ACCE 151: Material and Energy Balance

CHAPTER 2: Material Balance on Unit Operations

S. M. FAZLE RABBI
B.Sc.(Hons), M.S.(Thesis) [ACCE, DU]
Lecturer (Chemistry)
Department of Textile Engineering
International Standard University, Dhaka
Distillation process
A mixture containing 45% benzene (B) and 55% toluene (T) by mass is fed to a
distillation column. An overhead stream of 95 wt% B is produced, and 8% of the
benzene fed to the column leaves in the bottom stream. The feed rate is 2000 kg/h.
Determine the overhead flow rate and the mass flow rates of benzene and toluene in
the bottom stream
D kg/h
Solution 0.95 kg B/kg
0.05 kg T/kg
Basis : Given Feed Rate 2000 kg/h
0.45 kg B/kg Contains 8% of the B
The labeled flowchart is as follows. 0.55 kg T/kg in the feed

There are three unknowns on the chart - D, mB kg/h

mT kg/h
mB, and mT - and therefore three
equations are needed. We are entitled to
write only two material balances since two
species are involved in the process; the
third equation must therefore come from
additional given information (the amount of
benzene in the bottom stream.) The latter
relation is.
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 D kg/h
B in bottom stream = 0.080 (B in feed) 0.95 kg B/kg
0.05 kg T/kg
2000 kg/h
mB(kg B/h) = 0.080[(0.45)(2000) kg/h] 0.45 kg B/kg Contains 8% of the B
0.55 kg T/kg in the feed
mB = 72 kg/h 72 kg/h
mT kg/h

Toluene and total mass balances each involve two unknowns, D and mT, but a
benzene balance involves only one, D.
Benzene Balance
(0.45)x(2000) = 0.95D + 72 ; D = 870 kg/h
Overall Balance

2000 = 870 + 72 + mT ; mT = 1058 kg/h

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Material balances on multiple-unit processes

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 Just to recall
In general a ‘system’ is any portion of the process that can be enclosed within a hypothetical
box (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 streams splits into branches.
Feed 2
A

C E
B D
Feed 1 Product 3
Unit 1 Unit 2

Product 1 Product 2 Feed 3

Boundary A encloses the entire process. Balances on this system referred to as overall
balance. Boundary B encloses a feed stream mixing point. Feed streams 1 and 2 are inputs
to this system and the stream flowing to unit 1 is output. Boundary C encloses unit 1 (one
input stream and 2 output streams). Boundary D encloses a stream splitting (one input and 2
output streams), and boundary E encloses unit 2 (two input streams and one output stream) 5
A labeled flowchart of a continuous steady-state two-unit distillation process is shown
below. Each stream contains two components, A and B, in different proportions. Three
streams whose flow rates and/or compositions are not known are labeled 1, 2 and 3.

40 kg/h
0.900 kg A/kg 30 kg/h
0.100 kg B/kg 0.600 kg A/kg
0.400 kg B/kg

100 kg/h 1 2 3
0.500 kg A/kg
0.500 kg B/kg
30 kg/h
0.300 kg A/kg
0.700 kg B/kg

Calculate the unknown flow rates and compositions of streams 1, 2, and 3.

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 The systems about which balances might be taken are shown on the following
representation of the flowchart.
40 kg/h
0.900 kg A/kg 30 kg/h
0.100 kg B/kg 0.600 kg A/kg
0.400 kg B/kg

100 kg/h Q1(kg/h) Q2(kg/h) Q3(kg/h)

Unit 1 Unit 2
0.500 kg A/kg x2 (kg A/kg) x3 (kg A/kg)
0.500 kg B/kg x1 (kg A/kg) 1-x2 (kg B/kg) 1-x3 (kg B/kg)
1-x1 (kg B/kg)

30 kg/h
0.300 kg A/kg
0.700 kg B/kg

The outer boundary encompasses the entire process. Two of the interior
boundaries surround the individual process units, and the fourth boundary encloses
a stream junction point.
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Basis: Given Flow Rates
Degree-of-Freedom analysis: we first outline the solution procedure by performing
degree-of-Freedom analyses of different system.
Overall system (outer dashed boundary)
2 unknowns (Q3, x3) – 2 balances (2 species) = 0 degree-of-Freedom
Determine Q3, x3
Mixing point
4 unknowns (Q1,x1,Q2,x2) – 2 balances (2 species) = 2 degree-of-freedom
Too many unknowns for the number of available equations. Let’s try unit 1.
Unit 1
2 unknowns (Q1, x1) – 2 balances (2 species) = 0 degree-of-Freedom
Determine Q1, x1
We may now analyze either the mixing point or unit 2, each of which has two unknown
variables associated with it.
Mixing point
2 unknowns (Q2, x2) – 2 balances (2 species) = 0 degree-of-Freedom
Determine Q2, x2
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Overall Mass Balance
(100 + 30) kg/h = (40 + 30) kg/h + Q3 kg/h Q3 = 60.0 kg/h
Overall Balance on A
(0.500)(100.0) + (0.300)(30.0) = (0.900)(40.0) + (0.600)(30.0) + x3(60.0)
x3 = 0.0833 kg A/kg
Mass Balance on unit 1

100 = 40.0 + Q1 Q1 = 60.0 kg/h

A Balance on unit 1
(0.500)(100.0) = (0.900)(40.0) + x1(60.0) x1 = 0.233 kg A/kg
Mass Balance on stream mixing point

Q1 + 30.0 = Q2 Q2 = 90.0 kg/h

A Balance on stream mixing point

x1Q1 + (0.300)(30.0) = x2Q2 x2 = 0.255 kg A/kg

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Acetone vapor is considered toxic to the environment (as well as human health). As an
engineer in the chemical plant, you are asked to design an acetone recovery system
having the flow sheet illustrated below. In this example, to make the calculation simple,
all concentrations of both gases and liquids are presented in weight (mass) percent
(please note, however, that, normally, for the gas phase, the concentration is
presented in “volume” and “mole” basis)
Calculate the values of A, F, W, B, and D in kg per hour, if given G = 1,400 kg/h

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 Basis: 1 h of operation
Hence, from the basis, G = 1,400 kg
and the “Feed” stream contains
• Acetone: (0.030)( 1,400) = 42 kg
• Air: (0.950) (1,400) = 1,330 kg
• Water: (0.020) (1,400) = 28 kg

The main principle of performing material balances for a system comprising multiple
units is that;
We need to carefully choose the unit/group of units that we are going to do the
balances such that the number of equations obtained from the available
data/information equals that of the unknowns.

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 Try performing the balances around the absorber unit

Air balance: 1330 = A ( 0.995)……………(1)

Acetone balance: 42 = F (0.19)…………..(2)
Water balance: 28 + W (1.0) = A(0.005) + F(0.81)……..(3)

Solve Equations (1), (2), and (3) to get

A =1336.7 kg/h,
F = 221.05 kg/h and
W = 157.7 kg/h
(Check) Use the total balance (Absorber Column)

G+W=A+F

1400 + 157.7 = 1336.7 + 221.05

1557.7 ≡ 1557.7

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 Doing the balances around the distillation column

It is evident that it is NOT a good idea to choose to do

the balances around the distillation column, since we
do NOT have any information of the stream leaving
the top of the distillation column.
The distillation column involves 2 species: acetone
and water
Hence, when we do not know the data of the stream
leaving the top of the column, we have 3 unknowns in
total, i.e.
▪ the value of B (or the mass flow rate of the Bottom stream)
• the mass flow rate of the top stream leaving the distillation column
• the concentration, in wt%, of either acetone or water of the top stream leaving the
distillation column
but we can set up at the maximum of 2 equations, i.e.
(a) 1 overall balance and (b) 1 species balance

The DoF is, therefore, +1, meaning that we cannot solve for the unknowns
Thus, we need to choose the NEW location to do the balances.
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 Performing the balances around the distillation column & condenser together

The mass balances for the combined Units

2 plus 3 (Distillation & Condenser) are:

Acetone balance:
(221.05)(0.19) = D(0.99) + B(0.04)……..(4)

Water balance:
(221.05)(0.81) = D(0.01) + B(0.96)………(5)

Solve Equations (d) and (e) simultaneously to

get
D = 34.90kg/h and
B = 186.1 kg/h

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 Problem

A liquid mixture containing 30.0 mole% benzene (B), 25% toluene (T) and the balance
xylene (X) is fed to a distillation column. The bottoms product contains 98.0 mole% X
and no B and 96.0% of the X in the feed is recovered in this stream. The overhead
product is fed to a second column. The overhead product from the second column
contains 97.0% of the B in the feed to this column. The composition of this stream is
94.0 mole% B and the balance T.

(a)Draw and label the flowchart of this process and do the degree-of-freedom analysis to
prove that for an assumed basis of calculation, molar flow rates and compositions of all
process streams can be calculated from the given information. Write in order the
equations you would solve to calculate unknown process variables.

(b)Calculate
(i) the percentage of benzene in the process feed (i.e., the feed to the first column)
that emerges in the overhead product from the second column and

(ii) the percentage of toluene in the process feed that emerges in the bottom
product from the second column.

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 100 mol/h Column n2 (mol/h) Column n4 (mol/h)
0.300 mol B/mol 1 xB2 (mol B/mol) 2 0.940 mol B/mol
0.250 mol T/mol xT2 (mol T/mol) 0.060 mol T/mol
0.450 mol X/mol 1-xB2-xT2 (mol X/mol)
n5 (mol/h)
n3 (mol/h) xB5 (mol B/mol)
0.020 mol T/mol xT5 (mol T/mol)
0.980 mol X/mol 1-xB5-xT5 (mol X/mol)

Column 1 Column 2
4 unknowns (n2, n3, xB2 and xT2) 4 unknowns (n4, n5, xB5 and xT5)
- 3 species balance - 3 species balance
-1 recovery of X in bottom (96%) - 1 recovery of B in top (97%)
0 degree-of-freedom 0 degree-of-freedom

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Column 1
(a) 96% X recovery: 0.960 (0.450)(100) = 0.98n3........................................(1)
(b) Total mole balance: 100 = n2 + n3……………………………………………………..(2)
(c) B balance : 0.300(100) = xB2n2………………………………………………………….(3)
(d) T balance: 0.250(100) = xT2n2 + 0.020n3…………………………………………..(4)

Column 2
(a) 97% B recovery: 0.97xB2n2 = 0.940n4........................................(5)
(b) Total mole balance: n2 = n4 + n5……………………………………………………..(6)
(c) B balance : xB2n2 = 0.940n4 + xB5n5 ………………………………………………………….(7)
(d) T balance: xT2n2 = 0.060n4+ xT5n5…………………………………………..(8)

Find out all the unknowns using above formulas

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 0.940(30.95)
Overall benzene recovery = X 100 = 97%
0.300(100)

0.892(24.96)
Overall toluene recovery = X 100 = 89%
0.250(100)

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