Enter the pressure, temperature, and molar volume into the calculator to determine the compression factor of a gas. The compression factor is a measure of the deviation of a real gas from ideal gas behavior.
Compression Factor Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the compression factor (Z):
Z = (P * V) / (R * T)
Variables:
- Z is the compression factor (dimensionless)
- P is the pressure of the gas (atmospheres, atm)
- V is the molar volume of the gas (liters per mole, L/mol)
- R is the ideal gas constant (0.0821 L·atm/mol·K)
- T is the temperature of the gas (Kelvin, K)
To calculate the compression factor, multiply the pressure and molar volume, then divide by the product of the ideal gas constant and the temperature.
What is a Compression Factor?
The compression factor, also known as the compressibility factor, is a correction factor which describes how much a real gas deviates from ideal gas behavior. It is used in thermodynamics and engineering to account for the interactions between gas molecules that are not present in an ideal gas. A compression factor of Z=1 corresponds to ideal gas behavior, while Z<1 indicates attractive forces between molecules, and Z>1 indicates repulsive forces.
How to Calculate Compression Factor?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Compression Factor.
- First, determine the pressure of the gas (P) in atmospheres.
- Next, determine the temperature of the gas (T) in Kelvin.
- Next, determine the molar volume of the gas (V) in liters per mole.
- Use the formula Z = (P * V) / (R * T) to calculate the Compression Factor (Z).
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
Pressure (P) = 10 atm
Temperature (T) = 300 K
Molar Volume (V) = 0.5 L/mol
