingP
T (K)
Pressure(PSI) Pressure (Atm)
uV
T (K)
2.30769231
76
6.181477204
70
1.794871795
2.05128205
65
5.432923274
70
1.794871795
2.30769231
55
4.752419702
80
2.051282051
2.30769231
45
4.071916129
80/90*
2.179487179
2.30769231
35
3.391412556
90
2.307692308
2.30769231
25
2.710908984
90
2.307692308
2.30769231
2.30769231
2.30769231
2.30769231
2.30769231
2.05128205
2.30769231
2.05128205
*We waited for 4minsbut the readingfailed
2.05128205
to stabilize
2.30769231
2.05128205
2.05128205
2.05128205
2.05128205
2.05128205
2.05128205
1.79487179
1.79487179
1.79487179
1.79487179
1.79487179
1.79487179
1.79487179
1.53846154
1.79487179
1.79487179

N2 Linear Range
f(x) = 0.25x + 2.7
R = 0.75

LINEST (linear range only)

0.253083987 2.69762866
0.037672522 0.103151269
0.750546793 0.092139704
45.13151799
15
0.383154181 0.127345877

CO2 (K/atm)
N2 (K/atm)
Experimental
1.560.02
Experimental
0.250.04
van der Waals
0.8053
van der Waals
0.2398
Redlich-Kwong
0.9492
Redlich-Kwong
0.2145
Beattie-Bridgeman
1.103
Beattie-Bridgeman 0.2231
Literature
1.11
Literature
0.27

Note: literature values were taken from Atkins Physical Chemistry, 8 th

edition.

QUESTIONS
I.

Definitionally, intensive properties do not depend on the

quantity of substance. This means that the amount of J-T
expansion performed does not determine the amount of
cooling. This is reflected by the fact that the units of , k/atm,

II.

do not include the number of moles of gas expanded.

The material the expansion system is made from will be
important, both to keep the system isenthalpic and to
efficiently transfer the heat from the fridge to the cooled gas.
The pressure of the gas being used is also important, as
pressure is one of the most important factors that influence
the temperature change in J-T expansions, as this experiment

III.

has shown.
The T vs. P plots do not necessarily pass through (0,0)
because the expansion system is not truly isenthalpic, which
will cause deviations in the results. Additionally, since the
gasses used are not ideal gasses, if attractions and repulsions
are present between molecules, a nonstandard curve will be
generated. The effect of these non-ideal deviations would
depend on the individual gas, since some gasses are more

IV.
V.

ideal than others.

See attached sheet.
See attached sheet.