JOB 20403 MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE

TUTORIAL 2
MATERIAL BALANCE (PART 1)

1. Given the molar flow rate of a mixture entering the distillation column at 150 mol/min. It is known
that the inlet mixture of A (MW 20.0) and B (MW 40.0) consists of 40 mole% A. The product streams
leave at the top and the bottom of the distillation column. The flow rate of the bottom stream is
measured and found to be 70 mol/min, and the overhead stream is analyzed and found to contain 50.0
mol% of B.
a. Draw and label a flowchart of the process.

nT (mol total/min)

0.5 mol A/mol total

0. 5 mol B/ mol total

nIN = 150 mol total/min

0.4 mol A/mol total

0. 6 mol B/ mol total

nB = 70 mol total/min

yA mol A/mol total

yB = (1–yA) mol B/ mol
total

b. Calculate all unknown molar flow rates in the process flow diagram
Answer:
TIPS: We have 3 unknowns, nIN, nT, and nB so we need 3 equations
Overall Balance: 150 = 70 + nT
nT = 80 mol total/min
Balance A: 150 (0.4) = 80 (0.5) + 70y
yA = 0.29 mol A/mol total
yB = (1 – yA) = (1 – 0.29) = 0.71 mol B/mol total

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 c. Determine the mass fractions of A and B in both bottom and overhead stream.
For TOP For BOTTOM
0.50molA 80moltotal molA 0.29molA 70moltotal molA
nA,T = × = 40 nA,B = × = 20.3
moltotal min min moltotal min min
0.50molB 80moltotal molB 0.71molB 70moltotal molB
nB,T = × = 40 nB,B = × = 49.7
moltotal min min moltotal min min
40molA 20gA gA 20.3molA 20gA gA
mA,T = × = 800 mA,B = × = 406
min molA min min molA min
40molB 40gA gB 49.7molB 40gA gB
mB,T = × = 1600 mB,B = × = 1988
min molA min min molA min
800gA 406gA
min gA min gA
X A,T = = 0.33 X A,B = = 0.17
(800 +1600)gtotal gtotal (406 +1988)gtotal gtotal
min min
gB gB
X B,T = (1− 0.33) = 0.67 X B,B = (1− 0.17) = 0.83
gtotal gtotal

2. A mixture containing equal parts by mass of methanol and water is distilled. Product streams leave the
top and the bottom of the distillation column. The compositions of the bottom stream is measured and
found to be pure water with mass flow rate of 30 kg/hr, and the overhead stream is analyzed and found
to contain 98.0 wt% methanol.
a. Draw and label a flowchart of the process.

mT (kg total/hr)

0.98 kg M/kg total

0.02 kg W/ kg total

mIN (kg total/hr)

0.5 kg M/kg total

0. 5 kg W/kg total

30 kg W/hr

b. Calculate the molar flow rates (kg/hr) of methanol or/and water in Inlet and Top Products.
Answer: TIPS: We have 3 unknowns, mIN, and mT so we need 2 equations
Overall Balance: mIN = mT + 30 (Eq 1)
Balance M: mIN (0.5) = mT (0.98) (Eq 2)
Balance W: mIN (0.5) = mT (0.02) + 30 (Eq 3)
Solve 1, 2, and 3: mT = 31.25 kg total/hr, mIN = 61.2 kg total/hr.
Therefore for INLET: 30.6 kg M/hr, 30.6 kg W/hr,
For TOP: 30.625 kg M/hr, 0.625 kg W/hr.
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3. You are asked to prepare 4500 g of acid solution containing 70 wt% H2SO4, 22 wt% HNO3, and water
by mixing:
a. Acid solutions containing 15.0 wt% H2SO4, 12.0 wt% HNO3, and water
b. 85 wt% HNO3 aqueous solution
c. 95 wt% H2SO4 aqueous solution
Draw and label a flowchart of the process and subsequently calculate the total mass for each of the
inlet streams.
Answer:
m2 (g total)
0.85 g HNO3 /g total
0.15 g H2O /g total

4500 g total
m1 (g total)
0.70 g H2SO4 /g total
0.15 g H2SO4 /g total
0.22 g HNO3 /g total
0.12 g HNO3 /g total
0.08 g H2O /g total
0.73 g H2O /g total

m3 (g total)
0.95 g H2SO4 /g total
0.05 g H2O /g total

Answer:
TIPS: We have 3 unknowns, m1, m2, and m3 so we need 3 equations
Overall Balance: m1 + m2 + m3 = 4500 (Eq 1)
H2SO4 Balance: 0.15 m1 + 0.95 m3 = 0.70 (4500) (Eq 2)
HNO3 Balance: 0.12 m1 + 0.85 m2 = 0.22 (4500) (Eq 2)
Solve 1, 2, and 3: m1 = 27.83 g total, m2 = 1160.78 g total, and m3 = 3311.39 g total

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4. Evaporator is used to concentrate a dilute caustic soda (CS) solution 5 wt% to a 35 wt% caustic soda
solution. Draw and label a flowchart of the process and calculate the amount of water has to be
evaporated per 500 lbm of feed.
Answer:

500 lbm total m1 (lbm total)

0.05 lbm CS /lbm total 0.35 lbm CS/lbm total

0.95 lbm H2O /lbm total 0.65 lbm H2O /lbm total

m2 (lbm total)
1.00 lbm H2O /lbm total

Answer:
TIPS: We have 2 unknowns, m1 and m2 so we need 2 equations
Overall Balance: 500 = m1 + m2 (Eq 1)
Balance CS: 500 (0.05) = (0.35) m1 (Eq 2)
Solve 1 and 2: m1 = 71.43 lbm total, m2 = 428.57 lbm total

5. An inlet containing 300 m3/hr of benzene (B) and another of 400 m3/hr of toluene (T) enters separately
into a distillation column. A portion of the mixture is vaporized to yield top products containing 95%
of the benzene fed into the system initially and toluene. In addition, the bottom products contain
mixture of 70 mole% benzene. Given properties of Benzene (SG 0.897, MW 78.11) and toluene (SG
0.866 MW 92.13)
a. Draw and label a flowchart of the process.
Answer:
Before we can draw the flowchart, we need to convert all volumetric flow rates to molar flow
rates first

300m3 B (0.897 ×1000)kgB kmolB kmolB

nB = × 3
× = 3445.14
hr mB 78.11kgB hr
400m3T (0.866 ×1000)kgT kmolT kmolT
nT = × 3
× = 3759.90
hr mB 92.13kgT hr

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 nB,T kmol B/hr
yB,T (kmol B/kmol total)

nT,T kmol T/hr

yT,T (kmol T/kmol total)
3445.14 kmol B/hr

3759.90 kmol T/hr

nB,B kmol B/hr

yB,B = 0.70 kmol B/kmol total

nT,B kmol T/hr

yT,B = 0.30 kmol T/kmol total

b. Determine the mole fraction of benzene and toluene at the top.

Answer:
TIPS: We have 4 unknowns, nT, nB, yB,T, and yB,B so we need 4 equations
Overall Balance: 3445.14 + 3759.90 = nB,T + nT,T + nB,B + nT,B (Eq 1)
Balance B: 3445.15 = nB,T + nB,B (Eq 2)
Balance T: 3759.90 = nT,T + nT,B (Eq 3)
Given Top products containing 95% of the benzene fed into the system initially:
0.95 (3445.14) = nB,T (Eq 4)
Solve 1, 2, 3, and 4: nB,T = 3272.88 kmol B/hr, nB,B = 172.26 kmol B/hr

Given the bottom products contain mixture of 70 mole% benzene and subsequently 30 mole%
tolumene. We know nB,B = 172.26 kmol B/hr. Therefore
0.30kmolT
172.26kmolB kmoltotal kmolT
nT ,B = × = 73.83
hr 0.70kmolB hr
kmoltotal
From Balance T: nT,T = 3759.90 – 73.83 = 3686.07 kmol T/hr

Therefore, the mole fraction of benzene and toluene at the top:

kmolB
3272.88
hr kmolB
y B,T = = 0.47
kmoltotal kmoltotal
(3272.88 + 3686.07)
hr
kmolT
yT ,T = (1− 0.47) = 0.53
kmoltotal

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6. A liquid adhesive, which is used to make laminated boards, consists of a polymer (P) dissolved in a
solvent (S). The amount of polymer in the solution has to be carefully controlled for this application.
When the supplier of the adhesive receives an order for 5000 kg of an adhesive solution containing
13wt% polymer, all it has on hand is (1) 500kg of a 10 wt% polymer and solvent solution, (2) a very
large quantity of a 20 wt% polymer and solvent solution, and (3) pure solvent. Draw and label a
flowchart of the process and calculate the weight of inlet (2) and (3) that must be blended together to
fill the order.
Answer

A (kg total)
0.20 kg P /kg total
0.80 kg S/kg total

5000 kg total
500 kg total
0.13 kg P /kg total
0.10 kg P /kg total
0.87 kg S/kg total
0.90 kg S/kg total

B (kg total)
1.00 kg S/kg total

TIPS: We have 2 unknowns, A and B so we need 2 equations

Overall Balance: 500 + A + B = 5000 (Eq 1)
Balance P: 500 (0.10) + 0.20A = 5000 (0.13) (Eq 2)
Solve 1 and 2: A = 3000 kg total, B = 1500 kg total

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7. A solution composed of 40 wt% ethanol (E), 30 wt% methanol (M) and water (W) is fed at the rate of
1450 kg/hr into a separator that produced one stream at the rate of 150 kg/hr with the composition of
30 wt% ethanol, 15 wt% methanol and water. In addition there is a second stream of an unknown
composition. Calculate the composition of the three compounds in the unknown stream (in wt%) and
its total flowrate in kg/hr.
Answer

1450 kg/hr total 150 kg/hr total

0.40 kg E /kg total 0.30 kg E /kg total

0.30 kg M /kg total 0.15 kg M /kg total
0.30 kg W/kg total 0.55 kg W/kg total

mOUT (kg/hr total)

E kg E /kg total
M kg M /kg total
W = (1– E – M) kg W/kg total

TIPS: We have 3 unknowns, mOUT, E, and M so we need 3 equations

Overall Balance: 1450 = 150 + mOUT (Eq 1)
We get mOUT = 1300 kg/hr total
Balance E: 1450 (0.40) = 150 (0.30) + 1300 (E) (Eq 2)
We get E = 0.41 kg E/kg total (41 wt%)
Balance M: 1450 (0.30) = 150 (0.15) + 1300 (M) (Eq 3)
We get M = 0.32 kg M/kg total (32 wt%), W = 0.27 kg W/kg total (27 wt%)

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8. A triple effect evaporator is designed to reduce water from an incoming brine (NaCl + H2O) stream
from 30 wt% to 2 wt% as shown below in the diagram. If the evaporator unit is to produce 14,000
lbm/hr of NaCl, determine the feed rate of brine in lbm/hr and subsequently the amount of water
removed from the brine in each evaporator.

V1 lbm/hr total V2 lbm/hr total V3 lbm/hr total

100 wt% H2O 100 wt% H2O 100 wt% H2O

F lbm/hr total P1 lbm/hr total P2 lbm/hr total

30 wt% H2O
1 2 85 wt% NaCl
3
75 wt% NaCl

P3 lbm/hr total
2 wt% H2O
Answer

V1 lbm/hr total V2 lbm/hr total V3 lbm/hr total

1.0 lbm H2O/lbm total 1.0 lbm H2O/lbm total 1.0 lbm H2O/lbm total

F lbm/hr total P1 lbm/hr total P2 lbm/hr total

0.70 lbm NaCl/lbm total

1 0.75 lbm NaCl/lbm total 2 0.85 lbm NaCl/lbm total
3
0.30 lbm H2O/lbm total 0.25 lbm H2O/lbm total 0.15 lbm H2O/lbm total

P3 lbm/hr total
0.98 lbm NaCl/lbm total
(14,000 lbm NaCl/hr)
0.02 lbm H2O/lbm total

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TIPS: We have 6 unknowns, F, V1, V2, V3, P1, P2, and P3 so we need 7 equations
Overall Balance:
Total Balance: F = V1 +V2 + V3 + P3 (Eq 1)
NaCl Balance 0.70 F = 14,000 (Eq 2)
Therefore, F = 20,000 lbm/hr total

Evaporator 1:
Total Balance: 20,000 = V1 + P1 (Eq 3)
NaCl Balance 0.70 (20,000) = 0.75 P1 (Eq 4)
Therefore, P1 = 18,666.67 lbm/hr total and V1 = 1,333.33 lbm/hr total

Evaporator 2:
Total Balance: 18,666.67 = V2 + P2 (Eq 5)
NaCl Balance 0.75 (18,666.67) = 0.85 P2 (Eq 6)
Therefore, P2 = 16,470.59 lbm/hr total and V2 = 2,196.08 lbm/hr total

Evaporator 3:
Total Balance: 16,470.59 = V3 + P3 (Eq 7)
NaCl Balance 0.85 (16,470.59) = 0.98 P3 (Eq 8)
Therefore, P3 = 14,285.72 lbm/hr total and V3 = 2,184.87 lbm/hr total