Mass Balance

ECB 3013 MATERIAL

AND
ENERGY
FUNDAMENTAL
OF MATERIAL
BALANCES:
CONSERVATION
OF MASS
BALANCES
The law of conservation of mass states that for any process
unit (s), mass can neither be created nor destroyed but it
can change from one phase to another phase or converted
into other forms through reaction process.
The law concludes that:

Total mass INPUT = Total mass OUTPUT

PROCESS CLASIFICATION
Chemical process may be classified as:
1. Batch process: The feed is charged into a process unit at the
beginning of the process and the output is removed from the process
unit at the end of the process.
2. Continuous process: The inputs and outputs flow continuously
throughout the duration of the process.

3. Semi batch: Any process that is neither batch nor continuous.

If the process variables such as flow rates, temperatures, pressures,
volume etc do not change with time, the process is said at STEADY
STATE. On the other hand, if the process variables do change with
time, the process is said at UNSTEDY STATE or TRANSIENT. By
nature, batch and semi-batch process are unsteady state operation,
while continuous process is steady state operation.

EXAMPLE 1
Process
A balloon is filled with air
at a steady state rate of 2
g/min
Water is boiled in an
open flask
Water is boiled in an
closed flask

Gasoline from car tank

Carbon dioxide and
steam are fed into
reactor to form carbon
dioxide and hydrogen

Classification

Remark

EXAMPLE 1
Process

Classification

Remark

A balloon is filled with air Semi-batch, transient

at a steady state rate of 2
g/min

Volume, T, P change
with time.

Water is boiled in an
open flask

Semi-batch, transient

Volume, T, P change
with time.

Water is boiled in an
closed flask

Batch, transient

T & P change with

time.

Gasoline from car tank

Semi-batch, transient

Volume change with

time

Carbon dioxide and

steam are fed into
reactor to form carbon
dioxide and hydrogen

Continuous, steady state All process variables

do change with time.

MASS BALANCE EQUATION

Generally, the mass balance equation for any process unit is

given as:

Input + Generation - Output - Consumption = Accumulation [1]

Enters
through
system
boundaries

Produced
within
system only
for reactive
system

Leaves
through
system
boundaries

Consumed
within
system only
for reactive
system

Buildup within
system only for
transient operation

EXAMPLE 2

Each year 50,000 people move into a city, 75,000 people move
out, 22,000 are born and 19,000 die. Write a balance on the
population of the city.
Solution:
Let P denote to people:
Input + generation output consumption = accumulation
50,000 P/yr + 22,000 P/yr 75,000 P/yr 19,000 P/yr = A P/yr
A = -22,000 P/yr

Each year the citys population decreases by 22,000 people.

Rules to simplify the material balance equation

1)

2)

3)

If the balanced quantity is total mass, set generation = 0 and

consumption = 0. Except in nuclear reactions, mass can
neither be created nor destroyed.
If the balanced substance is a nonreactive species (neither a
reactant nor a product), set generation = 0 and consumption
= 0.
If a system is at steady state, set accumulation = 0,
regardless of what is being balanced. By definition, in
steady-state system nothing can change with time, including
the amount of the balanced quantity.

MASS BALANCE EQUATION

Balance on Continuous Steady-State Processes

For continuous steady-state operation for reactive system, the
accumulation term is equal to zero. Hence, EQ [1] becomes,
Input + Generation - Output - Consumption = 0

[2]

For continuous steady-state operation for non reactive system,

EQ [2] is simplified as,
Input = Output
See example 4.2-2 in Text book

[3]

MASS BALANCE EQUATION

Balances on Batch Processes

For batch processes, the input and output in Eq [1] is zero, and
the equation is simplified as,

Generation - Consumption = Accumulation

[4]

For batch processes, accumulation is defined as,

Final Output - Initial Input = Accumulation

[5]

Hence by equating Eq [4] and [5], for batch processes, the mass
balance equation is given as,
Initial Input + Generation = Final Output + Consumption [6]
See example 4.2-3 in Text book

ECBMASS
3013BALANCE
MATERIAL
AND ENERGY
CALCULATION
BALANCES
Steps in Solving Material Balance
1.

Read and try to understand on the process description. What type of process
unit used and what type of process operation.

2.

Draw a flowchart for the process description using boxes or other symbols to
represent process unit or unit operation (reactors, mixers, etc.) and lines with
arrows to represent inputs and outputs.

DISTILLATION
COLUMN

MASS BALANCE CALCULATION

3. Write all known stream variables i.e. inputs & outputs, on the flowchart.
4. Assign algebraic symbols to unknown stream variables.(e.g., m1, n1, yCO etc.)
5. If you are given mixed mass and mole units for a stream (such as a total
mass flow rate and component mole fractions or vice versa), convert all
quantities to one basis or the other.

m2 kg/h
2000 L/h

m1 kg/h
0.45 kg B/kg

0.95 mol B/mol

0.05 mol T/mol
DISTILLATION
COLUMN

0.55 kg T/kg
mB3 kg B/kg
mT3 kg T/kg

8% of B in feed

MASS BALANCE CALCULATION

6.

7.

8.
9.

Do the degree of freedom analysis. Count unknowns and identify

equations that relate them (zero degree of freedom). The equation:
material balances, an energy balance, process specifications, physical
property relationships and laws, physical constraints and stoichiometric
relations.
Take basis of calculation. If no stream amount or flow rate is specified in
the problem statement, take as basis an arbitrary amount or flow rate of
the stream with known composition (e.g., 100 kg or 100 kg/h or 100 mol
or 100 mol/h if all mass/mole fractions are known.)
Write mass balance equation for the overall system and for specific
component using selected Eq [1] to [6].
Perform mass balance for the process description. Always check the
overall mass balance for Total Inputs = Total Outputs

PROBLEM 4.3

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.

EXAMPLE 3

STEPS 2, 3 & 4

mV

kg/h

0.850 kg B/kg
0.150 kg T/kg
100 kg/h
0.550 kg B/kg
0.450 kg T/kg

DISTILLATION
COLUMN

mL

kg/h

0.106 kg B/kg
0.894 kg T/kg

EXAMPLE 3
STEPS 5-DoF
Note: DoF must be zero to be solvable
DoF = unknown - independent equation

Unknown = 2

mL
&

Independent equation = 2

DoF

Material Balance for B and T

= unknown - independent equation

= 2-2
= 0 (problem solvable)

EXAMPLE 3
STEPS 6 & 7

Take the basis of calculation = 100 kg/h of feed

Since this operation is at steady state and non-reactive
system, hence
Input = output

mV

kg/h

0.850 kg B/kg
0.150 kg T/kg

Total balance:

100 kg/h = mV + mL

100 kg/h

Benzene balance:

DC

0.550 kg B/kg
0.450 kg T/kg

mL

kg/h

0.106 kg B/kg
0.894 kg T/kg

100 (0.550) kg B
h

= 0.850 mV + 0.106 mL

EXAMPLE 3

Solve equation A and B simultaneously

The results are

= 59.7 kg/h
= 40.3 kg/h

ECB 3013 MATERIAL

Flowcharts AND ENERGY
BALANCES
Use to represent the process unit (reactors, mixers,
separation units)
Lines with arrow - to represent inputs and outputs
Flowchart scaling and basis of calculation

Scaling up final stream quantities are larger than the

original quantities

Scaling down final stream quantities are smaller than

the original quantities

Basis of calculation an amount (mass or moles) or

flow rate (mass or moles) of one stream

Balancing a process
For non reactive process:
1. Maximum no of independent equations equals the number of
chemical species in the input and output
Ex: input has B and T,

Independent equations involve mass or mole balance on B

and T

Balance on total mass or moles

2. Write balances first that involve the fewest unknown variables

PROBLEMS
A stream containing four components (14 % w/w A,
36.1% w/w B, 23.6% w/w C and 26.3% w/w D) flows
at a rate of 984.0 kg/hr into a separator. The
separator produces two streams of differing
compositions. The upper product stream has a
composition of 16.5 % w/w A and 40.9 % w/w B with
C and D making up the remainder. The lower
product stream contains all four components but
only the weight percentages of B (20.9% w/w) and
C (37.6% w/w) are known. Draw and label the
process and calculate the compositions and flow
rates of the two product streams.
21

Degree of freedom

A way to identify that enough information is

available for material balance calculation
ndf = nunknowns nindep eqns
ndf=0, can be solved
ndf >0, relations has been overlooked, problem is
underspecified
ndf <0, flowchart is incompletely labeled, problem
is overspecified with redundant and inconsistent
relations

Degree of freedom

Sources of relating unknown variables:

1. Material balance
2. Energy balance
3. Process specification related
4. Physical properties and laws
5. Physical constraint
6. Stoichiometric relations

PROBLEMS

See problems 4.6, 4.7, 4.9, 4.10

ECB 3013
MATERIAL
AND
ENERGY
PROBLEM
4.20 OF TEXT
BOOK
BALANCES
Wet air containing 4.0 mole% water vapor is passed
through an adsorption column containing calcium chloride
pellets. The pellets adsorb 97.0% of the water and none
of the other constituents of the air. The column packing
was initially dry and had a mass of 3.40 kg. Following 5.0
hours of operation, the pellets are reweigh and found to
have a mass of 3.54 kg. Calculate the molar flow rate
(mol/h) of the feed gas and mole fraction of water vapor in
the product gas.

n2 (mol / h)
x mol H2O / mol
(1 - x) mol DA / mol

Adsorption Unit

n3 (mol H 2O adsorbed / h)
97.0% of H2O in feed

n1 (mol / h)
0.040 mol H2O / mol
0.960 mol DA / mol
26

Problem Statement:
4 unknowns :n1 , n2 , n3 , x
3 independent
equations

Degree of Freedom:
DoF = Unks. - IE
= 43
DoF = + 1

Need H2O
Adsorption Rate

27

Overall mass balance

INPUT=OUTPUT + ACCUMULATION
Water in CaCl2 pellets

n1 n2 n3

Component mass balances

H2O : 0.040n

x n2 n3

DA : 0.960n

(1 - x) n2

28

Take the basis of calculation= 100 mol/hr of feed stream

1 n
2 n
3
n
2 n
3
100 n

[1]

H 2O
2 n
3
4 xn
DA
2
96 (1 - x ) n

[2]
[3]

3 can be calculated as
we know that n
3 0.97 4 3.88 mol / h
n
2 and subsitute in [3]
Hence, x 0.12/n
2 96.12 mol/h
n
29

Take the basis of calculation= 100 mol/hr of feed stream

Stream

n1
n2

n3
TOTAL

INPUT

OUTPUT

H2O
(mol/h)

DA
(mol/h)

H 2O
(mol/h)

DA
(mol/h)

4
-

96
-

0.12

96

96

3.88
4

96

30

Based on the given problem,

Adsorption
Rate

n3

(3.54 - 3.40) kg 1 mol H 2O

1.56 mol H 2O / h
5h
0.0180 kg H 2O

Scale down factor = 1.56/3.88 = 0.40. hence the new INPUT/OUTPUT values
will be multiplied by a factor of 0.4 to meet the process description.

Stream

INPUT

OUTPUT

TOTAL

H2O
(mol/h)

DA
(mol/h)

H2O
(mol/h)

DA
(mol/h)

n1

1.6

38.4

40

n2

0.048

38.4

38.448

n3

1.552

1.552

1.6

38.4

1.6

38.4

TOTAL

31

Take basis calculation of 0.14 kg of water vapor adsorbed in 5 hour operation

Adsorption n (3.54 - 3.40) kg 1 mol H 2O 1.56 mol H O / h

3
2
5h
0.0180 kg H 2O
Rate
Given: 97% H2O (of the input stream) is adsorbed. Therefore

0.97(0.040n1 ) 1.56 n1 40.1mol / h

Total balance : n1 n2 n3
H2O balance :

n2 40.1 - 1.56 38.54 mol / h

x = 1.2510-3

Note : DA balance may also be used to calculate x.

32

LOOK LIKE PROBLEM 4.26 OF TEXT BOOK

Gas absorption of gas scrubbing is a commonly used

method for removing environmentally undesired species
from waste gases in chemical manufacturing and
combustion processes. A waste gas containing 10 mol%
SO2 (a precursor of acid rain) and several other species
(collectively as A) is fed to scrubbing tower where it
contacts a solvent (B) that absorbs SO2. The ratio of
liquid stream to gas stream fed to the column is 5. The
solvent feed rate to the tower is 1000 mol/min. The
absorption unit has an efficiency of 98%. Assume that the
absorption of A and evaporation of B in the scrubbing can
be neglected, calculate the mole fraction of SO2 in the
liquid and gas streams.
33

L1=1000 mol/min

G2

y1 mol% SO2
y2 mol% A

1000 mol/min B

Gas
absorption
unit

10 mol% SO2
90 mol% A

x1 mol% SO2
x2 mol% S
L2

G1=200 mol/min
34

Degree of Freedom

Problem Statement:
G2, L2, x1, x2, y1 and y2 = 6 unknown
4 independent equations, 1 overall, 3 specific equations

Degree of Freedom:
DoF = Unks IE
= 6-4 =+2

The remaining 2 independent equations can be obtained from the column

efficiency.

35

Take basis of calculation L1= 1000 mol/min solvent

Overall Balance
G1 + L1 = G2 + L2
200 + 1000 = G2 +
L2
1200= G2 + L2

Solvent Balance
1000 = (1-x1)L2
L2=1000 +
(0.98)20
L2=1019.6
mol/min
Hence, x1=0.019

Gas A Balance
0.9(200) = (1-y1)G2
180 = (1-y1)G2
G2=Gas A +
Remaining SO2 in
gas A
G2=180 + (0.02)20
=180.4 mol/min
Hence, y1=2.21x10-3

SO2 Balance
0.1(200) =
y1G2+x1L2
20 = y1G2 + x1L2

36