MAT2002 - ADDE Dr. T.

Phaneendra
Module 4 Professor of Mathematics

Mixture Problem:

Consider a chemical plant consisting of three tanks: Tank 1, Tank 2, Tank 3 initially with V1,
V2, V3 gallons of brine respectively. Pure water flows into Tank 1 at a rate of r0 gallons per
minute. Mixed brine flows from tank 1 into tank 2 at a rate of r1 gallons per minute. While
mixed brine flows from tank 2 into tank 3 at a rate of r2 gallons per minute, and the brine
flows out from tank 3 at a rate of r3 gallons per minute. Find the amount of salt at any given
time in the three tanks.
Solution.
Let xi(t), i = 1, 2, 3, be the amount of salt (in pounds) in the three tanks respectively. Then
the concentration of brine in ith tank is the weight per unit volume, that is xi /Vi, i = 1, 2, 3.

Note that
• The flow-rate dx/dt is measured in gallons per minute
• The rate at which the salt in the tank increases is due to the amount of salt entering
the tank minus that leaving the tank.

The in-flow and out-flow rates are given by the following table:

Rate of salt-flow (gpm) (gpm)

tank Volume Out-flow
In-flow rate Rate of increase of salt
rate
dx1 x
1 V1 0 r1 = − 1 ⋅ r1
dt V1
dx2 x1 x
2 V2 r1 r2 = ⋅ r1 − 2 ⋅ r2
dt V1 V2
dx3 x2 x
3 V3 r2 r3 = ⋅ r2 − 3 ⋅ r3
dt V2 V3

The minus sign indicates the outflow.

The amount of salt at any given time in the three tanks can be determined by solving the
linear system of first order differential equations shown in the above table.

In addition, suppose that the brine is pumped out from tank 3 into tank 1 at a rate of r4 gallons
per minute. Then the in-flow and out-flow rates are given by the following table:

Rate of salt-flow (gpm) (gpm)

tank Volume In-flow Out-flow
Rate of increase of salt
rate rate
dx1 x x
1 V1 r4 r1 =− 1 ⋅ r1 + 3 ⋅ r4
dt V1 V3
dx2 x1 x
2 V2 r1 r2 = ⋅ r1 − 2 ⋅ r2
dt V1 V2
dx3 x2 x x
3 V3 r2 r3 = ⋅ r2 − 3 ⋅ r3 − 3 ⋅ r4
dt V2 V3 V3

SJT 511-A10 Page 1 phaneendra.t@vit.ac.in

MAT2002 - ADDE Dr. T. Phaneendra
Module 4 Professor of Mathematics

Example 1. Let tank X1 initially have 100 gallons of brine made with 100 pounds of salt.
Tank X2 initially has 100 gallons of pure water. Pure water is pumped into tank
X1 at a rate of 2.0 gallons per minute. Some of the mixture of brine and pure
water flows into tank X2 at 3 gallons per minute. To keep the tank levels the
same, one gallon of the X2 mixture flows back into tank X1 at a rate of one
gallon per minute and 2.0 gallons per minute drains out. Find the amount of salt
at any given time in the tanks. What happens over a long period of time?

Solution. Let xi(t), i = 1, 2, be the amount of salt (in pounds) in the tanks X1 and X2
respectively. The in-flow and out-flow rates are given by the following table:

Volume Rate of salt-flow (gpm) (gpm)

tank
(gallon) In-flow rate Out-flow rate Rate of increase of salt
dx1 x x
1 V1 = 100 r3 = 1 r1 = 3 =− 1 ⋅ 3 + 2 ⋅1
dt 100 100
dx2 x1 x x
2 V2 = 100 r1 = 3 r2 = 2 = ⋅ 3 − 2 ⋅ 2 − 2 ⋅1
dt 1001 100 100

Thus the problem is represented by the homogeneous linear system of first order differential
equations:

dx1 3 1
=− ⋅ x1 + ⋅ x2 … (1.1)
dt 100 100
dx2 3 3
= ⋅ x1 − ⋅ x2 … (1.2)
dt 100 100

The initial conditions are

= =
x1 (0) 100, x2 (0) 0 … (1.3)

The initial value problem is written in the matrix form:

dX
= AX
dt
=, X (0) (1000 ) , … (1.4)

 3 1 
 − 
(t )  1  and A =  100 100  .
x
where= X X=
 2
x

3
−
3

 100 100 
The eigenvalues of the problem are λ1 =−3 + 3 , λ 2 =−3 − 3 ; which are real and
 1   1 
distinct. The corresponding eigen vectors are E1 =   and E2 =   respectively.
 3 − 3
The general solution of the system (1.4) is given by=X (t ) c1E1eλ1t + c2 E2 eλ 2t or

= x1 (t )  c  1  e( −3+ 3) t  1  ( −3−
+ c2  3) t
1  e … (1.5)
 x2 (t )   3 − 3

Substituting t = 0 in (1.5) and applying the initial conditions (1.3), we obtain

 1   1 
=0 c1   + c2   or c1 + c=
2 100, c1 − c
= 0.
− 3
2
 3

SJT 511-A10 Page 2 phaneendra.t@vit.ac.in

 MAT2002 - ADDE Dr. T. Phaneendra
Module 4 Professor of Mathematics

Solving these, c=
1 c=
2 50 . The required particular solution is given by

=  x1 (t )  50  1  e( −3+ 3) t  1  ( −3−
+ c2  3) t 
 x2 (t )   3  e .
  − 3 

SJT 511-A10 Page 3 phaneendra.t@vit.ac.in