PREFACE
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T
his volume contains most of the papers presented at a conference on The Thermodynamics of Aqueous Systems with Industrial Applications, held October 22-25, 1979 at Airlie House, Warrenton, Virginia. The conference, cosponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the National Bureau of Standards, and the National Science Foundation, was organized by the following members of the AIChE Subcommittee on Thermodynamics (Research Committee) : Stephen A . Newman, Herbert E . Barner, Stanley S. Grossel, Michael G. Kesler, Max Klein, and Stanley I. Sandler. The conference was subdivided into four sessions, and chapters within this text are arranged according to these categories. Papers included in the first section (Thermodynamics of Electrolytes for Pollution Control) provide the reader with insights into the practical aspects of pollution control, as well as an overall appreciation of applied electrolyte phase equilibria. Other chapters include detailed descriptions of thermodynamic models that recently have been developed to describe important industrial pollution control processes with emphasis on acid gas absorption/sour water stripping and flue gas desulfurization. The increasing importance of coal gasification, liquefaction, and shale oil processing has focused attention on a new class of thermodynamic problems. In the second section (Thermodynamics of Synthesis Gas and Related Systems) new data and calculation methods appropriate to watercontaining synthesis gas systems are emphasized. As background to this work, chapters describing industrially important processes and cooperative research organizations dealing with emerging synthesis gas technology have been included. Essentially all of the engineering thermodynamic correlations used in pollution control models and synthesis gas phase equilibria, chemical equilibria, and enthalpy calculation schemes have their foundations in fundamental theory. Experimental data, in addition to being directly useful to designers, allows the correlation developer to assess the validity and suitability of his model. Included within the third section (Properties of Aqueous Solutions—Theory, Experiment, and Prediction) are chapters providing both comprehensive reviews and detailed descriptions of specific areas of concern in the theory and properties of aqueous solutions. The increasing interest in hydrometallurgical processing stems from an increased awareness of the necessity of environmental protection and xi Newman et al.; Thermodynamics of Aqueous Systems with Industrial Applications ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1980.
Downloaded by UNIV OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA on March 26, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: October 29, 1980 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1980-0133.pr001
pollution. The final section (Hydrometallurgy, Oceanography, and Geology) includes chapters highlighting theory and applications of electrolyte thermodynamics to hydrometallurgy and related concepts important in oceanography and geology. Each session was initiated by state-of-the-art reviews, summarizing both the theoretical and applied aspects of the subject; these were followed by invited technical papers. A panel discussion among speakers/coauthors, including audience participation, concluded each session. This volume contains only the technical papers of the conference; the questions and answers for the papers will be printed as a separate publication. One of the major goals of our conference was to bring together outstanding investigators in diverse areas to discuss topics of mutual interest. Elaboration on this point is made in the Conference Overview. The constituency of our audience (40% academic, 40% industrial, and 20% government) was indeed varied and consisted of both theoretical and applied workers. Our speakers spoke on topics ranging from the most recent concepts of electrolyte phase equilibria theory to the principles and applications of coal processing. Throughout the presentations it was apparent that a common thread linked each theme and that both the practical and theoretical aspects of the subject were important, each providing the other with sustenance. We are confident that in addition to fostering the presentation of many superb technical papers, which we anticipate will be used as reference material for many years to come, the conference provided a means for many investigators to become acquainted with colleagues working in related fields. Hopefully, these contacts will be maintained and flourish. We were fortunate in having several guest speakers and we acknowledge their important contributions to our conference. Specifically, we thank Larry Resen (AIChE), Emanuel Horowitz (NBS), Davis Hubbard (NSF), Donald Ehreth (EPA), and Bernard Lee (IGT). Additionally, we are grateful to J. Charles Forman and Joel Henry of AIChE and Marshall Lih of NSF for their part in allowing the conference to grow from a concept into a reality. A special thanks goes to Marie Kennedy of AIChE who played an important part in cheerfully executing many of the day-to-day chores associated with planning a large meeting, including handling the registration duties at Airlie House. We enjoyed planning the meeting and participating in its evolution and look forward to developing other such rewarding activities. Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation 110 South Orange Avenue Livingston, NJ 07039 February 14, 1980
S T E P H E N A.
NEWMAN
xii Newman et al.; Thermodynamics of Aqueous Systems with Industrial Applications ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1980.
