4.

4 BALANCES ON MULTIPLE-UNIT PROCESSES

- In general terms, a “system” is any portion of a process that can be enclosed
within a hypothetical box (boundary).
- Solvent extraction is used frequently to separate components of a liquid mixture.
4.5 RECYCLE AND BYPASS
- There are several reasons for using recycle in a chemical process besides the one
given previously (recovering and reusing unconsumed reactants), including the
following:
1. Recovery of catalyst.
2. Dilution of a process stream.
3. Control of a process variable.
4. Circulation of a working fluid.
- A procedure that has several features in common with recycle is bypass, in which
a fraction of the feed to a process unit is diverted around the unit and combined
with the output stream from the unit.
4.6 CHEMICAL REACTION STOICHIOMETRY
4.6a Stoichiometry
- The stoichiometric equation of a chemical reaction is a statement of the relative
number of molecules of reactants and products that participate in the reaction.
- The stoichiometric ratio of two molecular species participating in a reaction is the
ratio of their stoichiometric coefficients in the balanced reaction equation.
4.6b Limiting and Excess Reactants, Fractional Conversion, and Extent of
Reaction
- Two reactants, A and B, are said to be present in stoichiometric proportion if the
ratio (moles A present)/(moles B present) equals the stoichiometric ratio obtained
from the balanced reaction equation.
- The reactant that would be eliminated first if a reaction proceeded to completion
is called the limiting reactant, and the other reactants are termed excess reactants.
- The fractional excess of the reactant is the ratio of the excess to the stoichiometric
requirement:

The fractional conversion of a reactant is the ratio:

4.6c Chemical Equilibrium

- Some reactions are essentially irreversible: that is, the reaction proceeds only in a
single direction (from reactants to products).
- Other reactions (or the same reactions at different conditions) are reversible:
reactants form products and products undergo the reverse reactions to reform the
reactants.
4.6d Multiple Reactions, Yield, and Selectivity
- The terms yield and selectivity are used to describe the degree to which a desired
reaction predominates over competing side reactions.