Dry Glass Reference Perturbation Theory: Development, Applications and Extensions

Abstract

This manuscript reviews the development, application and extensions of the dry glass reference perturbation theory (DGRPT) closure to the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of glassy polymers (NETGP). DGRPT was developed to allow for the self-consistent and accurate predictions of sorption from complex liquid mixtures into glassy polymers. DGRPT is applied in the context of diffusion theory to predict the membrane based separations of complex liquid mixtures with glassy polymer membranes. Several examples are given, including the membrane based fractionation of crude oil as well as the membrane based separation of highly non-ideal alcohol / hydrocarbon liquid mixtures. Extensions of the theory to higher order expansions are reviewed and evaluated.