MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCES CALCULATION FOR
CHEMICAL PROCESS
MODULE 3 PART 1 – Material and Energy Balances
ChE 45 – Chemical Engineering Design 1
Lapeña, Don Kim S.
INTRODUCTION
As pre-requisites of any material or energy
balance calculation for a chemical process, we
should already have:
- A complete block flow plant diagram
- Targeted production rate or available
raw materials feed rate. Either is set as
part of the basic design bases.
MATERIAL BALANCE
A material balance taken over the complete
process will determine the quantities of raw
materials required and products produced.
Balances over individual process units set the
process stream flows and compositions:
How do we begin the MB calculation for our
designed process? Refer to:
- The complete block flow plant diagram,
and the
- Targeted production rate or available raw
materials (RM) feed rate (either is set as
part of the basic design bases).
Where do we start our calculation (calculation
basis)?
- Production rate if RM/feedstock do not
have supple restriction
- RM feed if feedstock/s have supply
constraints which could be due to
seasonality, inherent low supply, very
high cost, difficult transportation, etc.
MATERIAL BALANCE REVIEW
In order to visualize the process, you can draw a
simple block flow diagram that shows the
material flows and the process steps. You can
also give names (or numbers) to the flows and
the process steps and write known or given data
(inc. T, P, concentration, other relevant
parameters) regarding the flows or the process
conditions in the diagram.
We can also choose boundaries (ways to
choose balance boundaries):
- An overall balance boundary around the
entire process (including the recirculation)
- Balance boundaries around each process
step (Mixing, Reaction, Separation)
- Partial mass balances for components A,
B, or C using the same balances
boundaries as in the first two choices.
Sometimes, you only need one balance to find
out what you need while at other times you might
need all these balances as well as additional
information.
The additional information needed can be any
of the following:
- Stoichiometry of the chemical reaction
- Limiting conditions for the reaction
- The extent of reaction or the reaction
kinetics including heat effects
- The separation efficiency
- Recirculation ratio
The solution can be found by solving a single
equation or by solving a system of many
equations either algebraically or numerically.
The more we decide to be more detailed in our
analysis, the more complicated will the solution
process.
CONTINUOUS OR BATCH PROCESS
CALCULATIONS
Continuous – We are more used to continuous
process in our MB calculations. Generally, only
algebraic linear equations will mathematically
model this process.
Batch – required the estimation of processing
times, among other requirements. Differential
equations will be the usual mathematical model
to be used.
SUPPLEMENTAL LEARNING MATERIALS
Refer to Chapter 2 of Chemical Engineering
Design by RK Sinnot (4th edition)
Review the following topics, study the
example problems:
- Choice of system boundary
- Choice for basis of calculation
- Number of independent components
- Constraints on flows and compositions
- General algebraic method
- Tie components
- Excess reagent
- Conversion and yield
- Recycle processes
- Purge
- By-pass
- Unsteady-state calculations
- General procedure for MB problems
MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCES CALCULATION FOR
CHEMICAL PROCESS
MODULE 3 PART 1 – Material and Energy Balances
ChE 45 – Chemical Engineering Design 1
Lapeña, Don Kim S.
COMPUTER-AIDED MB CALCULATIONS
In actual ChE design practice, MB calculations
are rarely done entirely manually but process
simulation software are used.
In these software, most (if not all) chemical,
thermodynamic, reaction engineering etc.
considerations are factored in into the
routines/procedures, thus, the tedious and
complicated task of detailed, iterative
calculations is delegated to the computer.
PRESENTATION OF MB CALCULATION
SUMMARY
Quantitative flow diagram – a simplified
diagram that presents all input, in-
process/intermediate and output streams,
together with the calculated quantities associated
with each stream
Inputs are drawn in one left column; in-process
streams are drawn in the middle column, and the
outputs are drawn in the right column.
Sum of inputs and outputs are indicated at the
column bottom line and should be “balanced”
i.e., equal
The sequence and connection of the boxes in the
diagram approximates the block flow plant
diagram (some components are “merged” to
facilitate clearer presentation)
The basis of calculation (per day, per year
operation, etc) is always indicated on the top of
the QFD.
ENERGY BALANCES
Application of 1st law of thermodynamics
(conservation of energy)
EB calculation requires MB calculation, since
energy is associated with mass (its unit is
expressed “per mass density”)
Energy takes many forms such as heat, kinetic
energy, chemical energy, potential energy
Interconversions would make it not always easy
to isolate separate constituents of energy
balances.
However, under some circumstances certain
aspects predominate, e.g.:
- In heating processes of fluids in transport,
mechanical energy component is usually
insignificant compared to enthalpy
- In some mechanical energy situations, as
in the flow of fluids in pipes, the frictional
losses appear as heat but we neglect any
temperature change associated with it.
- Wea re seldom concerned with internal
energies
Practical applications of energy balances tend to
focus on particular dominant aspects
HEAT BALANCES
The most common important energy form is heat
energy (e.g. in heating, cooling, drying)
Enthalpy (total heat) is conserved.
As with the material balances, so enthalpy
balances can be written around items of
equipment, or process stages (or the whole
plant), and it is assumed that no appreciable heat
is converted to other forms of energy such as
work (unless we are dealing with specific
equipment that primarily converts heat to work
like in power plant).
Enthalpy (H) is always referred to some
reference level or datum, so that the quantities
are relative to this datum.
Working out energy balances is then just a
matter of considering the various quantities of
materials involved, their specific heats, and
their changes in temperature or state
As starting case, we will assume saturated
conditions of fluids to specify temperatures
and pressures (aside from process
requirements on T & P)
Heating and cooling process requirements will be
ultimately accounted as amount of
corresponding utility stream such as cooling
water, steam, or other heat transfer fluid required
for heat exchanger units
MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCES CALCULATION FOR
CHEMICAL PROCESS
MODULE 3 PART 1 – Material and Energy Balances
ChE 45 – Chemical Engineering Design 1
Lapeña, Don Kim S.

MECHANICAL ENERGY BALANCES Some physical property estimation techniques

Include here are fluid transport through are presented in Chapter 8 (Section 8.5) of the
pumps, fans, blowers, compressors, mixers, Chemical Engineering Design by RK Sinnot (4th
agitators edition)

Mechanical energy (ME) requirements are Topics include:

ultimately accounted as electrical power - Density
- Some concerns with electrical power - Viscosity
(basta fluid flow) maapil ang other issues - Thermal conductivity
like for example, the diameter of the pipe, - Latent heat of vaporization
length, and elevation changes of fluid - Vapor pressure
- Hence, assumptions are needed - Diffusion coefficients
- Surface tension
Assumptions on basic flow conditions (including - Critical constants
pipe systems) may be needed to better quantify - Phase equilibrium data.
ME requirements
SUMMARY
SUMMARY OF ENERGY BALANCES By doing MB calculations on our designed
process, we will be able to specify (or estimate)
the material load for each unit process or
operations. It is a basic requirement for
specifying and sizing the units of equipment
needed

EB calculations will allow us to roughly estimate

utility requirements of these unit process or
operations

M & E B calculations may not be calculated

separately. In many cases, simultaneous
calculations are required (you would appreciate
this more on Equipment specification & design)

We should note that at this stage of process

Utilizes table – we summarize results of our EB
development, all MB and EB calculations may
through calculations through this table
not be final or complete. These would be further
refined/completed when we design specific
SUPPLEMENTAL LEARNING MATERIALS equipment for each identified process/operation
FOR ENERGY BALANCES
Refer to Chapter 3 of Chemical Engineering
Design by RK Sinnot (4th edition)

Review the following topics, study the

example problems:
- Forms of energy
- Energy balance
- Specific enthalpy
- Mean heat capacities
- Effect of pressure on heat capacities
- Enthalpy of mixtures
- Enthalpy-concentration diagrams
- Heats of rection, effect of pressure on
heat of reaction
- Standard heats of formation
- Heats of combustion
- Compression and expansion of gases
- Unsteady state energy balances

ESTIMATION OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

In the course of calculation M&E balances, you
may come to point that you need certain physical
properties and these may not be directly found in
the usual tables, charts, nomographs. If so you
need to estimate.