TABLE OF CONTENT

TABLE OF CONTENT i
LIST OF FIGURE ii
ABSTRACT/SUMMARY iii
INTRODUCTION 1
THEORY 2
DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS 5
PROCEDURE 10
RESULTS 11
DISCUSSION 15
CONCLUSION 16
RECOMMENDATION 17
REFERENCE 18
APPENDIX 19

i
 LIST OF FIGURE/TABLE
FIGURE NAME
FIG 1: THE RECYCLE LOOP APPARATUS
USED TO PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT

FIG 2: THE RECYCLE LOOP APPARATUS

FRONT VIEW

FIG 3: THE RECYCLE LOOP APPARATUS TOP

VIEW

FIG 4 : THE RECYCLE LOOP APPARATUS

BOTTOM VIEW

TABLE
TABLE 1: EXPERIMENTAL DATA

TABLE 2: INTERPOLATION

TABLE 3: DENSITY OF WATER

ii
 ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
This experiment was carried out to determine the effect of recycle on a steady state
flow system, this experiment was done using a recycle loop apparatus and water as
the recycled material. Water was supplied to the apparatus and was used to find the
inlet, outlet and recycle loop flow rates of the fluid flowing in the pipes. The values
were obtained and were shown in Table 1 and the density of the water was also
obtained to be 995.4052kgm3.The effect of recycle on a steady state flow system
was also discussed in the DISCUSSION section.

iii
 INTRODUCTION
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and
objects. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material
and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling can prevent the waste of
potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials,
thereby reducing: energy usage, air pollution (from incineration), and water
pollution (from landfilling). Recycling is a key component of modern waste
reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse , and Recycle" waste
hierarchy. Thus, recycling aims at environmental sustainability by substituting raw
material inputs into and redirecting waste outputs out of the economic system.
Materials to be recycled are either delivered to a household recycling center or
picked up from curbside bins, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new
materials destined for manufacturing new products. In the strictest sense, recycling
of a material would produce a fresh supply of the same material—for example,
used office paper would be converted into new office paper or used polystyrene
foam into new polystyrene. This is accomplished when recycling certain types of
materials, such as metal cans, which can become a can again and again, infinitely,
without losing purity in the production.
However, this is often difficult or too expensive (compared with producing the
same product from raw materials or other sources), so "recycling" of many
products or materials involves their reuse in producing different materials (for
example,
Paper board) instead. Another form of recycling is the salvage of certain materials
from complex products, either due to their intrinsic value (such as lead from car
batteries, or gold from printed circuit boards), or due to their hazardous nature
(e.g., removal and reuse of mercury from thermometers and thermostats).
In the “TRLB” (The Recycle Loop Apparatus) unit an input water flow rate is
thermally conditioned by a recycle loop to get an output water flow rate in the
desired terms. The hot water recycle loop is a type of application used in several
chemical and industrial installations with the purpose of controlling the outlet
temperature with changes inside the loop. The recycle loop consists of a heating
element mounted in a pipe to carry out the heating of the water that goes through it.
This experiment is carried out to determine the effect of recycle on a steady
state flow system and the inlet, outlet and recycle loop flow rates of the fluid
flowing in the pipes will also be obtained.
1
 THEORY
As earlier stated, recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new
materials and objects. The experiment uses a recycle loop modelled like a generic
system. There is an inlet and outflow. The experiment aims to study the response
of the inlet and outlet rates with variation in the through flow.
Inlet Outlet

SYSTEM

At equilibrium the mass flow rate entering the

system is equal to the rate of mass flow exiting the system, under steady
conditions. The mass flow rate, Q m , refers to the mass of the fluid passing a
given point per unit time. Is mathematically expressed as:
Q m = (ρV)/t
Where:
V = volume of fluid (m³)
r = density of fluid (1000 kg/m³ for water)
t = time in seconds for volume V to pass a given point.
Volume per unit time is the volume flow rate, denoted as Q v, measurable using
flow meters which records in litres/minute. Since the reading should be expressed
in cubic/second, conversion is calculated as:
Q v (m 3/s) = recorded flow rate/60000
Hence the mass flow rate is derived as follows:
Q m = ρQv
The recycle loop apparatus involve elements inside the modeled system but its
overall mass balance must theoretically remain constant.

We have different type of recycling loop which includes;

• Open recycle loop: Open-loop recycling is any recycling process where the
recycled materials are converted into both new raw materials and waste product.
Typically, materials recycled through open-loop recycling go on to be used for
purposes different from their former, pre-recycled purpose. This means that the

2
input into the recycling process is converted to a new raw material, which can be
used as an input into another manufacturing process.
Open-loop recycling processes usually involve processing various types of
products of similar material makeup and change the properties of the material itself
(through heat, chemical reactions, or physical crushing). Open-loop recycling is
often associated with a degradation of the material being recycled, and a loss of
attached materials that are not being recycled (such as bottle labels and adhesives).
Open-loop recycling is also referred to as down cycling or reprocessing.
• Closed recycle loop: Closed-loop recycling is focused on supply chain
sustainability. Closed-loop systems are developed so that all of the materials in
manufactured goods can be recycled, usually for use in the same type of product.
For closed-loop recycling, the manufacturing process is usually designed with
recycling in mind. Aluminum can recycling is an example of a closed-loop
recycling process because aluminum can be recycled to form new cans with little
material degradation or waste creation.
Closed-loop recycling is common in specialized industries, such as the computer
and battery industries, which use expensive or complex goods that cannot easily be
broken down post-consumption into constituent materials. Closed-loop recycling
focuses on bringing the products back to the company or industry of manufacture
so that they can be reused or refurbished without a loss of material.
The Recycle Loops Unit “TRLB” has been designed to demonstrate, both visually
and experimentally, what a recycle loop is and how it works. It has many teaching
applications, among them the performance of mass and energy balances under
stable and unstable state conditions. In this unit an inlet water flow is thermally
conditioned in a recycle loop to obtain an outlet water flow that fits the desired
conditions. The unit consists of a tube that carries water from the cold water supply
to a drain and a loop connected between the supply and the drain connections. This
recycle loop includes a pump and a heating element to increase the water
temperature inside the loop. Different volumes of the recycle loop can be selected
by just opening the corresponding valve. The residence time of each configuration
can be studied. The loop flow variation has important didactic properties. The
recycle loop is regulated through that variation. The water temperature at the inlet,
outlet and inside the loop are measured with temperature sensors. The water flows
in the corresponding points are measured with flow sensors.

3
The unit is design to introduce the fundamental principle of thermodynamics.
Basic concept such as temperature, pressure measurements, the relationship
between them, the first and second law of thermodynamics, enthalpy, entropy
principles of irreversibility, are introduced. Recycle is a common phenomenon in
many aspect of life. In engineering application, it is combined with other principles
such as mass and energy balance, and the use of the steady flow energy equation.
In the chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries, the temperature of product is
raised or lowered by recirculating some of the product through a heat exchanger.
The recycle loop apparatus permits a clear demonstration of a recycle, the
performance of mass and energy balance under steady state unsteady state state
condition.
LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS
The three laws of thermodynamics define physical quantities (temperature, energy
and entropy) that characterize thermodynamics system at thermodynamics
equilibrium. The laws describes how these quantities behave under various
circumstances, and preclude the possibility of certain phenomena (such as
perpetual motion).
The three laws of thermodynamics are:
• FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS: when energy passes, as work, as
heat or with matter, into or out of a system, the system internal energy changes in
accord with the law of conservation of energy, which states that the total energy in
a system is constant
• SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS: In a natural thermodynamics
process, the sum of the entropies of the interacting thermodynamic system
increases
• THIRD LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS: The entropies of a system
approaches a constant value as the temperature approaches absolute zero.
In addition there is conventionally added a ‘zeroth law’ which defines thermal
equilibrium:
ZEROTH LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS states that if two system are each in
thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in thermal equilibrium with each
other. This law help to define the concept of temperature.

4
 DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS

FIG 1: THE RECYCLE LOOP APPARATUS USED TO

PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT

FIG 2: THE RECYCLE LOOP APPARATUS FRONT

VIEW

5
 FIG 3: THE RECYCLE LOOP APPARATUS TOP VIEW

FIG 4: THE
The apparatus RECYCLE
is mounted LOOP ABS
on a moulded APPARATUS BOTTOM
support plinth (1). The components
VIEW
associated with the flow loop are mounted on a plastic plate (2) that is located on
top of the support plinth by four knurled fixings. The apparatus consists of a
through pipe (5) conveying water from the cold water mains supply (4) to a
suitable drain (6), with a loop of pipework in parallel with the inlet and outlet
connections. This recycle loop incorporates a circulating pump (10) which
transfers water from the through pipe just before the drain connection (7), and
returns the water back to the through pipe downstream of the supply connection
(8). A heater in the recycle loop (11) raises the temperature of the water in the
loop, which then mixes with fresh cold water entering the system. The circulating
pump (10) is a gear pump with an external bypass arrangement incorporating a
loading valve (9), which allows the flow rate through the loop to be varied using a
simple flow control valve (13). The pump is turned on/off by the switch (25) on the
6
console. The small scale of the loop ensures that time constants are short enough to
allow responses to be fully evaluated in a normal laboratory session. The water
heater (11) consists of a 2 kW cylindrical cartridge heater mounted concentrically
within an insulated tube, so that water flows along the annulus and over the surface
of the heater. A switch (24) on the console allows the heater to be switched on or
off, to generate step changes when investigating the transient responses of the
recycle loop. To prevent overheating, the heater cannot operate unless the
circulating pump is switched on and flow rates F1 and F2 are at least 1l/min. The
‘Heater On’ LED (23) on the console is not illuminated if power to the heater has
been cut by the protection circuit because the flow rates are too low. To allow the
volume of the loop to be changed, and hence to demonstrate the effect of residence
time, a pair of self-sealing fittings (14) allow a short length of pipe or are servoir
(18) to be connected in series with the recycle loop. The arrangement permits
different lengths of flexible tubing to be connected in series with the loop, if it is
required to create further changes in residence time. The clear acrylic reservoir
incorporates an air bleed screw (41) on the top to aid priming and draining. Water
temperatures at the inlet (T1), at the outlet (T3), and within the recycle loop after
the heater (T2) are measured using type K thermocouples (15), installed in tapings
in the pipework. The flow rates are measured at the inlet (F1), at the outlet (F3)
and in the recycle loop (F2) using miniature turbine-type flow sensors (16). Flow
in the recycle loop can be varied from 0 to 3 l/min. The 'through flow' of water can
be varied from 0 to 3 l/min. However, power to the heater will be cut if the flow in
either stream is less than 1 l/min. Cold fluid for the equipment is provided by an
external cold water supply. A pressure regulator (17) after the cold water supply
inlet (4) minimizes fluctuations in the supply pressure to maintain the flow at a
steady rate. A strainer built into the pressure regulator traps particles in the water
which could damage the regulator or flow sensors. A manual control valve (12)
allows the through flow of cold water to be varied as required.
Drain valves located at the rear left-hand side and front right-hand side of the
pipework on the plinth top allow the front and rear sections of the flow loop to be
drained after use. A drain valve, located in a recess at the left-hand end of the ABS
support, allows the channel in the top of the moulded support plinth to be drained,
when necessary. A mains switch (32), located on the front of the plinth below the
control console, allows the TH4 to be turned on and off as required and isolates all
of the individual electrical circuits inside the plinth when switched off.
7
The following electrical devices are located on an electrical panel at the rear of the
plinth: The Residual Current Device (33) is a device for the protection of personnel
in the event of an electrical fault or short to earth. All electrical circuits inside the
plinth are protected by this device. The operation, purpose and testing of the
Residual Current Device are explained in more detail on page 4 of this manual.
Normal operation of the equipment is achieved with the switch in the UP position.
The miniature circuit breakers (34, 35 & 36) are re-settable devices which protect
individual electrical circuits inside the plinth and console. These three circuit
breakers protect the water heater (34), the low voltage DC supplies (35) and the
mains output socket (36). If any of these breakers are activated, this indicates a
fault in the particular circuit and if the breaker will not reset, further investigation
will be required by a competent electrician. Normal operation of the equipment is
achieved with these switches in the UP position. The service unit is provided with
a 4-metre length of mains cable which is fitted with a plug to suit the mains power
input socket (39). The cable allows connection of the unit to an appropriate
electrical supply. The mains power output socket (40) is an extra mains power
source used for driving external ancillary equipment up to 1 Amp maximum, but
specifically to power the Armfield IFD3 Interface Device. The IFD3 is supplied
with the Optional Teaching Software & Data Logging Accessory which allows
data to be logged using a PC. The low voltage DC output socket (37) is used to
provide 18 V dc for the motor on the circulating pump (10) in the recycle loop. The
heater socket (38) is used to provide mains electrical power to the electrical heater
(11) incorporated in the recycle loop.

The three thermocouples (T1, T2 & T3) installed on the equipment are numbered
to allow connection to the appropriate sockets (26, 27 & 28) on the front of the
console. The required temperature reading is selected via a switch (22) and
displayed on the adjacent LCD panel meter (21). Readings are displayed directly
on the meter in units of °C (Temperature measurement range 4 to 100°C).The three
turbine type flow sensors (F1, F2 & F3) installed on the equipment are numbered
to allow connection to the appropriate sockets (29, 30 & 31) on the front of the
console. The required flow reading is selected via a switch (22) and displayed on
the adjacent LCD panel meter (21).
8
 PROCEDURE
1 The apparatus was switched on and water (the fluid being recycled) was
supplied into the equipment.
2 The rotary selector switch on the console was turned on to select the output
from the inlet flow meter F1 on the display.
3 The inlet valve was then adjusted to give an indicated flow rate of about
1litre/min. The rotary selector was used switch to change the display between the
sensors as required, the inlet and outlet flow rates F1 & F3 was then recorded, and
the inlet flow temperatureT1 also was obtained.
4 The inlet flow temperature and the table 3 provided was then used to find
the inlet flow density.
5 Then the display was changed to give the output from the recycle loop flow
meter F2. The recycle loop pump was turned on, and the recycle loop valve opened

9
 to give an indicated recycle flow rate of about 1 litre/min. The flow velocities was
then allowed to stabilize.
6 The flow rates for the inlet, the outlet, and the recycle loop was recorded.
The recycle loop valve was then open at interval to give recycle flow rate
increments of 0.5 l/min, the flow rates at each step was recorded.
7 3 l/min was not exceeded as to obtain accurate readings from the flow
meter. The whole experiment was repeated for a range of inlet flow rates and 3.0
l/min as readings not being exceeded as to obtain accurate result from the flow
meter.

RESULTS
Inlet Recycle Outlet Inlet Recycle outlet Inlet Recycle Outlet
Flow Loop Flow Flow Loop flow Mass Loop Mass
Rate Flow rate Rate Flow rate rate Flow mass Flow
Rate rate flow rate
rate

F1 F2 F3 Qv1 Qv2 Qv3 Qm1 Qm2 Qm3

L/min L/min L/min M3/s M3/s M3/s Kg/s Kg/s Kg/s
1 0 1 1.667X10-5 0.000 1.667x10-5 0.0166 0.000 0.0166
1 0.5 1 1.667X10-5 1.667x10-5 1.667x10-5 0.0166 0.0166 0.0166

10
1 1.5 1 1.667x10-5 2.5x10-5 1.667x10-5 0.0166 0.0250 0.0166
1 2.0 1 1.667X10-5 3.333x10-5 1.667x10-5 0.0166 0.0332 0.0166
1 2.5 1 1.667X10-5 4.167x10-5 1.667x10-5 0.0166 0.0415 0.0166
1 3.0 1 1.667X10-5 5.000x10-5 1.667x10-5 0.0166 0.0500 0.0166
TABLE 1: EXPERIMENTAL DATA

CALCULATIONS:
The initial temperature of the water was giving as 30.8˚C+273.15=303.95K
V= volumetric flowrate (m3/s)
F1= inlet flowrate (L/min)
F2= recycle loop flowrate (L/min)
F3 = outlet flow rate(L/min)
• Calculating the inlet flowrate (Qv1) In m3/s
Since our flowrate was giving in L/min, so we would have to convert into m3/s
Note that 1L= 0.001m3
Also, 1min=60s
11
Converting 1L/min of inlet flowrate into m3/s
1L/min (0.001m3/1L) X(1min/60sec) =0.001m3/60sec=1.667X10-5
Which is the same for all the inlet flowrate.
• Calculating the recycle loop (Qv2) flowrate in m3/s
1. for the first recycle loop flowrate which is 0L/min, =0m3/s
2. for 1L/min recycle loop flowrate,
1L/min(0.001m3/L) X (1min/60sec) = 0.001m3/60sec = 1.667x10-5m3/s
3. for 1.5L/min, 1.5L/min(0.001m3/L) X (1min/60sec) = 2.5x10-5m3/s
4. for 2.0L/min, 2.0L/min(0.001m3/L) x (1min/60sec) = 3.333x10-5m3/s
5. for 2.5L/min, 2.5L/min(0.001m3/L) x (1min/60sec) = 4.167x10-5m3/s
6. for 3.0L/min, 3.0L/min(0.001m3/L) x (1min/60sec) = 5.000x10-5m3/s

• calculating the outlet flowrate(Qv3) in m3/s

since the outlet flowrate in L/min is the same, we will have that
1L/min(0.001m3/L) x (1min/60sec) = 1.667x10-5m3/s
• next, we need to calculate the mass flowrate of both the inlet, recycle loop
and the outlet flowrate.
Recall that density (ℓ) = M/V------- 1
Where M, is the mass (mass flowrate)
And v, is volume (volumetric flowrate)
From equation 1, making the M the subject formula, we will have that
M = ℓV (which is the mass flowrate)
Now, to find the density of water used in the recycle loop using the temperature of
the water which is 303.95K, from the table in the appendix we will need to
interpolate to find the density using the give temperature. From the table, we have
that:
TABLE 2: INTERPOLATION

12
 Temperature Density
303.15 995.6502
303.95 X
304.15 995.3440

Interpolating.
303.95−303.15 X−995.6502
=
304.15−303.15 995.3440−995.6502
0.8 X−995.6502
=
1 −0.3062

Cross multiplying,
0.8 (-0.3062) = X-995.6502
-0.24496 = X-995.6502
Making X subject formula,
X = -0.24496 + 995.6502
X = 995.40524kg/m3 which is the density of water at 303.95K.

 calculating the mass flowrate Qm1 for the inlet stream (kg/s)
recall that the mass flowrate M is giving as ℓV and the volumetric flowrate V for
the inlet flowrate in m3/s is 1.667 x 10-5m3/s. therefore, M = 995.4052 x 1.667 x 10-
5
= 0.0166kg/s. which is the same for all the inlet flowrate.

 Calculating the recycle loop mass flowrate Qm2 (kg/s)

1. For the flowrate of 0m3/s, the mass flowrate will be zero
2. For the flowrate of 1.667 x 10-5m3/s, the mass flowrate will be 995.4052
x 1.667 x 10-5 = 0.0166kg/s

13
 3. For the flowrate of 2.5 x 10-5m3/s, the mass flowrate will be 995.4052 x
2.5 x 10-5 = 0.025kg/s
4. For the flowrate of 3.333 x 10-5m3/s the mass flowrate will be, 995.4052 x
3.333 x 10-5 = 0.0332kg/s
5. For the flowrate of 4.167 x 10-5m3/s, the mass flowrate will be, 995.4052
x 4.167 x 10-5 = 0.0415kg/s
6. For the flowrate of 5 x10-5m3/s, the mass flowrate will be 995.4052 x 5 x
10-5 = 0.05kg/s

 Next, we need to calculate the mass flowrate of the outlet flow (Qm3)
recall that the mass flowrate M is giving as ℓV and the volumetric flowrate V for
the outlet flowrate in m3/s is 1.667 x 10-5m3/s. therefore, M = 995.4052 x 1.667 x
10-5 = 0.0166kg/s. which is the same for all the outlet flowrate.

DISCUSSION
This experiment was carried out to determine the effect of recycle on a steady state
flow system, the inlet and outlet mass flow rate remained constant while the
recycle loop mass flow rate kept increase at each interval. The effects of the
recycle loop on the total system were examined by increasing the flow rate of the
recycle stream and observing what happens to the flow rates of the inlet stream and
the outlet stream as the flow rate of the recycle was increased. Recycle is a simple
phenomenon, which occur in many aspects of everyday life. But is also a concept
that lead to confusion in engineering applications when combined with other
principles such as mass/ energy balances and the use of the steady flow energy
equation.
It should be noted that water is the fluid used for this experiment and its density
was determined as 995.4052kgm3.
14
PRECAUTION:
1) Priming was carried out on the system (Priming is remover of air from the
system )
2) The system was allowed to stabilize
3) There no accumulation in the system

CONCLUSION
From the experiment carried out with the recycle loop, the flow rates of the inlet,
outlet and the recycle loop were determined. And the data/values obtain were all
tabulated, giving that the temperature of the water was 303.95k and the density of
the water was also obtained to be 995.4052kgm3.

15
 RECOMMENDATION
1. For the experiment to be more efficient giving accurate result and
minimizing error, the recycle loop apparatus must be without fault.
2. All connecting wires which connect the thermocouple to the electrical
console and those connecting the flow meters to the electrical console must be well
connected to yield good reading from the digital display.
3. The pipes connecting the pump and the recycle loop must be well connected
to avoid leakage.

16
 REFERENCE
1. Bench, ML woodward, R; Harder,m .k; waste recycling pilots in shanghai,
china. J. clean prod. 2014,45,67,107-116
2. Allcott, H ; Mullainathan, s. behavior and energy policy. Science 2101, 372,
1204-1205, recycling.Bandura, A. social learning theory; prentice-hall: oxford,
UK,1997
3. Bandura ,A. social learning theory recycle UK 1997

17
 APPENDIX
TABLE 3: DENSITY OF WATER

18
19