Gibbs energy based procedure for the correlation of type 3 ternary systems including a three-liquid phase region

Equilibrium data for type 3 ternary systems comprising a liquid–liquid–liquid equilibrium region (LLLE tie-triangle) are not frequently correlated, as is evidenced by a lack of studies in the literature. In the present paper, a robust algorithm to calculate or correlate equilibrium data for this type of system is proposed. This algorithm is based on geometric aspects related to the Gibbs energy of mixing (gM) and possesses some interesting advantages that are discussed in the text. The methodology put forward is applied to correlate the equilibrium data of three type 3 ternary systems. The NRTL model is used to define gM, and the common tangent plane criterion to define the equilibrium condition for the calculations. The lack in flexibility of the NRTL equation to model these systems is discussed.