Solubilities of solid n‐alkanes in methane: Data analysis and models assessment

This article reviews the results of experiments underway since 1950 studying the solid solubility of n‐alkanes (from ethane up to n‐triacontane) in methane and the factors influencing the global phase equilibrium behavior of the related binary mixtures. The methodology used consists of a series of comparisons of data in the composition‐temperature and pressure‐temperature diagrams. The kind of global phase diagram of the binary mixtures of methane referred to in the present article is found to be dependent of the ratio between the triple‐point temperature of the generic n‐alkane and the critical‐point temperature of methane. The Peng‐Robinson (1976), Predictive Soave‐Redlich‐Kwong, and Predictive Peng‐Robinson (1978) equations of state have been applied and compared with respect to the calculation of bivariant, univariant, and invariant equilibrium data involving solid n‐alkanes in binary mixture with methane. The fugacities of the solid n‐alkanes have been calculated by means of the so‐called classic approach. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 2219–2239, 2018