CIVI 361

Introduction to Environmental
Engineering
Lecture Notes:
DR. RIHAM A.MOHSEN Chapter 4
Physical Processes

Adapted from
James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman “Environmental Engineering:
Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design”, 2nd Edition.
 CHAPTER 4 PHYSICAL PROCESSES

Outline

Mass Balances

Reactors

Energy Balances

Mass Transport Processes

 Mass Balances

❑ Mass Balance

• Based on the law of conservation of mass

• Conservation Law is used
The law of conservation of mass or principle of mass
conservation states that, for any system closed to all transfers of
matter and energy, the mass of the system must remain constant
over time, as system's mass cannot change, so quantity cannot
be added nor removed.
 Matter cannot be created or destroyed
 It can change forms but is conserved

• Finite material
Consumption of fossil-based energy source, oil
coal  CO 2
• For a lake …

• Developed on a chosen control volume

 reactors, lakes, …
• Quantitative description of all materials that enter,
leave and accumulate in a system with defined
boundaries.
 System boundaries needs to be identified
 To write a mass balance, need to define the system
Completely Mixed Flow Reactor (CMFR) System boundary
(control volume)
Input ( ) Generation ( ) Output ( )
Qin Mixer Consumption ( )
Cin
Q
Reaction
C
• Volume
System Vessel or
• Concentration
Qin Mixer
Cin

boundary Container Q
C

• Time interval : ¨ t System

boundary
Vessel or
Container

System boundary
(control volume )
Input ( ) Generation ( ) Output ( )
Consumption ( )

Accumulation = Input - Output + (Generation – Consumption)

Reaction
 dm
❑ Mass Accumulation Rate Example: Steady or unsteady state
dt
(1) A degradation reaction within a well-mixed tank is used
dm d(VC) dm dC to destroy a pollutant. Inlet concentration, effluent
= =V
dt dt dt dt concentration and flow are held constant for a long time.

V is constant steady state

dm
=0 steady state (2) Same problem. The source of pollutant is removed,
dt Conditions no longer change with time resulting in an instantaneous decline of the inlet
concentration to zero. The following process will be at ...
dm
=0 unsteady state unsteady state
dt Conditions vary with time
 • Mass flux in  min= Qin× Cin

• Mass flux out  m out = Qout × C out = Qout × C well-mixed

•Net rate of reaction mrxn = V( dC

dt
) reaction only
(Generation – Consumption)

dC
Conservative compound ( ) =0 Accumulation = Input - Output + Reaction
dt reaction only

mrxn = 0
Zero order  ( dC ) = -k
dt
reaction only
dm
= min – mout + mrxn
mrxn = -Vk
dt
dC
First order  ( ) = -kC
dt reaction only
mrxn = -VkC
❑ Steps to solve mass balance problems
 steady state

Qd = Qu + Qe = 25+1 = 26 m3/s

dm
= min – mout + mrxn
dt

0 = (CuQu + C e Q e )- CdQd Cd = 0.2 mg/L

dm
= min – mout + mrxn
dt

0 = QCin - QC - VkC
steady state
Q
C = Cin×
Q+kV

C = 32 mg/L
James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design
James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design
Reactors
❑ Batch Reactor Continuous reactor

• No inlet flow min= 0 After one batch is treated,

the reactor is emptied, and
• No outlet flow  mout= 0 a second batch can be
treated
❑ Plug Flow Reactor (PFR)
• Transported in systems resembling pipes
• The elements of fluid move as a plug , enter and • Fluid is mixed in a radial direction but NOT in the
leave the system with flow axial direction
• Elements of fluid enter the system at the same time ,
flow with same velocity, and leave at the same time.
Q Q
Tracer in
Q Q

Q Q

Q Q James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman, Environmental

Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design

• Plug flow is achieved in systems that have large

length to width ratios (L:W •50:1).

Plug-Flow Reactor Mass Balance

Mass balance within plug
❑ Comparison of PFR to CMFR
• CMFR: When a parcel of fluid enters the CMFR,
it is immediately mixed throughout the entire
volume
• PFR: Each parcel of fluid entering the PFR
remains separate during its passage through the
reactor

James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design

G
• Retention time/detention time/residence time
the average period spent in a given control
volume

Example:
Calculate the retention
times for Lake Michigan
and Lake Ontario.

Lake Michigan

Lake Ontario
 Energy Balances

❑ Energy Forms

• Internal energy  part of molecular structure or

organization of a given substance
example: heat

C  heat capacity, ¨T=temperature change

• External energy  resulting from the location or

motion of a substance
example: gravitational potential energy (high
location), kinetic energy (movement of object)

Another Energy Classification …

• Renewable energy sources can be replaced at
a rate equal to or faster than the rate at which
they are used
example: solar, wind, tides
• Nonrenewable energy  consumed faster than
replenished
example: fossil-based fuel
❑ Energy Balances
• First law of thermodynamics o energy can
neither be produced nor destroyed.
• Treated as conservative o no term in energy
balances that is analogous to the chemical-
reaction term in mass balances

• Energy in water in out

Energy in water
• Electricity

Steady state

Example:

A 40-gallon electric water heater heats water entering

the house, which has a temperature of 10 oC as it Energy balance
enters the heater. The heating level is set to maximum
while several people take consecutive showers. If at
the maximum heating level, the heater uses 5 kW of
electricity and the water use rate is a continuous 2
gallons/min, what is the temperature of the water
exiting the heater? Assume that the system is at
steady state and the heater is 100 percent efficient;
that is, it is perfectly insulated, and all of the energy
used heats the water.
Example:

Same question. How long would it take the

temperature to reach 54 oC if no hot water was used
during the heating period and the water temperature
entered the heater at 20 oC?

• Energy in water in out

0
• Electricity
Passive Solar gain and Thermal walls
Mass Transport Processes

❑ Advection and Dispersion

• Advection  transport with the mean fluid low,

transport of a substance by bulk motion.
• Dispersion  transport of compounds through
the action of random motions.

• Wind is blowing toward the east and will carry

pollutants in the atmosphere toward the east.

Advection

• Dye is put in the center of water and spread

Dispersion
❑ Mass Flux Density • Advective Flux

• , mass/time
• Mass flux  m J=C×v
• Mass flux density  rate of mass transferred
across the plane per unit time per unit area • C  concentration
(J, mass/time-length squared • v  fluid velocity
• Total mass flux across a boundary with area of
A m •

J from advection, dispersion, or combination

Example:

Calculate the average flux density J of phosphorous

downstream of wastewater discharge in previous
example. The cross-sectional area of the river is 30
m2, volumetric flow rate Q=26 m3/s and downstream
concentration Cd=0.20 mg/L.

Average river velocity v =Q/A = 26/30 = 0.87 m/S

J=C×v
• Dispersive Flux
• Molecular Diffusion

Fick’s law

D  diffusion coefficient
C  concentration
x  distance

James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design

• Turbulent dispersion  mass is transferred • Mechanical dispersion  results of

through the mixing of turbulent eddies within the (1)variation in the flow pathways taken by
fluid. different fluid parcels that originate in nearby
locations
(2)variations in the speed at which fluid travels
in different regions
dispersion in groundwater flow

James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design

James R. Mihelcic, Julie B. Zimmerman, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design

❑ Movement of Particle in Fluid
• Gravitational settling

FG  gravitational force
FB  buoyancy force
FD  drag force

Stoke’s law

vs  settling velocity
ȝ  the viscosity of the fluid
ȡP  particle density
ȡF  fluid density
Dp  particle diameter