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In thermodynamics, the compressibility factor (Z), also known as the compression factor or the gas deviation factor, describes the deviation of a real gas from ideal gas behaviour. It is simply defined as the ratio of the molar volume of a gas to the molar volume of an ideal gas at the same temperature and pressure.
Real gases are non-ideal gases whose molecules occupy space and have interactions; consequently, they do not adhere to the ideal gas law. To understand the behaviour of real gases, the following must be taken into account: compressibility effects; variable specific heat capacity; van der Waals forces; non-equilibrium thermodynamic effects;
Z can, in general, be either greater or less than unity for a real gas. The deviation from ideal gas behavior tends to become particularly significant (or, equivalently, the compressibility factor strays far from unity) near the critical point, or in the case of high pressure or low temperature.
Figure 7: Generalized compressibility chart for a van der Waals gas. Real gases are characterized by their difference from ideal by writing =. Here , called the compressibility factor, is expressed either as (,) or (,). In either case
The molar gas constant (also known as the gas constant, universal gas constant, or ideal gas constant) is denoted by the symbol R or R. It is the molar equivalent to the Boltzmann constant , expressed in units of energy per temperature increment per amount of substance , rather than energy per temperature increment per particle .
According to van der Waals, the theorem of corresponding states (or principle/law of corresponding states) indicates that all fluids, when compared at the same reduced temperature and reduced pressure, have approximately the same compressibility factor and all deviate from ideal gas behavior to about the same degree. [1] [2]
For an ideal gas, the ideal gas law applies without restrictions on the specific heat. An ideal gas is a simplified "real gas" with the assumption that the compressibility factor Z is set to 1 meaning that this pneumatic ratio remains constant. A compressibility factor of one also requires the four state variables to follow the ideal gas law.
The virial expansion is a model of thermodynamic equations of state.It expresses the pressure P of a gas in local equilibrium as a power series of the density.This equation may be represented in terms of the compressibility factor, Z, as = + + + This equation was first proposed by Kamerlingh Onnes. [1]