The effect of undissolved air on isochoric freezing.

This study evaluates the effect of undissolved air on isochoric freezing of aqueous solutions. Isochoric freezing is concerned with freezing in a constant volume thermodynamic system. A possible advantage of the process is that it substantially reduces the percentage of ice in the system at every subzero temperature, relative to atmospheric freezing. At the pressures generated by isochoric freezing, or high pressure isobaric freezing, air cannot be considered an incompressible substance and the presence of undissolved air substantially increases the amount of ice that forms at any subfreezing temperature. This effect is measurable at air volumes as low as 1%. Therefore eliminating the undissolved air, or any separate gaseous phase, from the system is essential for retaining the properties of isochoric freezing.