The area rule for simple fluid phase transitions (Q2479842)

A critical examination of the classical van der Waals equation of state has been undertaken in the paper. The inconsistencies of the earlier approach have been discussed in detail. A thermodynamic investigation of a liquid - vapour transition process avoiding the earlier objections made by the researchers to settle the status of the equal-area rule has been presented. It has been shown that the present model of fluid phase transition combined with a modified Maxwell construction compares boiling curves exceedingly well for real fluids over large temperature ranges. The author has made an excellent contribution to stem the controversy.