ABSTRACT
Throughout the preceding chapters, it is evident that, along with transport coefficients, phase equilibria play a crucial role in determining overall mass transfer rates. In processes involving single-film resistances, equilibrium compositions or pressures constitute the anchor of the driving force responsible for the transport of mass. This is shown most vividly in Figure 1.5. The driving forces here are all of the form C*−C or p*−p, where the asterisked quantities represent equilibrium compositions and partial pressure, and the plain symbols denote the same quantities in the bulk fluid. Evidently, transport will continue only as long as the two quantities are unequal, and will come to a halt when C* = C and p* = p. The two phases are then said to be in equilibrium.
