Exact solution of the capillary diffusion equation for a three-component mixture

The paper gives an exact solution of the steady system of equations for stable three-component diffusion in the entire range of concentrations for a long capillary under a controlled capillary pressure differential. The solution allows one to calculate the distributions of component concentrations and mixture density along the capillary. It is shown that if the diffusion coefficients are markedly different, an extremum of mixture density can arise inside the capillary. In particular, if the density of the mixture in the upper flask is higher than that in the lower flask and the stratification of the system is generally stable, a region with a reverse density gradient that is unstable against gravity convection can appear inside the capillary. A comparison with experimental results shows that the resistance to gravity convection is disturbed when an extremum of mixture density arises in the channel during steady diffusion.