Process Calculations

Unit 2: Material Balance without chemical reaction

1
• What is material balance ?
• It is calculation of total material entering, leaving or accumulate in
any equipment per unit time.
• What is the requirement of material balance?
1. It helps us to evaluate consumption of material for specific operation.
2. To evaluate loss of material
• All material balance calculations are based on the law of conservation of
mass :
• It states that matter can neither be created nor be destroyed during
a process.(i.e. mass is conserved)
Or
• The total mass of all substances taking part in a process remains constant.
According to law of conservation of mass :
Input = Output + Accumulation ...(1)

for steady-state conditions/processes wherein the accumulation of the material

is constant or nil
Input = Output ...(2)
• If equation (1) is written for total material then it is termed as overall
mayetial balance and if it is written for a perticular component then it called
as component material balance.
• Steps to perform material balance on any operation :
1. Assume a suitable basis of calculation.
2. Check the consistency of units.
3. Draw a block diagram and indicate the information given for that operation.
4. Search out unknown quantity or composition.
5. With the help of given data write down the overall and component material
balance and prepare the equations to determine unknown variables.
6. focus on tie material for starting the calculation.
• Tie material :
• The tie material is a component which enters and leaves the system
in a single stream or one which enters and leaves without any
change.
• Ex:
• Ash content in a coal
• Ammonia getting absorbed from Ammonia-air mixture in a water.
Air does not get absorbed in water so it becomes tie material.
 Independent material balance equation and degree of freedom
• The total material balance and component balances provides a set of
equations which can be solved to determine the unknown quantities.
Before attempting the solution, check whether the no of equations and
unknowns are equal. The number of unknown quantities cannot
exceed the number of independent material balance equations.
Otherwise, the problem is indeterminate.
• The difference between the number unknown of variables and
independent equations is known as the number of Degree of Freedom.
• If DOF is 0 it means material balance problem is properly specified.
 • Various important Operations carried out in the chemical industries on
which material balance are required to perform are as follows :
1. Evaporation
2. Distillation
3. Drying
4. Absortion
5. Extraction
6. Leaching
7. Mixing
8. Filtration
9. Crystallization
 Evapoaration
• This operation is used for the concenttration of a weak liquor to
produce a thick liquor by evaporationg a portion of the solvent by
means of condensing steam. It is carried out in a single or multiple
effect evaporating system.

Single Effect Double effect

 Material balance on evaporator

Overall material balance :

Weak liquor = water evaporated + Concentrated liquor + Crystallized product
Material balance of solids(solute) :
Solids in weak liquor = Solids in concentrated liquor
Material balance of water :
Water in weak liquor = Water evaporated + Water in concentrated liquor
 Examples based on Evaporation
1. A single effect evaporator is fed with 10000 kg/h of weak liquor
containing 15% caustic soda by mass and is concentrated to get thick
liquor containing 40% by mass caustic soda. Calculate :
(a) kg/h of water evaporated
(b) kg/h thick liquor obtained.
Sol : Basis : 10000kg/hr of weak liquor
Water evaporated

10000 kg/h weak

liquor Evaporator

15% NaOH

Thick liquor, 40% NaOH

• Let x be the kg/h of thick liquor and y be the kg/h of water evaporated.
• Overall material balance :
Ʃ Input stream = Ʃ kg/h output stream
10000 = x + y ...(1)
• Material balance of NaOH
ƩNaOH in input = ƩNaOH in output
0.15 x 10000 = 0.40 x x
x= 3750 kg/h
Now from eq. (1)
y = 6250 kg/h
2. An evaporator is fed with 15000 kg/h of a solution containing 10%
NaCl, 15% NaOH and rest water. In the operation, water is evaporated
and NaCl is precipitated as crystals. The liquor leaving the evaporator
contains 45% NaOH, 2% NaCl and rest water. calculate :
1. kg/h water evaporated
2. kg/h salt precipitation
3. kg/h thick liquor.
 Distillation
• This operation is used for the separation of the components of a liquid
mixture by vaporization and condensation based on the difference in
their boiling point. The Product removed from the top is called the
distillate or overhead product and removed from the bottom is called
the bottom or raffinate.
 Material balance on Distillation

Feed Distillate

Distillation

Bottom product/Raffinate
• Overall material balance
: Feed = Distillate +
Bottoms
F=D+B
• Component material balance of any component in mixture
xF·F = xD·D + xB·B
 Examples based on Distillation
1. A feed to a continuous fractioning column analyses by weight 28%
benzene and 72% toluene. The analysis of the distillate shoes 52% by
mass benzene and 5% benzene was found in the bottom product.
Calculate the amount of distillate and bottom product per 1000 kg of
feed per hour. Also calculate the % recovery of benzene.
Ans :
Amount of distillate = 489.4 kg/h
Amount of bottom = 510.6 kg/h
% recovery of benzene = 90.89%
 2. 10,000 kg/h of solution containing 20% methanol is continuously fed
to a distillation column. Distillate is found to contain 98% methanol and
waste contains 1% methanol. All percentage are by mass. Calculate:
1. The mass flow rate of distillate and bottom products
2. % loss of methanol.

Ans :
1. Mass flow rate of distillate =1959kg/h, Bottom : 8041 kg/hr
2. % loss of methanol = 4.02%
 Extraction & leaching
• This operation is used to separate liquid mixtures with the help
of suitable solvent based on the solubility differences.
• It is also carried out for the removal of a soluble constituent of
solids with the help of a suitable liquid solvent(Leaching).
Extraction products

Extract (C+B)

Feed
(A+B)
Raffinate (B)

original solvent (A) new solvent (C)

Solute (B)
 Examples based on extraction
1. Soybean seeds are extracted with hexane in batch extractors. The
flaked seeds are found to contain 18.6% oil, 69% solid and 12.4%
moisture(by mass). At the end of the extraction process, cake (meal) is
separated from hexane – oil mixture, the cake is analysed to contain
0.8% oil, and 87.7% solids and 11.5% moisture (by mass). Find the
percentage recovery of oil.
Hexane + oil
Feed(18.6% oil, 69% solid,
12.4% moisture ) Extractor

Hexane
Cake, 0.8% oil
87.7% solids
11.5% Moisture
20
Basis : 100 kg flaked seeds.

• Let X be the amount of meal coming out •

• Material balance of solids
Solids in seeds = Solids in cake
0.69 x 100 = 0.877 x X
X = 78. 68 kg
• Oil in cake = 78. 68 x 0.877 = 0.63 kg
• Material balance of oil :
Oil in seeds = Oil in cake + Oil recovered
18.6 = 0.63 + Oil recovered
• Oil recovered = 17.97 Kg
 2. An aqueous solutions of pyridine containing 27% (by mass) pyridine
and 73% (by mass) water is to be extracted with chlorobenzene. The
feed and solvent are mixed well in batch extractor and the mixture is
then allowed to stand for phase separation. The extract phase contains
11% pyridine, 88.1% chlorobenzene and 0.9% water by mass. The
raffinate phase contains 5% pyridine and 95% water. Calculate:
1. The quantities of two phases
2. The weight ratio of solvent to feed based on 100 kg of feed.
Ans :
1. Extract = 211.4 kg , raffinate = 74.84 kg
2. weight ratio of solvent to feed = 1.86
 Absorption
• This operation is used in thchemical industry for the recovery/removal
of a solute gas component from it's mixture with another component
gases with the help of a suitable liquid solvent in which the solute gas
is absorbed.
Solvent Lean gas

Absorption unit

Gas Solvent + Solute

mixture
 Examples based on
1. The NH3 - air mixture containing 0.2 kg NH3 per kg air enters into
absorption system where ammonia is absorbed in water. The gas leaving
the sytem is found to contain 0.004 kg NH3 per kg of air. Find the
percentage recovery of ammonia.
Ans : 98%
2. A gas mixture containing 15 mole% A and 85 mole% inerts is fed to
an absorption tower where it is contacted with liquid solvent 'B' which
absorbs 'A' . The mole ratio of solvent to gas entering tower is 2:1. The
gas leaving the absorber contains 2.5% A, 1.5% B and rest inerts (on
mole basis). Find:
(1) The percentage recovery of solute 'A' and
(2) The fraction of solvent (b) fed to column lost in gas leaving the
tower.
Note that during the process, some solvet evaporates and gets added in
the gas leaving the tower.
• Sol :
• Basis : 100 kmol of feed(gas mixture)
 Numericals
1. Dry neem leaves were subjected to extraction with super critical carbon dioxide
at 200 bar and 60˚C. Dry leaves are analysed to contain 0.46% ɑ-tocopherol and
0.01% β-carotene. The extract is found to contain 15.5% ɑ-tocopherol and
0.41% β-carotene. All percentages are by mass. If β-carotene content of leached
residue is nil, calculate, 1) the mass of extract phase per kg of dry leaves
2) % recovery of ɑ-tocopherol
Ans : 1) 0.0244 kg
2) 82.2%
2. A 100-kg mixture of 27.8% of acetone (A) and 72.2% of chloroform (B) by mass
is to be batch extracted with a mixed solvent at 25˚C (298K). The mixed solvent of
an unknown composition is known to contain water (S1) and acetic acid(S2). The
mixture and the mixed solvent is shaken well, allowed to attain equilibrium, and
separated into two layers. The compositions of the two layers are given below.

composition, mass %
Layers A B S1 S2
Upper Layer 7.5 3.5 57.4 31.6
Lower Layer 20.3 67.3 2.8 9.6

Find
1. The quantities of the two layers
2. The mass ratio of the mixed solvent to the original mixture.
3. The composition of mixed solvent 28
 Mixing/ Blending
• This operation is carried out in a industry to obtain a product of
the desired quantity by mixing weak and concentrated streams.

• Overall material balance

Input = Output
Feed stream 1 + Feed stream 2 + Feed stream 3 = Desired product
• Component material balance
Component present in inlet stream= component present in desired
stream
29
 Examples based on mixing
1. The dilute acid containing 25% H2SO4 is concentrated by commercial
grade sulfuric acid containing 98% H2SO4 to obtain desired acid
containing 65% H2SO4. Find the quantities of the acids required to make
1000 kg of desired acid.
Ans : Dilute acid required = 452 kg
Commercial grade acid required = 548
kg
2. The waste acid from a nitrating process containing 20% HNO3, 55%
H2SO4 and 25% H2O by weight is to be concentrated by addition of
concentrated sulfuric acid containing 95% H2SO4 and concentrated nitric acid
containing 90% HNO3 to get desired mixed acid containing26% HNO3 and
60% H2SO4. calculate the quantities of waste and concentrated acids required
for 1000 kg of desired mixed acid.
Ans : waste acid : 401 kg, conc. H2SO4 = 398.65 kg, Conc. HNO3 = 200 kg
 3. The waste acid from a nitrating process contains 30% H2SO4, 35% HNO3 and
35% H2O by weight. The acid is to be concentrated to contain 39% H2SO4 and 42%
HNO3 by addition of concentrated sulfuric acid containing 98% H2SO4 and
concentrated nitric acid containing 72% HNO3. Calculate the quantities of three
acids to be mixed to get 1000 kg of desired mixed acid.
Ans :
1. Waste acid : 90 kg
2. Conc. H2SO4 = 370 kg
3. Conc. HNO3 = 540 kg
 Filtration
• This operation is carried out in the industry for the separation of
solids from a suspension in a liquid. Wet solids/filtrate/both is the
product of this operation.
Wet solids

Filtration
Slurry

Filtrate
• Overall material balance :
Feed slurry = Wet solids + Filtrate
• M.B. of solids :
Solids in feed = Solids in wet cake + solids in filtrate (if any)
 Numericals on filtration
1. The ground nut seeds containing 45% oil and 45% solids and rest
is moisture. are fed to expeller, the cake coming out of expeller is
found to contain 80% of solids and 5% oil. Find the % recovery of
oil .

Ans : 93.75%
 Drying without recycle
1. This operation is carried out in the industry for the removal of a
residual moisture or volatile liquid associated with wet solids with the
help of hot air or inert gas. Hot air carries out moisture from solids and
it becomes dry.
Outlet air

Wet solids Dryer Dry solids

Inlet air
 Numericals on drying
1. 2000 kg of wet solids containing 70% solids by weight are fed to a
tray dyer where it is dried by hot air. The product finally obtained is
found to contain 1% moisture by weight, calculate :
1. The kg of water removed from wet solids
2. The kg of product obtained.

Ans : 1. 586kg 2. 1414 kg

 Numericals for practice
1.
2. You are asked to prepare a batch of 18.63% battery acid as follows :A
mixing vessel of old weak battery acid (H 2SO4) solution contains
12,43% H2SO4(the reminder is pure water). If 200 kg of 77.7% H2SO4
added(not too fast) to the vessel, the final solution is to be 18.63%
H2SO4, How many kilogram of battery acid have been made?

Ans : 2110 Kg
3.