Multicomponent separation potential. Elementary kinetic theory

A molecular model of a multicomponent separation process has been constructed. A general expression for the multicomponent separation potential (value function) has been derived from first principles. The general expression is not tied to a concrete cascade scheme and coincides with the classical expression for the case of a binary mixture. A peculiarity of the separation process, which leads to an infinite value of the potential for pure components of the mixture, has been revealed. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York