First of all, I'm using the student version of GWB since a while and must say that great piece of software, especially for research in hydrothermal mineralizing systems.
I am trying to convince my research group to buy a full version for a workstation, however, while I am working with GWB I encountered a few questions that I like to ask:
1) Range of T-P in activity diagrams:
The maximum temperatures to create activity diagrams (e.g., pH vs. fO2) are at 300 °C.
In natural hydrothermal systems temperatures and pressure can be significantly higher, e.g. in lode gold deposits typical temperatures are ~ 400-450 °C and pressures 2-3 kbar.
How is it possible to work with higher T-P in ACT2?
2) Total activity of an element as independent variable (e.g., total sulphur)
Assuming the speciation of Fe in a pH-fO2 diagram at ~ 300 °C and 1 kbar.
Now I want speciate Fe in presence of S.
When I am adding sulphur as independent variable (in the "in the presence of" field) and select "speciate x over y" it is only possible to do this using either HSO2-, H2S, HS-, etc species.
Since the present minerals, pyrite for example, are stable over more than one predominance fields (at 300°C and 1kbar, pyrite is stable in the HSO2- and H2S fields) it would be better to use the total S content as independent variable.
How can I realize this?
3) Co-existing mineral phases
In some cases it is helpful to show the stability fields of co-existing minerals phases in activity diagrams.
A good example using the above described system is: pyrite, bornite and chalcopyrite.
The co-existance of these minerals can expressed by:
4 Pyrite + Bornite + 2 H2O = 5 Chalcopyrite + 2 H2S + O2
How is possible to show such stability fields in Act2?
Many greets,
Sebastian