The transport and thermodynamic properties of a copper-nitrogen mixture

Abstract

The transport and thermodynamic properties of a copper-nitrogen (Cu-N) mixture are calculated for temperatures between 2000 and 28000K and pressures between 1 and 10 atmospheres. The results show that, compared with the electrical conductivity for pure nitrogen, a small concentration of copper vapour can greatly enhance the electrical conductivity at temperatures below about 8000K. The internal energy and enthalpy per unit mass are reduced by ¹/₂ and ²/₃ when X is increased from 0 to 1, where X is the ratio of the total number density for all copper species to that for all nitrogen species. Changes in the electron thermal conductivity increase the total thermal conductivity by about (1+X) when X<0.1, for temperatures between 9000 and 12000K.