Simulating phase transitions by means of quasi static state changes: the   capabilities of the time dependent Van der Waals equation of state
  The Van der Waals equation (VdW-EoS) is a prototype equation of state for realistic systems, because it contains the excluded volume and the particle interactions. Additionally, the simulated annealing (and the similar simulated compressing) approach applies the time dependence on to one of the variables of state to simulate quasi static state changes. The combination of both enables the simulation of time dependent processes like phase transitions of subcritical, critical and supercritical substances on every arbitrary condition including a passage over points of singularity of the corresponding susceptibility coefficients. This is achieved by a new simulation approach called simulated expansion. This approach makes the simulation comparable to natural processes which exhibit gradual changes in volume, rather than changes in temperature or pressure, as exercised in simulated annealing or compressing. The demonstrated method here serves as a blue print for more general classes of simulation approaches. 
Peter Friedel
cond-mat.soft