We develop and utilize state-of-the-art experimental and computational techniques to acquire, evaluate, and correlate thermodynamic data of standard reference quality with a particular emphasis on mixtures.

A wide variety of experimental apparatus are available. These include a two-sinker densimeter for reference quality (p, r, T) measurements from 200 – 505 K, with pressures to 40 MPa. The speed of sound is a property that yields very powerful data for developing fluid equations of state (EOS), and we have two such instruments for liquid and vapor-phase measurements covering a combined temperature range of 228 – 500 K with pressures to 90 MPa. We are pursuing dew-point (as opposed to the more traditional bubble-point) measurements for defining vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE) in both the two-sinker densimeter and a new microwave reentrant cavity resonator. The major emphasis to date has been on the properties of hydrocarbon gases and their mixtures, CO2-rich mixtures, and refrigerant mixtures. We encourage proposals that utilize our existing instruments for studies of fluid systems and also proposals that would build off this technology to extend our property capabilities to different fluid systems and/or more extreme conditions. Our group includes both experimental and modeling expertise, and proposals including a theory or modeling component are encouraged.

key words

densimetry; fluid properties; speed of sound; thermodynamics; vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE)

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants