The critical point and two-phase boundary of seawater, 200–500°C
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Abstract
The two-phase boundary of seawater was determined by isothermal decompression of fully condensed seawater in the range of 200–500°C. The pressure at which phase separation occurred for each isotherm was determined by a comparison of the refractive index of fluid removed from the top and bottom of the reaction vessel. The critical point was determined to be in the range of 403–406°C, 285–302 bar and was located by the inflection in the two-phase boundary and by the relative volume of fluid and vapor as a function of temperature. The two-phase boundary of 3.2% NaCl solution was found to coincide exactly with that of seawater over the range tested in the present study. The boundary for both is described by a single seventh-order polynomial equation. The two-phase boundary defines the maximum temperature of seawater circulating at depth in the oceanic crust. Thus the boundary puts a limit of about 390°C for seawater circulating near the seafloor at active ocean ridges (2.5 km water depth), and about 465°C at the top of a magma chamber occurring at 2 km below the seafloor.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | The critical point and two-phase boundary of seawater, 200–500°C |
| Series title | Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
| DOI | 10.1016/0012-821X(84)90149-3 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1984 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Description | 9 p. |
| First page | 172 |
| Last page | 180 |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
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