I've been presented in my thermodynamics course with both the ideal gas and Van der Waals state equations for the study of gases, being the latter more accurate in measurement than the first one.
Quick internet research shows other more complex models, such as Redlich-Kwong equation of state (which seems more promising than the first two for temperatures above critical), as well as the Beattie-Bridgeman model and Benedict-Webb-Rubin model.
So now I'm curious as to what is, if any, the best thermodynamical model we possess, at present, for real gases.
It might seem fair to ask oneself other related questions, such as:
- Should we expect ourselves to find a state equation that works best than any other independently of temperature, pressure, etc?
- Should we work accounting for gases individually? That is, could we expect an optimal state equation for, say, hydrogen, that functionally differs from that of oxygen?
- If there's research currently being done, what aspects is it working on? What leads can other modern discoveries on, e.g., quantum thermodynamics, give to this matter?
