Absolute metastable limit of liquids and gas-liquid solutions

Abstract

The absolute metastable limit, a one molecule critical cluster formation in the nucleation theory, was obtained by a thermodynamic stability analysis. The tensile strength values obtained for several organic liquids by centrifugal method turned out to be about 50% of the absolute metastable limit, while the tensile strength of water, measured in microscopic inclusions, is close to the absolute metastable limit. On the other hand, the tensile strength values estimated at the superheat limit was about 17% of the absolute limit and the decompression amount for gas bubble formation is about 12% of the absolute limit. Copyright © 2010 by ASME.