Che 1103

Elements of Chemical engineering

Material Balance

Dr. Rajesh Kumar Chanda

Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
E-mail: rajesh.che@just.edu.bd

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Reycle and Purge
Recyle:
When chemical reactions occur, not always all the feed are consumed. It is uneconomical to
dump the unreacted feed. Therefore, the excess feed stream is captured and flowed back to
the unit again. This back stream called Recyle.

In the above picture, in case of (c), You can see a recycle stream coming from process 2 unit
to one feed inlet.
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 Reycle and Purge
Recyle:
It is part of the product stream (either similar or different composition) that is separated
and returned to mix again with inlet stream (fresh feed) for economic considerations. The
gross product (G) leaving the process is commonly separated by suitable separation technique
such as distillation, filtration, extraction ……. etc, into the net product (P) and recycle stream
(R); whereas the inlet feed (T) input to the process is made up by mixing the fresh feed (F)
and recycle stream (R) as shown in the following block diagram.

In the above picture, if we now try material balance in different systems:

Material balance in system (1) Material balance in system (3)
Fresh feed (F) = Net product (P) Total feed (T) = Gross product (G)
Material balance in system (2) Material balance in system (4)
Fresh feed (F) + Recycle (R) = Total feed (T) Gross product (G) = Recycle (R) + Net product (P)
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Example: A continuous crystallizer involving a recycle stream
In block diagram below shows a process for the production of flake NaOH, which is
used in households to clear plugged drain in the plumbing.

The fresh feed to the process is 10,000 lb/hr of a 40% aqueous NaOH solution. The
fresh feed is combined with the recycled filtrate from the crystallizer, and fed to the
evaporator where water is removed to produce a 50% NaOH solution, which in turn
is fed to the crystallizer.
The crystallizer produces a filter cake that is 95% NaOH crystals and 5% solution
that itself consists of 45% NaOH. The filtrate contains 45% NaOH.
a. Calculate the flow rate of water removed by the evaporator, and the recycle rate
for this process.
b. Assume that the same production rate of NaOH flakes occurs, but the filtrate is
not recycled. What would be the total feed rate of 40% NaOH have to be then?
Assume that the product solution from the evaporator still contains 50% NaOH. 4
Solution:
The process is open and steady state.
Part a. Basis: F = 10000 Ib fresh feed
Overall NaOH material balance:
(0.4) (10000) = [0.95 + (0.45) (0.05)] P
P = 4113 Ib
Overall H2O material balance:
(0.6) (10000) = W + [(0.55) (0.05)] 4113
W = 5887 Ib
or use the overall material balance: F = P + W
10000 = 4113 + W
W = 5887 Ib
The total amount of NaOH exiting with P is :
[(0.95) + (0.45) (0.05)] (4113) = 4000 Ib
The amount of H2O in P = [(0.55) (0.05)] 4113 = 113 Ib
As a check the total amount of H2O in the output, 113 + 5887 = 6000 Ib
NaOH material balance on the crystallizer:
(0.5) G = 4000 + (0.45) R …………………(1)
H2O material balance on the crystallizer:
(0.5) G = 113 + (0.55) R …………………..(2)
or use total material balance: G = R + 4113
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Solve Eq.(1) and Eq.(2) to get: R = 38870 Ib
Part b.
Now suppose recycle from crystallizer does not occur, but the production and
composition of P remains the same.

The basis is now: P = 4113 Ib

NaOH material balance on the crystallizer:
(0.5) G = 0.45 H + [(0.95) + (0.05) (0.45)] (4113) …………………(3)
H2O material balance on the crystallizer:
(0.5) G = 0.55 H + [(0.05) (0.55)] (4113) …………………..(4)
Solve Eq.(3) and Eq.(4) to get:
H = 38870 Ib
Overall material balance on the crystallizer:
G=H+P 6
G = 38870 + 4113 = 42983 Ib
Overall NaOH material balance:
(0.4) F = (0.45) H + [(0.05) (0.45)] P
(0.4) F = (0.45) 38870 + [(0.95) + (0.05) (0.45)] 4113
F = 53730 Ib
or NaOH material balance on the evaporator:
(0.4) F = (0.5) G
(0.4) F = (0.5) 42983
F = 53730 Ib

Not that without recycle, the feed rate must be 5.37

times larger than with recycle to produce the same
amount of product.

Read page 112 of book to know about application of

recyle stream!!!!
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Reycle and Purge
Purge:
A material such as an inert gas or impurities which enter with the feed will remain in the
recycle stream. This material will accumulate and the process will never reach steady state.
To prevent this buildup, a portion of the recycle stream must be withdrawn as a purge stream.

Not that in purge stream, it is withdrawn from the system!!!

Two definitions of conversion are used in the analysis of chemical reactors with product
separation and recycle of unconsumed reactants:

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EXAMPLE: Dehydrogenation of Propane
Propane is dehydrogenated to from propylene in a catalytic reactor
C3H8 → C3H6 + H2

The process is to be designed for a 95% overall conversion of propane. The reaction
products are separated into two streams: the first, which contains H2, C3H6, and
0.555% of the propane that leaves the reactor, is taken off as product; the second
stream, which contains the balance of the unreacted propane and 5% of the propylene
in the product stream, is recycled to the reactor. Calculate the composition of the
product, the ratio (moles recycled)/(moles fresh feed), and the single-pass
conversion.

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EXAMPLE: Recycle and Purge in the Synthesis of Methanol (page:139)
Methanol may be produced by the reaction of carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

The fresh feed to the process contains hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and 0.400 mole% inerts (I).
The reactor effluent passes to a condenser that removes essentially all of the methanol and
water formed and none of the reactants or inerts. The latter substances are recycled to the
reactor. To avoid buildup of the inerts in the system, a purge stream is withdrawn from the
recycle. The feed to the (not the fresh feed to the process) contains 28.0 mole% CO ,
70.0 mole% H , and 2.00 mole% inerts. The single-pass conversion of hydrogen is 60.0%.
Calculate the molar flow rates and molar compositions of the fresh feed, the total feed to the
reactor, the recycle stream, and the purge stream for a methanol production rate of 155 kmol
CH3OH/h.
Basis: 100 mol Combined Feed to the Reactor

Note:
As a general rule, the combined feed to the reactor is a convenient stream to use as a basis of
calculation for recycle problems when the stream composition is known. We will therefore
temporarily ignore the specified methanol production rate, balance the flowchart for the
assumed basis, and then scale the process to the required extent.

This technique specially for the process involving purging stream!!!

Herefore practice this problem at home!!! 10

Second step: flow chart drawaing and labelling

Third step: do the degree of freedom analysis (to know from which unit to start the
materials balance)
From this step you will realize that:
The solution procedure will have start by writing balances on the reactor, then the condenser,
then the fresh feed–recycle mixing point, and finally the purge–recycle splitting point.

The flowchart may then be scaled up by the required amount to obtain a methanol production
rate of 155 kmol/h.
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Fourth step: doing the calculations

Here you can choose to do either atomic or molecular balance. Do not do both in one problem

Reactor Analysis

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Now scale up the quantity!!! Because in problem it was asked to do the calculation for
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methanol production of 155 kmol CH3OH/h
 Homework
EXAMPLE: Recycle and Purge in the Synthesis of Ammonia
The fresh feed to an ammonia production process contains 24.75 mole % nitrogen, 74.25
mole% hydrogen, and the balance inerts (I). The feed is combined with a recycle stream
containing the same species, and the combined stream is fed to a reactor in which a 25%
single-pass conversion of nitrogen is achieved. The products pass through a condenser in
which essentially all of the ammonia is removed, and the remaining gases are recycled.
However, to prevent buildup of the inerts in the system, a purge stream must be taken off.
The recycle stream contains 12.5 mole% inerts. Calculate the overall conversion of
nitrogen,
the ratio (moles purge gas/mole of gas leaving the condenser), and the ratio (moles fresh
feed/mole fed to the reactor).

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Combustion Reactions and Their Material Balances
Complete and Partial Combustion

Combustion is a rapid reaction of fuel with oxygen. Combustion products are CO2, NO, CO,
H2O, and SO2. In a combustion reaction if CO is formed, then the reaction is incomplete and
referred as incomplete combustion or partial combustion. During a complete combustion of
a fuel, carbon will be oxidized to CO2, hydrogen will be oxidized to H2O, and sulfur will be
oxidized to SO2.

Wet and Dry Basis

Product gas that leaves the combustion chamber is called stack or flue gas.
Composition of a flue gas is given on a wet (including water ) or dry basis (excluding
water).
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EXAMPLE: Suppose a stack gas contains equimolar amounts of CO2, N2 and H2O. Find the
composition on wet and dry basis?
Solution
Suppose we have n moles of each, then

As another example see Example 4.8-1 in the book (page 143)

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Combustion Reactions and Their Material Balances
Theoretical and Excess Air
Theoretical oxygen is the amount needed for complete combustion
of reactants to form CO2 and H2O. Air that contains the theoretical
amount of oxygen is called theoretical air.
Theoretical air does not depend on how much of a reactant is
converted. The difference between the amount of air initial fed and the
theoretical air is known as excess air. Therefore, percentage excess air
is defined as,

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Combustion Reactions and Their Material Balances
EXAMPLE: Theoretical and Excess Air
One hundred mol per hour of butane (C4H10) and 5000 mol per hour of air are fed into a
combustion reactor. Calculate the percent excess air.
Solution
First, calculate the theoretical air from the feed rate of fuel and the stoichiometric equation
for complete combustion of butane.

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Combustion Reactions and Their Material Balances
Combustion Material Balances
When doing material balances for combustion reactions, one should
consider balances of the followings:

a. inert N2 at both inlet and outlet

b. unreacted fuel
c. excess oxygen
d. combustion products CO2, H2), CO etc.

Suppose 15% excess of oxygen is fed,

oxygen fed = 1.15 × theoretical oxygen
nitrogen fed = (79/21) × oxygen fed
air fed = (100/21) × oxygen fed

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EXAMPLE: Combustion of Ethane
Ethane (C2H6) is burned with 50% excess air. The percentage conversion of the ethane is
90%; of the ethane burned, 25% reacts to form CO and the balance to form CO2. Calculate
the composition of the fuel gas and the ratio of water to dry fuel gas.
Solution
first step: Basis: 100 mol Ethane Fed
Second step: flow chart drawaing and labelling

Third step: do the degree of freedom analysis (although in single unit system dgress of
freedom should be 0, at least in this semester)

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Fourth step: doing the calculations

Here you can choose to do either atomic or molecular balance. Do not do both in one problem

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