Mass Balance

Instructor: Pham Ho My Phuong, PhD

Fall 2015

Basic concepts

Read Chapter 3 - Processes and Process Variables of Felder and Rousseau

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

What is a Process?
An operation (or series of operations) by which a particular
objective is accomplished
Chem Eng: operations that cause a physical or chemical
change in material, or changes the condition of energy
These changes are accomplished in a series of process units,
linked together with a set of input and output process streams

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Process Units & Streams

Process units: physical

components constituting
a process

Process streams:
materials entering &
leaving a process unit

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Types of Processes

Physical or chemical
Batch, continuous or
semi-batch
Steady-state or
transient

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Process Classification
Batch - No material is transferred in or out of the system during the time
period of interest (no input or output)
Continuous - Material is transferred in and out of the system continuously
Semibatch - Any process that is neither batch nor continuous
SteadyState - All conditions are invariant with time. Usually refer to
continuous processes: ACCUM = 0
Transient - One or more conditions vary with time
(ACCUM0)

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

What is a System?

An arrangement of physical components in a process

connected or related to form or/and act as an entire unit
Can be constituted by 1 or more connected process units

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Physical Systems

Have well defined physical boundaries between the systems and the surrounding
Open system (mass crosses the system boundary during the period of time covered
by the energy balance)
Closed system
Isolated system (no mass nor energy cross the system boundary during the period of
time covered by the energy balance)

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Conceptual Systems

Arbitrarily defined with

imaginary boundary for
purpose of process analysis.
Can contain other physical
systems within its boundary
Control volume

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

System Properties

Quantities necessary to describe the state or condition of a system.

Extensive properties: depend on the size of system
eg. weight, force, energy, flow rate
Intensive properties: are independent of the mass or size of
system,
eg. temperature, pressure, density, viscosity

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

System Properties (cont.)

Composition (molar or mass is an intensive quantity

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Mass and Volume

1. Density
= mass/volume
solid: practically independent of T and P
liquid: dependent on T
gas: dependent on T & P
2. Specific gravity

ref : density of a reference substance at a specific condition,

(common ref: liquid water at 4.0oC )
ref = 1000kgm-3 = 1.000gcm-3 = 62.4lbmft-3

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Specific Gravity Examples

Example 1: from Table B.1 column 4,
20
4

s.g (Acetone)=0.791
at 20oC
Acetone has s.g of relative to water (l) at 4oC.
In petroleum industry, s.g. is expressed as:

Ref: liquid water at 60oF (15.5oC): ref = 0.999 gcm-3

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Chemical Quantities
Atomic Weight (Mass)
Mass of elementary substance on a scale that assigns 12C a
mass of exactly 12.
Example 2:
Element

AW

Hydrogen (H)

Oxygen (O)

16

Nitrogen (N)

14

Carbon (C)

12

Sulphur (S)

32

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Specific Gravity of Gases

For gases, the reference is usually air, but s.g. of gases is

not commonly used, specific volume is used instead
Specific Volume = mass/volume
= 1/density

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Chemical Quantities

Molecular Weight (Mass)

Sum of atomic weights of the atoms that constitute a molecule of the
compound
Example 3:
MW (H2O) = 2 x 1 (H) + 1 x 16 (O) = 18 g/mol
MW (C2H5OH)= 2 x 12(C) + 6 x 1(H) +1x 16 (O) = 46 kg/kmol

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

The Mole
Amount of a species whose mass is equal to the molecular mass.
SI Units: kg mole or kmol:
American Units: lbmol:
Conversion Factor?
1 kmol = 1000 gmol =

1
0.454

=
=

()

()

lbmol

Example 4: How many moles in 900kg water?

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

The Mole cont.

Notes:
1 g mol (mol) of a species contains 6.02x1023 molecules of that species
1 g atom contains 6.02x1023 atoms
Avogadros number
For elementary substances:
=
=

()

( )

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Concentration of Mixtures
Concentration of Mixtures
Concentration of a mixture is the amount of a solute per unit quantity (usually
volume) of the solution or solvent.

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Composition of Mixtures
Parts per million (ppm) used for extremely dilute solution = 1 part of solute
per 106 parts of solution (~solvent). Mass for solids or liquids, mole for gases.
Composition of Mixtures:
For mixture of N components Mass (weight) fraction of component k:

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Composition of Mixtures cont.

Mol fraction of component k:

xi can be converted to yi if MW of all components is known

Example 5:
If a gas mixture contains 60 mol% H2, 30% CH4 and 10%
C2H6, what is its composition in mass percent ?

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Composition of Mixtures cont.

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Composition of Mixtures cont.

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Composition of Mixtures cont.

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Average Molecular Weight

Mass of mixture per mol of mixture.

Where Mi are molecular weights of component i.

Example 6:
Calculate the average molecular weight of example 5?

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Flow Rate
Rate at which a material is transported through a
process line.
=

Mass flow rate:

Molar flow rate:

Volume flow rate:

where:
: average Density
: average molecular weight

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Mass flow rate

Volume flow rate

Page 45
Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Flow Rate Measurement

Flowmeter is a device mounted in the process line that provides a
continuous reading of the flow rate in the line

Rotameter

Orifice meter

Flow Rate Measurement

The rotameter is a taped vertical tube

containing a float: the larger the flow
rate, the higher the float rises in the
tubes

The orifice meter is an obstruction in

the flow channel with a upstream side
of the orifice to the downstream side;
the pressure drop with a number of
devices, including a different
manometer.

Process Variables - Force

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Force

Weight: W = (m x g) / gc
SI: W = m9.81 (N)
cgs: W = m 981 (dyne)
American: W = m (32.164/gC) m (lbf)
Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Process Variables - Pressure

Normal force per unit area:

Standard Atmospheric Pressure

Pressure of a column of air from point of measurement to top of the
atmosphere.
Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Pressure

At sea level, 0oC and 45o latitude:

Patm = 1 atm = 101,325 Pa = 14.7 psi = 1.01325 bars = 760 mmHg
Fluid pressure usually is measured relative to the atmospheric
pressure Gauge Pressure

Absolute Pressure is used in process calculations:

Pabs = P gauge + P atmosphere
Pabs = 0 in complete vacuum

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Figure 3.4-1 (p. 54)

Fluid pressure in a tank and a pipe.

Figure 3.4-2 (p. 54)

Pressure at the base of a fluid column (hydrostatic pressure)

Example 7
A manometer reading gives 100mmHg, calculate the absolute
pressure.

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Process Variables - Temperature

A measure of the average kinetic energy possessed by the
substance molecules.
Temperature can only be determined indirectly by
measuring some physical property whose value depends on
temperature in known manner.
Thermometry (volume)
Resistance thermometry (resistance)
Thermocouple (voltage)
Pyrometry (spectra of emitted radiation)
Common reference states:
Freezing point, Tf
Boiling point, TB
Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Temperature

Two most common temperature scales:

Centigrade and Fahrenheit
Centigrade (Celcius) scale:
For water at 1 atm pressure
Tf = 0 oC
TB = 100 oC
Fahrenheit scale:
For water at 1 atm pressure
Tf = 32 oF
TB = 212 oF
Temperature conversion: T(oF) = 1.8 T(oC) + 32

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Temperature (cont.)

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Absolute Temperature

Defined such that zero absolute temperature is theoretically

the lowest temperature attainable in nature.
Zero absolute = - 273.15 oC = -459.67 oF
Kelvin
T (K) = T(oC) + 273.15 T(oC) + 273
Rankin
T (oR) = T(oF) + 459.67 T(oF) + 460
Conversion: T(oR) = 1.8 T(K)

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Temperature Difference
Common in calculations involving heat or enthalpy, temperature difference
between any two states is used, e.g: Q = mCp(T2-T1) = mCpT
CP is heat capacity of a substance with units of J/(kgoC), J/(kgmolK),
Btu/(lboF), etc
The temperature unit here (oC, K, oF, oR)
corresponds to T and not the actual temperature T.
Preferable to write: J/(kgoC), Btu/(lboR)

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables

Temperature Example

Chapter 3: Processes & Process Variables