The Stefan problem of evaporation of a volatile component from a binary liquid mixture

The study is concerned with the Stefan problem of evaporation of a volatile component from its solution with a virtually non-volatile material. The analysis provides an analytical solution to the problem based on mass-transfer fundamentals. Results yield the evaporation rate, interfacial mole fractions, concentration profiles in the gas and liquid phases, and the location of the evaporation front. The analysis can be used to provide the binary liquid diffusion coefficient of the volatile component based on experimental data for the liquid–gas interface position as a function of time. The requirements for such a measurement are discussed in terms of the volatility of the evaporating component and its initial concentration in the liquid mixture. Fig. 1 Gas–liquid interface movement in a partially filled tube

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