The accounting of all mass in a

chemical/pharmaceutical process is referred to

as a mass (or material) balance.

 day to day operation of process for

monitoring operating efficiency
Making calculations for design and
development of a process i.e. quantities
required, sizing equipment, number of items
of equipment

200 kg of a 40% w/w methanol/water solution is

mixed with 100 kg of a 70% w/w
methanol/water solution in a batch mixer unit.

What is the final quantity and composition?

200 kg
40% CH3OH/H2O

MIXER

100 kg
70% CH3OH/H2O

OUTPUT?

200 kg
40% CH3OH/H2O

MIXER

300 kg

100 kg
70% CH3OH/H2O

Total Mass in
200 kg + 100 kg

= Total Mass Out

= 300 kg CH3OH/H2O

200 kg
40% CH3OH/H2O

MIXER

300 kg
150 kg CH3OH

100 kg
70% CH3OH/H2O

CH3OH Mass in
= CH3OH Mass Out
(40/100) x 200 kg + (70/100) x 100 kg = 150 kg

200 kg
40% CH3OH/H2O

MIXER

300 kg
50% CH3OH/H2O

100 kg
70% CH3OH/H2O

Final composition of CH3OH

= (150 kg / 300 kg) x 100
= 50% CH3OH/H2O (w/w)

Batch processes operate to a batch cycle and are

non-steady state. Materials are added to a vessel
in one operation and then process is carried out
and batch cycle repeated. Integral balances are
carried out on batch processes where balances
are carried out on the initial and final states of
the system.

These processes are continuous in nature and

operate in steady state and balances are carried
out over a fixed period of time. Materials enter
and leave process continuously.

When there is no net accumulation or depletion

of mass in a system (steady state) then:

Total mass
entering
system

Total mass
leaving
system

In

Gen

Out

Con

Acc

Notes:
Generation and consumption terms refer only to
generation of products and consumption of
reactants as a result of chemical reaction.

 Streams
Operations/equipment sequence
Standard symbols

Recycle of unreacted material

Fresh feed
- Reactants
- Solvents
- Reagents
- Catalysts

Reactor

Separation &
purification

Waste

Product

By-products/co-products

It is often useful to calculate a mass balance

using molar quantities of materials and to
express composition as mole fractions or mole %.

 A mole is the molecular weight of a substance

expressed in grams
To get the molecular weight of a substance you need its
molecular formula and you can then add up the atomic
weights of all the atoms in the molecule
To convert from moles of a substance to grams multiply
by the molecular weight
To convert from grams to moles divide by the molecular
weight.
Mole fraction is moles divided by total moles
Mole % is mole fraction multiplied by 100

Example
Benzene is C6H6. The molecular weight is:
(6x12) + (6x1) = 78
So 1 mole of benzene is 78 grams.
1 kmol is 78 kg.

A crystalliser contains 1000 kg of a saturated

solution of potassium chloride at 80 deg cent. It
is required to crystallise 100 kg KCl from this
solution. To what temperature must the solution
be cooled?

T deg cent

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Solubility g KCl/100 g
water
51.1
48.3
45.5
42.6
40
37
34
31
27.6

At 80 deg cent, saturated solution contains:

(51.1/151.1) x 100 KCl i.e. 33.8% by wt.
So in 1,000 kg there is 338 kg KCl & 662 kg
water.
Crystallising 100 kg out of solution leaves a
saturated solution containing 238 kg KCl and
662kg water i.e. 238/662 g KCl/100g water
which is 36 g KCl/100g. So temperature required
is approx 27 deg cent from table.

wash water/solvent
solid

feed suspension

waste water

filtrate

5000 kg water

F1
Impurity 55 kg
Water 2600 kg
API 450 kg

Water 300 kg
API 448 kg
Impurity 5 kg
Water 7300 kg
Impurity 50 kg
API 2kg

water/evaporated solvent

feed

product

A+B

A+B

S+B

A feed solvent; B solute; S extracting solvent

feed

raffinate
E1

solvent

extract

exit gas stream

feed solvent

feed gas stream

waste solvent stream

 Overall balance
Unit balances
Component balances

W2

F1

P3

R4

E evaporator; C crystalliser; F filter unit

F1 fresh feed; W2 evaporated water; P3 solid product;
R4 recycle of saturated solution from filter unit

Process description
Flowsheet
Label
Assign algebraic symbols to unknowns
(compositions, concentrations, quantities)
Select basis
Write mass balance equations (overall, total,
component, unit)
Solve equations for unknowns

Stoichiometric quantities
Limiting reactant
Excess reactant
Conversion
Yield
Selectivity
Extent of reaction

Refers to quantities of reactants and products

in a balanced chemical reaction.
aA + bB
cC + dD
i.e. a moles of A react with b moles of B to give
c moles of C and d moles of D. a,b,c,d are
stoichiometric quantities

 In practice a reactant may be used in excess

of the stoichiometric quantity for various
reasons. In this case the other reactant is
limiting i.e. it will limit the yield of product(s)

A reactant is in excess if it is present in a

quantity greater than its stoichiometric
proportion.
% excess = [(moles supplied stoichiometric
moles)/stoichiometric moles] x 100

 Fractional conversion = amount reactant

consumed/amount reactant supplied
% conversion = fractional conversion x 100
Note: conversion may apply to single pass
reactor conversion or overall process
conversion

Yield = (moles product/moles limiting reactant

supplied) x s.f. x 100
Where s.f. is the stoichiometric factor =
stoichiometric moles reactant required per
mole product

Selectivity = (moles product/moles reactant

converted) x s.f. x100
OR
Selectivity = moles desired product/moles
byproduct

Extent of reaction = (moles of component

leaving reactor moles of component entering
reactor)/stoichiometric coefficient of
component
Note: the stoichiometric coefficient of a
component in a chemical reaction is the no. of
moles in the balanced chemical equation (-ve
for reactants and +ve for products)

A
B
i.e. stoichiometric coefficients a = 1; b = 1
100 kmol fresh feed A; 90 % single pass conversion in
reactor; unreacted A is separated and recycled and
therefore overall process conversion is 100%

R
F

reactor

separation