8/10/22, 11:42 AM Phase diagram for Water System - Latest News on Educational and Technical Era

EDUCATIONAL ARTICLE TECHNICAL ARTICLES ENGINEERING PHYSICS

ENGLISH GRAMMAR ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

Phase diagram for Water System

July 19, 2018 by Dr. IM — Leave a Comment

Download

Download the

Open
eBook
CrowdStrike®

What is the Phase diagram for the water system?

What is the Gibbs phase rule?
Answer:

The water system:

Under normal conditions, the water system is a three-phase and one-component system. The three phases
are liquid, ice and vapour. One chemical entity (H2O) represents all these, hence it is one component
system. Phase diagram for water system.

The three forms of water (ice, water and vapour) constitute the following equilibrium :

https://imbooz.com/engineering-chemistry/phase-diagram-for-water-system/ 1/10
8/10/22, 11:42 AM Phase diagram for Water System - Latest News on Educational and Technical Era

Download
EDUCATIONAL ARTICLE TECHNICAL ARTICLES ENGINEERING PHYSICS

ENGLISH GRAMMAR ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

Download the eBook
Read about the top 2022 cloud security threats & how to ensure
effective cloud security.

CrowdStrike® Open

1. Single-phase equilibrium:
(a) Solid (ice): represented by area BOC.

(b) Liquid (water): represented by area AOC.

(c) Gas (vapour): represented by area AOB.

2. Two phase equilibrium:

(a) Solid (ice) –><– Liquid (water) : represented by curve OC.

(b) Liquid (water) –><– Gas (water vapour) : represented by curve OA.

(c) Solid (ice) –><– Gas (water vapour) : represented by curve OB.

https://imbooz.com/engineering-chemistry/phase-diagram-for-water-system/ 2/10
8/10/22, 11:42 AM Phase diagram for Water System - Latest News on Educational and Technical Era

EDUCATIONAL ARTICLE TECHNICAL ARTICLES ENGINEERING PHYSICS

ENGLISH GRAMMAR ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

3. Three-phase equilibrium:
Solid (ice) –><–Liquid (water) –><– Gas (Vapour) : represented by triple point O.

The phase diagram comprises :

(a) Three areas, BOC, AOC and AOB.

(b) Three curves, OB, OA and OC.

(c) One triple point, O.

For anyone component system, the maximum degree of freedom is two. Therefore, such a system can be
represented completely by a two-dimensional diagram. The most convenient variables are pressure and
temperature. The phase diagram for water system comprises :

1. Areas: Area BOC represents the solid (ice) phase, which is the thermodynamically most stable state
under these conditions. Area AOC represents the liquid (water) phase in the system and similarly area AOB
represents the gas (vapour) phase in the system. Thus these areas represent one phase equilibria.

In order to define the system completely at any point in the area, it is essential to specify both the
temperature and pressure. Therefore, areas have two degrees of freedom and are called bivariant systems.
The phase rule equation can also conclude it.

F = C – P + 2 = 1 – 1 + 2 = 2 (Bivariant system)

2. Curves or boundary lines: Separating the areas are lines OA, OB and OC, connecting the point at which
two phases can coexist in equilibrium. Any point on boundary lines has one degree of freedom. This follows
from the phase rule equation :

F = 3-P = 3-2=1 (Univariant system)

(i) The curve OA (Vapour pressure curve): Curve OA represents the equilibrium between the two phases,
liquid water and vapour. Along this curve, water and vapour coexist in equilibrium. The curve shows the
https://imbooz.com/engineering-chemistry/phase-diagram-for-water-system/ 3/10
8/10/22, 11:42 AM Phase diagram for Water System - Latest News on Educational and Technical Era

vapour pressure of liquid water at different temperatures.  It has also known oA curve as the vapour
EDUCATIONAL
pressure curve of ARTICLE TECHNICAL
water()l . A is the ARTICLES
critical point ENGINEERING
having temperature PHYSICS
3740 C and pressure 218 atm. At this
critical point, the liquid and vapour are indistinguishable from each other and thus only one phase is left.
TheENGLISH
critical point marks the highest
GRAMMAR temperature
ENGINEERING at which the liquid can exist. The critical point is a
CHEMISTRY
characteristic property of a pure substance.

(ii) Curve OB (Sublimation curve) : Curve OB represents the equilibrium between ice and vapour and it is
called a sublimation curve of ice. The two phases, namely ice and vapour,

coexist in equilibrium along this curve.

Along with the curve OC, OA and OB, the number of phases present in equilibrium is two,

F = C – P + 2 = 1 – 2 + 2 = 1

Hence the system is univariant along the curve.

(iii) Curve OC (Melting or fusion curve): The curve OC represents the equilibrium between ice and water
(two-phase equilibria) and it is known as the melting point curve. The inclination of the curve OC towards
the pressure axis shows that the melting point of ice slightly decreases by increasing pressure. The reason
for this behaviour is the decrease in the volume when the ice melts into water. Thus ice transforms into
denser water when the pressure is raised. Phase diagram for water system.

Curve OA’ (Metastable curve) : The dotted curve OA’ is the continuation of vapourization curve OA. It
is a vapour pressure curve of super-cooled water. As the water does not always freeze at 0 0 C,
therefore if the vessel containing water and vapour is thoroughly clean and dust-free, it is possible to
super-cool water several degrees below its freezing point.

 Super cooled –><–liquid vapour

Download

Download the eBook

Read about the top 2022 cloud security threats & how to ensure
effective cloud security.

CrowdStrike® Open

On adding nucleus of ice (stable state) the system reverts to the true stable system, i.e.

Solid–><–Vapour

3. Triple Point: The point O where all the three curves OC, OA and OB meet is known as triple At the triple

https://imbooz.com/engineering-chemistry/phase-diagram-for-water-system/ 4/10