Unsteady state diffusion of vapour in a closed tube

Results of one-dimensional calculations for unsteady state diffusion of a vapour in a closed tube are compared to calculations (a) for unsteady state diffusion of a vapour in an open tube, and (b) for heat conduction in a finite slab and an infinite slab. In the cases of (b) the effect of the convective term in the transport equation is absent.The total pressure is calculated and differences in the two cases are explained.An experiment is described in which the pressure increase in a closed tube due to the diffusion of water vapour in dry air is measured as a function of time. The experimental results agree quite well with the theoretical predictions. The results of this investigation may be used for the experimental determination of the diffusion coefficient of a vapour in a gas and in pressure measurements in systems with an evaporating liquid.Nomenclature a thermal diffusivity - D diffusion coefficient - w mean particle velocity - g particle flux in the laboratory system - g* particle flux in a system moving with the mean particle velocity w - L length of the tube - n number density of molecules - n_vs saturation number density of vapour molecules - p pressure - p_vs saturation pressure of the vapour - t time - z distance from the liquid surface - N total quantity of evaporated liquid