Material Balances

Lecture 4

Dr. M. Coley

1
 Use of “Tie Elements”
 Tie element:
 substance that enters a process in the feed &
passes out in the product unchanged.
 Substance is easy to keep track of.

 Problem:
A batch of leather consisting of 38 wt% “bone dry”
leather & 62% H2O is dried to give 900 lb of dry
leather that contains 7% H2O.
Calculate:
i) the weight of wet leather fed to the process.
ii) lbs of H2O removed per lb of bone dry leather.
2
Solution – Tie Element Approach
 Tie element is BDL
 Basis: 100 lb dry leather

P DL (900 lb)
WL DRIER
38% BDL
F 93% BDL
7% H2O
62% H2O

W
100% H2O

3
Solution – Tie Element Approach 2
 Express basis as a function of tie element.
 100 lb DL = 93 lb BDL

 100 lb DL = 1
93 lb BDL
 Relate other streams to tie element.
 38 lb BDL = 100 lb WL

38 lb BDL = 1
100 lb WL
4
Solution – Tie Element Approach 3
 Using dimensional equations:

 100 lb DL x 38 lb BDL
93 lb BDL 100 lb WL

0.408 lb DL = 1 lb WL
900 lb DL = (900/0.408) lb WL = 2203 lb WL
2203 lb WL fed to drier.
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Solution – Tie Element Approach 4
 Wgt of H2O removed during drying:

2203 - 900 = 1303 lb

Wgt of BDL in process = 0.93 x 900 lb = 837 lb

Or Wgt. BDL = 0.38 x 2203 = 837 lb

Wgt of H2O removed/lb of BDL = (1303/837)

= 1.55 lb H2O/lb BDL. 6
Solution – Algebraic Approach
 Basis:
Overall mass balance: F = P + W

 Component mass balance:

 BDL: 0.38F = 0.93P
F = (0.93/0.38) x 900 = 2203 lb
W = F - P = 2203 - 900 = 1303 lb.
BDL = 0.38 x 2203 = 837 lb.
(1 lb H2O/1 lb BDL) = 1303/837 = 1.55 7
Recycle Process

8
 Recycle Process
 Return of material that has already been through an
operating unit so as to reprocess or re-use it.

 Common practice used to:

 Increase yield
 Enrich products
 Conserve heat
 Improving general operations

 Un-consumed fraction of the gross product is usually

re-introduced for re-processing & called the recycled stock.

 For analysis, take material balances around points of

mixing. 9
 Recycle Process

Total Net
Fresh Gross
Feed
P Product S product
Feed

Recycle stock

Purge

P = processor 10

S = separator
 Recycle: Process without
chemical reaction
 Example:

A distilation column separates 10,000 lb/hr of a 50%

acetic acid/50% H2O mixture. The product recovered
from the top of the condenser contains 95% acetic
acid & the bottoms contain 96% H2O. The stream
entering the condenser from the top (V), is 8000 lb/hr.
A portion of the product is returned to the column as
reflux & the rest is withdrawn as product. Find the
ratio of the amount of reflux, (R), to the product
withdrawn, assuming streams R, V and D have the
same composition.
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 Diagram of the Process
V = 8000 lb/hr

condenser
R
D
Column 95% AcOH
F = 10,000 lb/hr
5% H2O
50% AcOH
50% H2O

4% AcOH
W 96% H2O
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Calculations – Algebraic Method
 Basis: 1hr of operation (10,000 lb feed)
 Overall mass balance: F = D + W
10,000 = D + W
Component balance:
AcOH: 0.5 x 10,000 = 0.95D + 0.04W
= 0.95(10,000 – W) + 0.04W
0.91W = 4500
W = 4500/0.91) = 4,950 lb
D = 10,000 - 4,950 lb
= 5050 lb 13
 Calculations – Algebraic Method
 Balancing around the condenser:
 Overall mass balance: V = R + D
R = 8000 - 5050 lb
= 8000 - 5050 lb
= 2950 lb

R/D = 2950/5050 R/(R + D) = 0.37

= 0.58
R/D – important measure of efficiency
Reflux ratio (R/R + D) = 0.37
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value should be <0.5 for efficient process
Recycle with Chemical Reaction
 Problem:
Ether is prepared industrially by the acid
dehydration of ethanol as shown in the
schematic diagram. If the ether plant
produces 2500 lb/hr of ether and achieves
85% conversion per pass, determine:
(i) the feed rate
(ii) the recycle to feed ratio (R/F).

15
Recycle with Chemical Reaction

85% H2SO4
15% H2O

F Ether P
Reactor
90% EtOH still 100% Ether
10% H2O 2500 lb/hr

R EtOH
90% EtOH still
10% H2O
H2SO4
H2O 16

W
 Recycle with Chemical Reaction
 Equation:
H2SO4
2CH3CH2OH CH3CH2OCH2CH3 + H2O

Basis: 1 hr of operation

a) From equation:
a) 2 lb-mole EtOH = 1 lb-mole Et2O
b) 1 lb-mole Et2O = 74 lb Et2O

b) 1 lb-mole Et2O = 1

74 lb Et2O 17
 Recycle with Chemical Reaction
2500 lb Et2O = 2500 lb Et2O x 1 lb-mole Et2O
74 lb Et2O

P = 33.8 lb-mole Et2O

= 33.8 x 2 lb-mole EtOH = 67.6 lb-mole EtOH
Since 1 lb-mole EtOH = 46 lb EtOH

46 lb EtOH = 1
1 lb-mole EtOH
Ethanol in feed:
46 lb EtOH x 67.6 lb-mole EtOH = 3109.6 lb EtOH
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1 lb-mole EtOH
 Recycle with Chemical Reaction
0.9F = 3109.6 lb EtOH
F = 3455.1 lb
hence: Feed Rate = 3455.1 lb/hr

b) 85% conversion means 15% EtOH unused

Component balance on EtOH:
0.15(0.9F + 0.9R) = 0.9R
NB: 15% of combined feed is unused = EtOH in R stream.
0.15(3109.6) + 0.135R = 0.9R
466.44 = 0.765R
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R EtOH = 609.7 lb
Recycle with Chemical Reaction
 Recycle ratio:
Recycled stock = 100/90 x 609.7 = 677.4 lb

R/F = 677.4/lb/3455.1

= 0.196

R/FEtOH = 609.7/3109.6
= 0.196
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 Recycle with Chemical Reaction
 Consider:
 Process A achieves 10% single pass conversion but
99% of the unreacted feed gas is captured by a
separator & recycled to the reactor. Net result is that
95% of feed entering the reactor is converted.
 Process B operates on the same principles as
Process A but is scaled to achieve 95% conversion.
 Discuss the pros & cons of both processes. What
factors would determine which process is adopted?
 Scheme 2 requires large throughput & hence much larger reactor volume & possibly, much
higher pressure & temperatures. Scheme 1 requires longer total reaction time, additional pumps
& piping but smaller reactor & less stringent reaction conditions. Careful analysis of the
economics & safety requirements would determine the decision made.