Fundamentals of ChEg Ch-3

3.
Fundamentals of material balance

Revision of Process classification
Material balance calculations
Balance on multiple unit process

Outline
Recycle and bypass
Balance on reactive system
Chemical equilibrium equations
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What is a Chemical Process Plant?
 A process is any operation or series of operations by which a
particular objective is accomplished.
 In Chemical Engineering, we address those operations that
cause a physical or chemical change in a substance or mixture
of substances
 The material that enters a process is referred to as the input or
feed and that which leaves is the output or product.
 Process plant: Is a series of different unit operations/unit
process in which inputs transformed into the desired product.
 Unit Operations: those operations in which physical
transformation of material conducted by the transfer of energy.
E.g. crystallization of sugar from sugar solution.
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Cont.
 It is common for processes to consist of multiple steps, each of
which is carried out in a process unit, and each process unit has
associated with it a set of input and output process streams.
Recycle Splitter Purge
To flare
Feed R-01 DC-01

Mixer
Product
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H-01
Cont.
 Unit Process: it involves chemical changes and implies
commercialization of chemical reactions under
economically profitable conditions.
E.g. production of ethanol from sugar solution.
 Plant operation is the day to day running of the process
plant.
 As a chemical engineer/Industrial chemist, you might be
able to design or operate a process.
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Cont.
 Design includes:
 Formulation of a process f1owsheet (layout)
 Specification of individual process units (such as
reactors, separation equipment, heat exchangers)
 Operating variables
 Maintaining the economic competitiveness of the
process by identifying cost-cutting measures that
reduce the use of raw materials or energy.
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Classification of Unit operations
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Revision on process classifications
Distinguish the following processes :
• Batch
• Semi-batch
• Continuous
• Steady-State (SS)
• Unsteady-State (Transient)
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Batch Process
 The feed is charged (fed) into a vessel at the beginning of the

process and the products are discharged at the end of the
process.
 No mass crosses the system boundaries between the time in
which feed is charged and the product is removed.
 Batch processing is commonly used when relatively small
quantities of a product are to be produced on any single
occasion
E.g. ice cream making, heating bottle of milk in water bath,
baking cookies, fermentations, etc.
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Continuous process
 Inputs and outputs flow continuously during the duration of

the process.
 Continuous processing is better suited to large production
rates.
Example
 Production of nitric acid
 Pumping liquids at constant rate
 Distillation process
 Filtration process
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Semi-Batch Process
Any process that is neither Batch nor Continuous

Process with one batch input but output is continuously
drawn
Example
 Slowly blends two liquids in a tank
 Washing machine
 A balloon is being filled with air
 Slowly draining while heating
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Comparison
Batch Continuous Semi-batch

• Rapidly add • Pump a mixture of • Allow the contents
reactants to a liquids into a of a pressurized gas
tank & remove distillation column container to escape
the products & at a constant rate & to the atmosphere.
unconsumed steadily withdraw • Slowly blend several
reactants some product streams liquids in a tank
time later from from which nothing
when the the top & bottom of is being withdrawn.
system has the column.
come to
equilibrium.
Steady State Vs Unsteady State Process
 Steady-State (SS): Process variables (pressure, temperature,

volume, flow rates) do not change with time except minor
fluctuations, about constant mean values.
 Unsteady-State/Transient Process: those process variables changes
with time.
By their nature, batch and semi-batch processes are unsteady

operations. Where as, continuous process may be either steady-state
or transient.
Balances
General balance equation on a conserved quantity (total mass, mass
of a particular species, energy, momentum) in a system can be given as
Unit Operation
𝐈𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭+𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 −𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 −𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭=𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Enters through (Produce (Leaves through (Consumed (Buildup

system within system boundaries) within system) within system)
boundaries system)
Remarks
If Steady state(SS), Accumulation=0
For non reactive SS process, Generation=Consumption
13 [email protected] Input = Output
Material balance forms
A system: in general terms a system is any portion of a

process that can be enclosed within a hypothetical box (called
system boundary). It may be the entire process, an
interconnected combination of some of the process units, a
single unit, or a point at which two or more process streams
come together or one stream splits into branches.
The inputs and outputs to a system are the process streams

that intersect the system boundary.
FEED-2 SYSTEM BOUNDARY
A
C E
B
FEED-1 PRODUCT-3
PROCESS-1 PROCESS-2
PRODUCT-1 PRODUCT-2 FEED-3
Two types of balances
1. Differential balances, balances that indicate what is happening in a
system at an instant in time. Each term of the balance equation is a
rate and has units of the balanced quantity unit divided by a time
unit (people/yr, gSO2/s, barrels/day). This is the type of balance
usually applied to a continuous process.
2. Integral balances, describe what happens between two instants of
time. Each term of the equation is an amount of the balanced
quantity and has the corresponding unit (people, g SO2, barrels).
This type of balance is usually applied to a batch process, with the
two instants of time being the moment after the input takes place and
the moment before the product is withdrawn.
Rules used to simplify the material balance equation:
1. If the balanced quantity is total mass, set generation = 0 and
consumption = 0. Except in nuclear reactions, mass can neither be
created nor destroyed.
2. If the balanced substance is a nonreactive species (neither a
reactant nor a product), set generation = 0 and consumption = 0.
3. If a system is at steady state, set accumulation = 0, regardless of
what is being balanced.
By definition, in a steady-state system nothing can change with time, including

the amount of the balanced quantity
Balances on Continuous Steady-State Processes
Assumptions:
1. Continuous processes at steady-state, the accumulation = 0
Input + generation = output + consumption
2. For nonreactive species, Generation = Consumption = 0
𝑰𝒏𝒑𝒖𝒕=𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒑𝒖𝒕
Integral Balances on Batch Processes
Assumptions
 No inputs fed to the reactor and no product is discharged
from the reactor during the process.
 So
Equate the two equations for Batch process

𝑰𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒑𝒖𝒕+𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏= 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒑𝒖𝒕 +𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
General Material balance Procedure
1. Choose a basis for calculation
 If an amount or mole flow rate of the stream is given, use it as basis for
calculation.
 If no stream amount or flow rates are given, take an arbitrary amount or
flow rate of stream as basis(e.g. 100kg or 100kg/h)
2. Draw a flow diagram (flow chart)
 Identify all unit operations and variables of the process stream
 Fill all known variable values including basis of calculation
 Label unknown stream variables on the chart
3. Express the problem statement
Determine what should be asked in terms of the labeled variables
Know which unknowns should be determined to solve the problem
4. Perform dimensional homogeneity
 If mixed mass and mole units for stream are given, convert all
quantities to one basis
5. Do the degree -of -freedom analysis
Is the procedure of determining whether there is enough
information to solve the problem
Count unknowns and identify equations that relate them
Cont.
DoF = No of independent variable/unknown - No of independent equation
Remark
If DoF = 0, fully specified and the equation can be solved
If DoF > 0, Under specified and needs further assumptions
If DoF < 0, Over specified
6. Solve the equations, either manually or using equation-solving

software.
3.4.1 Balances on Single-Unit Non Reactive
Processes
Example 1: Material Balances on Distillation Column

A liquid mixture of benzene (B) and toluene (T) containing 55% B by mass is
fed continuously to a distillation column with a feed rate of 100 kg/h. A product
stream leaving the top of the column (overhead product) contains 85% B and a
bottom product stream contains 10.6% B by mass.
Determine the mass flow rate of the overhead product stream and the mass
flow rate of the bottom product stream.

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3.

Fundamentals of material balance

Material balance calculations

Balance on multiple unit process

Balance on reactive system

Chemical equilibrium equations

Feed R-01 DC-01

 The feed is charged (fed) into a vessel at the beginning of the

 Inputs and outputs flow continuously during the duration of

Any process that is neither Batch nor Continuous

Batch Continuous Semi-batch

 Steady-State (SS): Process variables (pressure, temperature,

By their nature, batch and semi-batch processes are unsteady

𝐈𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭+𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 −𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 −𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭=𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Enters through (Produce (Leaves through (Consumed (Buildup

A system: in general terms a system is any portion of a

The inputs and outputs to a system are the process streams

PRODUCT-1 PRODUCT-2 FEED-3

By definition, in a steady-state system nothing can change with time, including

1. Continuous processes at steady-state, the accumulation = 0

Input + generation = output + consumption

2. For nonreactive species, Generation = Consumption = 0

Equate the two equations for Batch process

6. Solve the equations, either manually or using equation-solving

Example 1: Material Balances on Distillation Column

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