Chemical Engineering Principles-I Dr.Ali H.

Abbar

5. Methane burns with O2 to produce a gaseous product that contains CH4, O2, CO2, CO, H2O, and H2. How many
independent element balances can you write for this system?
6. Solve the problems (1, 2 & 3) using element balances.
7. Pure carbon is burned in oxygen. The flue gas analysis is: CO2 75 mo1%, CO l4 mol% & O2 11 mol%. What
was the percent excess oxygen used?
8. Toluene, C7H8, is burned with 30% excess air. A bad burner cause 15% of the carbon to form soot (pure C)
deposited on the walls of the furnace, what is the Orsat analysis of the gases leaving the furnace?
9. A synthesis gas analyzing CO2: 6.4%, O2: 0.2%, CO: 40.0% and H2: 50.8% (the balance is N2) is burned with
excess dry air. The problem is to determine the composition of the flue gas. How many degrees of freedom
exist in this problem, that is, how many additional variables must be specified?
10. A coal analyzing 65.4% C, 5.3% H, 0.6% S, 1.1% N, 18.5% O, and 9.1% ash is burned so that all combustible
is burnt out of the ash. The flue gas analyzes 13.00% CO2, 0.76% CO, 6.17% O2, 0.87% H2, and 79.20% N2.
All of the sulfur burns to SO2, which is included in the CO2 in the gas analysis (i.e., CO2 + SO2 = 13%).
Calculate:
a. Pounds of coal fired per 100 lb mol of dry flue gas as analyzed;
b. Ratio of moles of total combustion gases to moles of dry air supplied;
c. Total moles of water vapor in the stack gas per 100 lb of coal if the entering air is dry;
d. Percent excess air.
11. A hydrocarbon fuel is burnt with excess air. The Orsat analysis of the flue gas shows 10.2% CO2, 1.0% CO,
8.4% O2, and 80.4% N2. What is the atomic ratio of H to C in the fuel?

Answers:

1. 186 kg
2. 887 lb
3. (a) C6H12 = 139 mol/hr; (b) H2O = 453 mol/hr; (c) CO = 347 mol/hr; (d) H2 = 640 mol/hr; (e) C6H14 = 53.3
mol/hr.
4. Two
5. Three
6. See the answers to the problems (1, 2 &3).
7. 4.5%
8. 9.1% CO2, 8.9% O2, 82% N2
9. 1
10. (a) 252; (b)1.063; (c) 2.31; (d) 33.8%
11. 0.81

2.6 Material Balance Problems Involving Multiple Units

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Figure 1l.1a illustrates a serial combination of mixing and splitting stages. In a mixer, two or more entering streams of
different compositions are combined. In a splitter, two or more streams exit, all of which have the same composition.
In a separator, the exit streams can be of different compositions.

Figure 11.1a serial mixing and splitting in a system without reaction. Streams 1 plus 2 mix to form Stream 3, and
Stream 5 is split into Streams 6 and 7.

Figure 11.1b the dashed line I designates the boundary for overall material balances made on the process in
Figure l1.1a.

Figure 11.1c Dashed lines II, III and IV designate the boundaries for material balances around each of the
individual units comprising the overall process.

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Chemical Engineering Principles-I Dr.Ali H.Abbar

Figure 11.1d the dashed line V designates the boundary for material balances around a system comprised of the
mixing point plus the unit portrayed by the box.

Figure 11.1e the dashed line VI designates the boundary for material balances about a system comprised of the
unit portrayed by the box plus the splitter.

Figure 11.1f the dashed line VII designates the boundary for material balances about a system comprised of the
mixer plus the splitter.

Example 32
Acetone is used in the manufacture of many chemicals and also as a solvent. In its latter role, many restrictions are
placed on the release of acetone vapor to the environment. You are asked to design an acetone recovery system having
the flow sheet illustrated in Figure El1.1. All the concentrations shown in El1.1 of both the gases and liquids are
specified in weight percent in this special case to make the calculations simpler. Calculate, A, F, W, B, and D per hour.
G = 1400 kg/hr.

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Solution
This is an open, steady-state process without reaction. Three subsystems exist.

Pick 1 hr as a basis so that G = 1400 kg.

Figure E11.1

The mass balances for Unit 1 (Absorber Column)

Solve Equations (a), (b), and (c) to get A =1336.7 kg/hr, F = 221.05 kg/hr and W = 157.7 kg/hr
(Check) Use the total balance (Absorber Column).

The mass balances for the combined Units 2 plus 3 (Distillation & Condenser) are:

Solve Equations (d) and (e) simultaneously to get D = 34.90kg/hr and B = 186.1 kg/hr
(Check) Use the total balance (Distillation & Condenser)

Note
As a matter of interest, what other mass balances could be written for the system and substituted for any one of the
Equations (a) through (e)? Typical balances would be the overall balances

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Example 33
In the face of higher fuel costs and the uncertainty of the supply of a particular fuel, many companies operate two
furnaces, one fired with natural gas and the other with fuel oil. The gas furnace uses air while the oil furnace uses an
oxidation stream that analyzes: O2, 20%; N2, 76%; and CO2, 4%. The stack gases go up a common stack, See Figure
El1.2.

Figure E11.2

The reserve of fuel oil was only 560 bbl. How many hours could the company operate before shutting down if no
additional fuel oil was attainable? How many lb mol/hr of natural gas were being consumed? The minimum heating
load for the company when translated into the stack gas output was 6205 lb mol/hr of dry stack gas. The molecular
weight of the fuel oil was 7.91 lb/lb mol, and its density was 7.578 lb/gal.
Solution
This is an open, steady-state process with reaction. Two subsystems exist.

Basis: 1 hr, so that P = 6205 lb mol

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Solve the S balance for F; the sulfur is a tie component. Then solve for the other four balances simultaneously for G.
The results are:

F = 207 lb mol/hr and G = 499 lb mol/hr

Finally, the fuel oil consumption is

If the fuel oil reserves were only 560 bbl,

Example 34
Figure E11.3 shows the process and the known data. You are asked to calculate the compositions of every flow stream,
and the fraction of the sugar in the cane that is recovered.

Figure E11.3
15% Sugar

Solution
Basis: l hour (M= l000lb)
Let S = sugar, P = pulp, and W = water.

For the crystallizer the equations are

Sugar: K (0.40) = L (0) + 1000

Water: K (0.60) = L + 0

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