Pressure vessel ideal gas calculation

In summary, calculating the amount of water/dry ice I would need to put in a cylindrical pressure vessel to obtain an internal pressure of ~100 psi at 200C (from room temperature, ~23C) will require using the PV/T=constant relation and taking into account the equilibrium vapor pressure of water at 200 C.
  • #1
paulos
3
0
Hello all,

As part of a research project, I am trying to calculate the amount of water/dry ice I would need to put in a cylindrical pressure vessel to obtain an internal pressure of ~100 psi at 200C (from room temperature, ~23C).

I haven't had to do a calculation like this in awhile, but here are my thoughts so far:
I will know the volume of water, dry ice, and air at room temperature (and consequently the amount of moles). I can then use the PV/T=constant relation to calculate the final pressure. I would use the internal volume of the pressure vessel minus the volume of the water/dry ice cube as the initial volume and the internal volume of the pressure vessel as the final volume. Also, T1=23C, T2=200C, P1~1 atm.
I would then check that the partial pressure of water (from P2 and moles of water) is below the saturation pressure of water, but at 200C this is likely the case.
Do you see anything wrong with this calculation? Is ideal gas law still reasonably applicable at ~100 psi? 5-10% accuracy is reasonable for my application.

I feel like there should be a way to do this calculation more accurately using steam and CO2 properties tables.

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
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  • #2
paulos said:
Hello all,

As part of a research project, I am trying to calculate the amount of water/dry ice I would need to put in a cylindrical pressure vessel to obtain an internal pressure of ~100 psi at 200C (from room temperature, ~23C).

I haven't had to do a calculation like this in awhile, but here are my thoughts so far:
I will know the volume of water, dry ice, and air at room temperature (and consequently the amount of moles). I can then use the PV/T=constant relation to calculate the final pressure. I would use the internal volume of the pressure vessel minus the volume of the water/dry ice cube as the initial volume and the internal volume of the pressure vessel as the final volume. Also, T1=23C, T2=200C, P1~1 atm.
I would then check that the partial pressure of water (from P2 and moles of water) is below the saturation pressure of water, but at 200C this is likely the case.
Do you see anything wrong with this calculation? Is ideal gas law still reasonably applicable at ~100 psi? 5-10% accuracy is reasonable for my application.

I feel like there should be a way to do this calculation more accurately using steam and CO2 properties tables.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Your methodology looks sound, although the answer is not going to be unique, depending on the proportions of water and CO2.

Chet
 
  • #3
As long as there is liquid water present some of the CO2 will be dissolved. I don't think it will matter if 5-10% accuracy is OK, but it won't hurt to check.
 
  • #4
Borek said:
As long as there is liquid water present some of the CO2 will be dissolved. I don't think it will matter if 5-10% accuracy is OK, but it won't hurt to check.
The equilibrium vapor pressure of water at 200 C is about 200 psia. So, as Borek indicates, you really do have to consider the possibility that liquid water may be present.

Chet
 
  • #5
Maybe I have this backwards, but if the final pressure inside the pressure vessel is 100 psia, then the partial pressure of water will be less than 100 psi which is much lower than the water saturation pressure of 225 psi at 200C so no liquid water can be present.
The saturation pressure of CO2 is much higher so all of the CO2 should be gaseous at both temperatures.
 
  • #6
paulos said:
Maybe I have this backwards, but if the final pressure inside the pressure vessel is 100 psia, then the partial pressure of water will be less than 100 psi which is much lower than the water saturation pressure of 225 psi at 200C so no liquid water can be present.
The saturation pressure of CO2 is much higher so all of the CO2 should be gaseous at both temperatures.
Yes. Sorry, this is all correct. Somehow I got confused, and got it in my head that the final pressure was going to be 200 psi rather than 100 psi.

Chet
 

1. What is a pressure vessel?

A pressure vessel is a container designed to hold fluids or gases at a pressure that is significantly different from the ambient pressure. It is used in a variety of industrial and scientific applications, such as chemical processing, power generation, and oil and gas production.

2. What is an ideal gas?

An ideal gas is a theoretical gas that follows the gas laws perfectly. It is assumed to have no intermolecular forces and its particles are considered to be point masses with no volume. This means that the gas molecules do not interact with each other and that their volume is negligible compared to the volume of the container they are in.

3. How is pressure calculated in a pressure vessel for an ideal gas?

The pressure inside a pressure vessel for an ideal gas can be calculated using the ideal gas law, which states that pressure is equal to the product of the number of moles of gas, the gas constant, and the temperature, divided by the volume of the container. This can be written as P = (nRT)/V, where P is pressure, n is the number of moles, R is the gas constant, T is the temperature, and V is the volume.

4. How does temperature affect pressure in a pressure vessel for an ideal gas?

According to the ideal gas law, there is a direct relationship between temperature and pressure in a pressure vessel for an ideal gas. This means that as the temperature increases, the pressure also increases, and vice versa. This relationship is known as Charles' law and is expressed as P1/T1 = P2/T2, where P1 and T1 are the initial pressure and temperature, and P2 and T2 are the final pressure and temperature.

5. What are the assumptions made when calculating pressure in a pressure vessel for an ideal gas?

When calculating pressure in a pressure vessel for an ideal gas, it is assumed that the gas is at a constant temperature, the gas particles are in continuous random motion, and there are no intermolecular forces. It is also assumed that the container is rigid and does not expand or contract under pressure. In reality, these assumptions may not hold true, and therefore, the calculated pressure may not be entirely accurate.

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