Introduction for Chemical Engineering I

Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Part 2 -------- Material Balance

To make a material balance (or an energy balance as discussed in next

semester ) for a process, you need to specify what the system is and outline its
boundaries. According to the dictionary, a process is one or a series of actions
or operations or treatments that result in an end [product]. Chemical
engineering focuses on operations that cause physical and chemical change in
materials. Innumerable textbooks' and references books2 give examples of
processes such as

 Chemical manufacture
 Fluid transport
 Handling of bulk solids
 Size reduction and enlargement
 Heat generation and transport
 Distillation
 Gas absorption
 Bio reactions
By system we mean any arbitrary portion or whole of a process set out
specifically for analysis. Figure 2.1 shows a system in which flow and reaction
take place; note particularly that the system boundary is formally circumscribed
about the process itself to call attention to the importance of carefully delineating
the system in each problem you work.
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Fuel Combustion Gases

Oxygen System boundary

An open (or flow) system is one in which material is transferred across the
system boundary, that is, enters the system, leaves the system, or both.

A closed (or batch) system is one in which there is no such transfer during the
time interval of interest.

A system boundary may be fixed with respect to the process equipment as in Fig.
2.1, or the boundary may be an imaginary surface that grows or shrinks as the
process goes on.

A material balance is nothing more than an accounting for material flows and
changes in inventory of material for a system.

General M.B. equation

Input through output through Generation
( )–( )+( )
system boundary system boundary within the system
Consumption Accumulation
−( )=( )
within the system within the system
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Simplified M.B. equation

1 – no chemical reaction
Input through output through Accumulation
( )–( )=( )
system boundary system boundary within the system
2 – Steady state and no chemical reaction
Input through output through
( )–( )=0
system boundary system boundary
3 – Steady state with chemical reaction
Input through output through Generation
( )–( )+( )
system boundary system boundary within the system
Consumption
−( )=0
within the system
Example 2.1
Calculate the removed water.

F P1
Steady state M.B. with no reaction System
100 kg wet 70 kg
Overall M.B. sludge
F = P1 + P2 P2 ? Water dehy
100 = 70 + P2 ………… 1 drate
Solve for P2 = 30 kg d
sludg
e
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Example 2.2 Gas

F1= 300 Lb
If 300 lb of air and 24 lb of carbon are fed into
the reactor and T = 600 C. after complete Reactor
reaction, no material is left in the reactor. F2 = 24 Lb

How many lb of carbon, oxygen are removed.

How many lb moles of carbon, oxygen enter the reactor.
How many lb moles of carbon, oxygen leave the reactor.
How many total moles enter the reactor and how many leave.
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Analysis of Material Balance Problems

An orderly method of analyzing problems and presenting their solutions
represents training in logical thinking that is of considerably greater value than
mere knowledge of how to solve a particular type of problem.
Understanding how to approach these problems from a logical viewpoint will
help you to develop those fundamentals of thinking that will assist you in your
work as an engineer after you have read this material.
 First, let us examine how many material balances you can write in any given
problem.
 Whether a chemical reaction occurs or not, you can write:
 Total mass
 Mass (or moles) of each atomic species (H, C, O, etc.)
 If a chemical reaction does not occur, you can also write:
 Total mass
 Mass (or moles) of each atomic species (H, C, O, etc.)
 Mass (or mole) balance for each component present in the system
without involving the generation and consumption terms.
 How many balances are required to solve a problem?
 You have to have :
Number of independent balances = Number of variables
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4
Example 2.3

F P = 60 kg
F= 100 kg process P
80 % ethanol
50 % ethanol W=?
W 5 % water
40 % water Ethanol ?
15 % methanol
10 % methanol Water ?
Methanol ?
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Example 2.4
A cylinder containing CH4, C2H4, and N2 has to prepared containing a CH4 to
C2H4 mole ratio of 1.5 to 1. Analysis the degree of freedom.

F3 =?
F3 100% N2
F1 = ? P=?
F1 P
Mixer
20% CH4 XCH4= ?
80 % N2 XC2H6 =?
F2 = ?
10% C2H6 XN2 = ?
F2
90% N2
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Example 2.5
Calculate the composition of the bottoms and mass alcohol lost in the bottoms.
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Example 2.6
To prepare a batch of 18.63% battery acid as follows. A tank of old weak battery acid H2SO4
solution contains 12.43% H2SO4. If 200 kg of 77.7% H2SO4 is added to the tank. How
many kg of battery acid have been made.
F2 =200 kg

H2SO4 77.7%

F1 = ?

H2SO4 12.43% P=?

H2SO4 18.63%
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Example 2.7
In the processing of the fish, after the oil extracted, the fish cake is dried in rotary drum
dryers, finely ground, and packed. The resulting product contains 65% protein. In a given
batch of fish cake that contains 80% water, 100 kg of water is removed, and it is found that
the fish cake is then 40% water. Calculate the weight of the fish cake originally put into the
dryer.
 Introduction for Chemical Engineering I
Fall 2021
Lecture # 4

Example 2.8
A tank holds 10,000 kg of saturated solution of Na 2CO3 at 30 °C. 3000 kg of Na2CO3.10H2O
have been crystallized from this solution without any accompanying water. What
temperature must the solution be cooled?

Temp. °C Solubility Final solution

g Na2CO3/100 g H2O
0 7 T°C ??
10,000 kg
10 12.5 (Na2CO3 ???)
Sat . solution
20 21.5
30 38.8 30°C (Na2CO3)

3000 kg
Na2CO3.10H
2O