MATERIAL BALANCE

- SINGLE UNIT -
Outline

▫ Process Classification
▫ General Balance Equation
▫ Material Balance Equations:
- Flowchart
- Degree-of-Freedom Analysis
▫ Material Balance on Single Unit Process
Process classification
REVIEW
 4

Process Classifications

1. Batch Process
No material is exchanged with the
surroundings during the process
2. Continuous Process
Material flows into and out of the process
during the entire duration
3. Semibatch Process
e.g. Large heat effects and limited heat
transfer capability
 5

Process Operation

Steady State Transient

The process
No change in variables change
process variables with time
Check Your
Understanding
Classify the following processes:
1. A ballon is filled with air at a steady rate of 2 g/min
2. A bottle of milk is taken from the refrigerator and left on
the kitchen table
3. Water is boiled in an open flask
Carbon monoxide and steam are fed into a tubular reactor at
a steady rate and react to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
Products and unused reactants are withdrawn at the other
end. The reactor contains air when the process is started up.
The temperature of the reactor is constant, and the
composition and flow rate of the entering reactant stream
are also independet of time.

Classify the process :

(a) initially
(b) after a long period of time has elapsed
Check Your Understanding
Water enters a 2 m3 tank at a rate of 6 kg/s and is
withdrawn at a rate of 3 kg/s. The tank is initially half full
▫ Is the process continuous, batch, or semibatch?
▫ Is it transient or steady state?
GENERAL BALANCE
EQUATION
Principle of Mass Conservation

The law of conservation of mass is that, in a

closed or isolated system, matter cannot be
created or destroyed.
It can change forms but is conserved.
Principle of Mass Conservation

For any system closed to all transfers of matter

and energy, the mass of the system must remain
constant over time, as the system's mass cannot
change, so quantity can neither be added nor be
removed.
Conservation of Mass

INPUT OUTPUT
ACCUMULATION

INPUT = OUTPUT + ACCUMULATION

Three different streams deliver contaminated oil to a waste oil
tank, and the mass flow rates of those streams are given below:
Input stream Mass flow rate (lbm/hr)
1 196.7
2 243.9
3 119.3
The waste oil tank sits on a scale, and an outlet pipe is placed in the
tank so that the waste oil can be steadily withdrawn in an attempt
to keep the scale reading from changing. At what mass flow rate
must the oil be withdrawn to maintain a constant scale reading.
 GENERAL BALANCE EQUATION

Input + Generation – Consumption = Output + Accumulation

(consumed within system)

(produced within system)
 Non Reactive species in process?
GENERATION = 0
CONSUMPTION = 0

Input + Generation – Output – Consumption = Accumulation

Input - Output = Accumulation

NON Reactive + Steady-State Processes

ACCUMULATION = 0

Input - Output = Accumulation

Input = Output
Check Your
Understanding
4.2 A liquid phase chemical reaction A→B takes place in a well-
stirred tank. Raw material A is added to the tank at the same
rate that the product stream (consisting of B and unreacted A) is
removed
▫ Classify the process
▫ Write the overall mass balance for this process
▫ write mass balance on species A
Degree of freedom
analysis
TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INFORMATION IS
ENOUGH TO SOLVE A GIVEN PROBLEM
Degree of freedom

ndf = nunknows – nindep eqns

▫ ndf = 0 Problem can in principle be solved

▫ ndf > 0 Problem is underspecified
▫ ndf < 0 Problem is overspecified (redundant or
inconsistent relations)
Source of equations
▫ Material balances
▫ An energy balance
▫ Process specifications
▫ Physical properties and laws
▫ Physical constraints
▫ Stoichiometric relations
MATERIAL BALANCE
EQUATION
▫ The catalytic dehydrogenation of propane is carried out in a
continuous packed-bed reactor. One thusand pounds per hour of
pure propane is preheated to a temperature of 670oC before it
passes into the reactor. The reactor effluent gas, which includes
propane, propylene, methane, and hydrogen, is cooled from 800oC
to 110oC and fed to an absorption tower in which it is heated,
releasing the dissolved gases; these gases are recompressed and
sent to a distillation column in which the propane and propylene are
separated. The propane stream is recycled to join the feed to the
reactor preheater. The product stream from distillation column
contains 98% propylene, and the recycle stream is 97% propane. The
stripped oil is recycled to the absorption tower
General procedure

1. Read the problem and collect the data

2. Draw flowchart of the process (Label and write the values)
3. Choose basis of calculation
4. Degree-of-freedom analysis
5. Solve the equations Start from simple equation
6. Check the solution
Basis

A basis of calculation is an amount (mass or moles) or

flow rate (mass or molar) of one stream or stream
component in a process

Basis of All unknown

calculation variables
Example 4.2-2 Flowchart??
One thousand kilograms per hour of a mixture of Benzene
(B) and Toluene (T) containing 50% benzene by mass is
separated by distillation into two fractions. The mass flow
rate of benzene in the top stream is 450 kg B/h and that of
toluene in the bottom stream is 475 kg T/h. The operation is
at steady state. Write balances on benzene and toluene to
calculate the unknown component flow rates in the output
streams.
Flowcharts
The mass flow rate of benzene in the top stream is 450 kg B/h and that of
toluene in the bottom stream is 475 kg T/h. The operation is at steady
state. Write balances on benzene and toluene to calculate the unknown
component flow rates in the output streams.

450 kg B/h
𝑚ሶ 1 (kg T/h)

1000 kg/h
BASIS ??
50% Benzene

475 kg T/h
𝑚ሶ 2 (kg B/h)
Solve the equation

The operation is at steady state. Write balances on benzene

and toluene to calculate the unknown component flow rates in
the output streams.

Steady State Input = Output

Nonreactive
Degree of freedom analysis
450 kg B/h
𝑚ሶ 1 (kg T/h)

1000 kg/h
50% Benzene

475 kg T/h
𝑚ሶ 2 (kg B/h)
2 unknowns (m1,m2)
- 2 material balance (two molecular species)

0 degrees of freedom
Flowcharts
Feed : 1000 kg/h (mixture of B and T)
▫ 50% Benzene by mass → 50% x 100 kg/h = 500 kg B/h
▫ Toluene = 1000 kg/h – 500 kg B/h = 500 kg T/h

450 kg B/h
𝑚ሶ 1 (kg T/h)

1000 kg/h
50% Benzene

475 kg T/h
𝑚ሶ 2 (kg B/h)
Flowcharts
Feed : 1000 kg/h (mixture of B and T)
▫ 50% Benzene by mass → 50% x 100 kg/h = 500 kg B/h
▫ Toluene = 1000 kg/h – 500 kg B/h = 500 kg T/h

450 kg B/h
𝑚ሶ 1 (kg T/h)

Feed
500 kg B/h
500 kg T/h
475 kg T/h
𝑚ሶ 2 (kg B/h)
 Benzene Balance:

Input = Output 𝑚ሶ 2 = 50 kg B/h

500 kg B/h = 450 kg B/h + 𝑚ሶ 2 450 kg B/h
𝑚ሶ 1 (kg T/h)

Feed
500 kg B/h
Toluene Balance: 500 kg T/h
475 kg T/h
𝑚ሶ 2 (kg B/h)
Input = Output
500 kg T/h = 𝑚ሶ 1 + 475 kg T/h
𝑚ሶ 1 = 25 kg T/h
Check the calculation

Total Mass Balance:

1000 kg/h = 450 kg/h + 𝑚ሶ 1 + 𝑚ሶ 2 + 475 kg/h

𝑚ሶ 1 = 25 kg /h 𝑚ሶ 2 = 50 kg /h

1000 kg/h = 1000 kg/h

EXAMPLE 4.3-3

An aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide contains 20.0% NaOH

by mass. It is desired to produce an 8.0% NaOH solution by
diluting a stream of the 20% solution with a stream of pure
water. Calculate the ratios (liters H2O/kg feed solution) and (kg
product solution/kg feed solution)
 Flowchart

Feed Product
100 kg m2 (kg)
0.2 kg NaOH/kg 0.080 kg NaOH/kg
0.8 kg H2O/kg 0.920 kg H2O/kg

m1 (kg H2O)
Water V1 (L H2O)

Basis : Feed 100 kg

Ratio liters H2O/kg feed solution ? → V1/100
Ratio kg product solution/kg feed solution ? → m2/100
Degree of freedom
Product
Feed
m2 (kg)

0.2 kg NaOH/kg 0.080 kg NaOH/kg

0.8 kg H2O/kg 0.920 kg H2O/kg

m1 (kg H2O)
V1 (L H2O)
Water

3 unknowns (m1, V1,m2)

- 2 material balance (two molecular species)
- 1 density relationship

0 degrees of freedom
 Product
Feed
m2 (kg)

0.2 kg NaOH/kg 0.080 kg NaOH/kg

0.8 kg H2O/kg 0.920 kg H2O/kg

m1 (kg H2O)
V1 (L H2O)
Water

NaOH Balance:
Input = Output
(0.20 kg NaOH/kg)(100 kg) = (0.080 kg NaOH/kg) m2

m2 = 250 kg
 Product
Feed
m2 (kg)

0.2 kg NaOH/kg 0.080 kg NaOH/kg

0.8 kg H2O/kg 0.920 kg H2O/kg

m1 (kg H2O)
V1 (L H2O)
Water

Total Mass Balance:

Input = Output
100 kg + m1 = m2
m1 = 150 kg H2O
 Product
Feed
m2 (kg)

0.2 kg NaOH/kg 0.080 kg NaOH/kg

0.8 kg H2O/kg 0.920 kg H2O/kg

m1 (kg H2O)
V1 (L H2O)
Water

Diluent water volume

1.00 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟
𝑉1 = 150 𝑘𝑔 × 𝐻2 𝑂 = 150 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠
𝑘𝑔
 Product
Feed
m2 (kg)

0.2 kg NaOH/kg 0.080 kg NaOH/kg

0.8 kg H2O/kg 0.920 kg H2O/kg

m1 (kg H2O)
V1 (L H2O)
Water

Ratios requested
𝑉1 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑯𝟐𝑶
= 𝟏. 𝟓𝟎
100 𝑘𝑔 𝒌𝒈 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
𝑚2 𝒌𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
= 𝟐. 𝟓𝟎
100 𝑘𝑔 𝒌𝒈 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
Check Your
Understanding
EXERCISE
Distil a benzene-toluene mixture. Basis: 1 g feed
0.500 g
0.900 g C6H6/g
0.100 g C7H8/g
1g
0.600 g C6H6
0.400 g C7H8 0.500 g
0.300 g C6H6/g
0.700 g C7H8/g

Scale up to a flow rate of 100 kg/min of the upper product

stream
Richard M. Felder, Ronald W. Rousseau, Lisa G. Bullard-Felder’s Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes. 4-Wiley
EXERCISE

You buy 100 kg of cucumbers that contain 99% water. A few days later they
are found to be 98% water. Is it true that the cucumber now weigh only 50
kg?
References
▫ Felder, R. M., Rousseau, R. W., & Bullard, L. G. (2019). Elementary principles of chemical
processes. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
▫ Himmelblau, D. M., & Riggs, J. B. (2015). Basic principles and calculations in chemical
engineering. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.