Keywords
molecular dynamics, fluid viscosity, molecular velocities
Abstract
Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) viscosity simulations of branched and linear alkanes at liquid densities were performed using both united-atom (UA) and all-atom (AA) intermolecular potential models in order to study the relative efficacy of the models in predicting fluid viscosity. Both models were used in conjunction with fixed bond lengths and bond angles, but different torsional potentials were investigated. The commonly used Ryckaert—Bellemans intermolecular potential model, which accurately predicts viscosities for short straight-chain alkanes, produced values for branched and long-chain alkanes that were significantly below experimental values. Likewise, a more complex UA model that uses transferrable site potentials and is commonly used to simulate thermodynamic properties also under predicted viscosities for branched and long-chain molecules. The UA models were also found to be density dependent, substantially under predicting viscosity at high liquid densities for all model fluids tested. Predicted viscosities using AA intermolecular potential models were generally substantially too large compared to experiment when using model parameters from the literature, even though thermodynamic properties were adequately predicted. However, evidence suggests that accurately modeling the hydrogen interactions and the rotation potential of methyl groups is essential for accurate viscosity simulations. Therefore, a new set of parameters for the hydrogen interactions was regressed using viscosity simulations of 2-methylpropane and n-pentane. Like the UA model, the AA model with the new parameters is still somewhat density dependent, but gives reasonably accurate predictions of viscosity for most fluids.
Original Publication Citation
Allen, William and Richard L. Rowley. "Predicting the viscosity of alkanes using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics: Evaluation of intermolecular potential models." The Journal of Chemical Physics 16 (1997): 1273-1281
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Rowley, Richard L. and Allen, William, "Predicting the viscosity of alkanes using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics: Evaluation of intermolecular potential models" (1997). Faculty Publications. 665.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/665
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
1997-06-22
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/1459
Publisher
AIP
Language
English
College
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology
Department
Chemical Engineering
Copyright Status
© 1997 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics and may be found at http://link.aip.org/link/?JCPSA6/106/10273/1
Copyright Use Information
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