ChemE 101 – 7.

2 Worksheet Department of Chemical Engineering

1st Semester AY 2020-2021 University of the Philippines Diliman
Multiple-Unit Material Balances II

Name ChemE 101 Section

Instructions: Fill in the any missing information in the provided solution to each problem. You may print this worksheet, or, in the
absence of a printer, write the complete solution on another sheet of paper.

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1

PROBLEM 1
A hot air tunnel dryer is used to dry a filter press cake of titanium dioxide. The entering air is prepared by recycling a
portion of the air discharged from the drier with fresh air at 30°C and 1 atm. The fresh air contains 0.016 kmol water/kmol
dry air. The resulting mixture contains 0.048 kmol water/kmol dry air and is heated to 120°C and fed to the drier. Fifteen
kilograms per hour of water is picked up from the material being dried. The outgoing air contains 0.081 kmol water/kmol
dry air. What is the volumetric flow rate of the fresh air in m3/min and the fraction of the gross product air recycled?

Solution:
Diagram with complete stream information:

Assume: steady-state, ideal gas

Basis: 1 h

Additional
System Unknowns Balances DF
Equations
Dryer

Splitting point

Mixing point

Overall 0

Around overall system:

Let F ' = kmol dry air in F
P ' = kmol dry air in P

Dry air bal: F'= P'

Ê kmol ˜ˆ
Water bal: 0.016F '+ 15 kg Á
Á ˜ = 0.081P '
ËÁ18 kg ˜¯
F ' = P ' = 12.8205 kmol dry air

F = 1.016F ' = 13.0256 kmol

P = 1.081P ' = 13.8590 kmol

kmol
F = 13.0256
h

2

 Ê
Á kmol 1000 mol ˜ˆÊÁ m 3 -Pa ˆ˜
Á 13.0256 ¥ ˜Á 8.314 ˜(30 + 273.15 K)
nRT ËÁ h 1 kmol ˜¯Á Ë mol-K ¯˜˜ 1h
volume of fresh air = = ¥
P 101,325 Pa 60 min
1 atm ¥
1 atm
3
m
V = 5.4
min
Around dryer:
Let G1 ' = kmol dry air in G1
G2 ' = kmol dry air in G2

Dry air bal: G1 ' = G2 '

Ê kmol ˆ˜
Water bal: 0.048G1 '+ 15 kg Á
Á ˜ = 0.081G2 '
Á
Ë18 kg ¯˜
G1 ' = G2 ' = 25.2525 kmol dry air

G1 = 1.048G1 ' = 26.4647 kmol

G2 = 1.081G1 ' = 27.2980 kmol

Around splitting point:

OMB: 27.2980 = R + 13.8590 Æ R = 13.4390 kmol

R 13.4390
=
G2 27.2980
R
= 0.4923
G2

3

PROBLEM 2
In dry coffee processing, 1000 kg per day of coffee cherries
(40% pulp, 60% coffee beans, and negligible moisture content)
is passed into a pulper, which utilizes 1000 kg of fresh water
per day to process all the feed. Two streams, with the
following compositions, come out of this pulper:
Stream A: 70% coffee beans and 30% mucilage solution
Stream B: 90% mucilage solution and 10% undissolved
pulp

The mucilage solution consists of the dissolved pulp and

water.

Stream A is introduced into a separator which produces coffee

beans with 10% mucilage solution. The liquid from this
separator is then recycled back to the pulper.

Stream B is fed to another separator which discards as waste the insoluble pulp with an amount of mucilage solution and
recycles the rest back to the pulper.

The recycle of mucilage solution (R1 and R2) is essential in the de-pulping process since the solution contains pectin,
reducing sugars, and non-reducing sugars that enhance the flavor of the beans. If the solubility of the pulp in water is
constant, such that, the mucilage solution consists of 0.04 kg dissolved pulp per 1 kg of water, find the following:
1. Mass flow rates (in kg/day) of streams R1 and R2, and
2. Composition (% mucilage and % undissolved pulp) of the waste stream.

Solution:
Diagram with complete stream information:

W = 1000 kg/day
R1
1.0 H2O
1.0 mucilage

A S1
F = 1000 kg/day
0.3 mucilage 0.1 mucilage
0.7 beans 0.9 beans
0.4 pulp
0.6 beans

B
0.9 mucilage
0.1 undissolved pulp

R2
1.0 mucilage

S2
X Mucilage
1- X Undissolved pulp

4

 Additional
System Unknowns Balances DF
Equations
Pulper

Separator 1

Separator 2

Overall

Assume: steady-state
Basis: 1-day operation

Around entire system:

Beans balance: 0.6 (1000) = 0.9S1
S1 = 666.67kg

Around Separator 1:
Beans balance: 0.7A = 0.9 (666.67kg )
A = 857.14kg
OMB : 857.14 = 666.67 + R1

R1 = 190.48kg

As provided by the problem:

0.04kg dissolved pulp

kg water

In terms of mass fractions:

0.04 Èkg dissolved pulp ˘
xdissolved pulp = = 0.0385 Í ˙
0.04 + 1 ÍÎ kg solution ˙˚
1 È kg H2O ˘
x H 2O = = 0.9615 Í ˙
0.04 + 1 ÍÎkg solution ˙˚

Around Pulper:
Ê0.04 ˆ˜ Ê0.04 ˆ˜ Ê0.04 ˆ˜ Ê0.04 ˆ˜
Pulp bal: 0.4 (1000) + Á
Á ˜˜(190.48) + Á
Á ˜˜R2 = Á
Á ˜˜(0.3)(857.14) + ÁÁ ˜(0.9B ) + 0.1B
Á
Ë1.04 ¯ Á
Ë1.04 ¯ Á
Ë1.04 ¯ ËÁ1.04 ¯˜

OMB: 1000 + 1000 + 190.48 + R2 = 857.14 + B

Solving simultaneously:
R2 = 2266.667kg B = 3600kg

5

Around Separator 2:
OMB : 3599.58 = 2266.25 + S 2 Comp Mass%
S 2 = 1333.33kg mucilage 73.0000%
Undissolved
27.0000%
Undissolved pulp bal: 0.1 (3599.58) = x undissolved pulp (1333.33) pulp
Total 100.0000%
x undissolved pulp = 0.27
x mucilage = 1 - 0.27 = 0.73

6

PROBLEM 3
The absorber-stripper system shown in the
figure below is used to remove carbon
dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from a feed gas
consisting of 30% CO2, 10% H2S, and the
balance nitrogen. In the absorber, a solvent
selectively absorbs hydrogen sulfide and
carbon dioxide. The exit gas leaving the
absorber contains only 1% CO2 and no H2S.
Nitrogen is insoluble in the solvent. The rich
solvent stream leaving the absorber is flashed
(similar to distillation), and the overhead
vapor stream consists of 20% solvent, and
contains 25% of the CO2 and 15% of the
H2S from the raw feed to the absorber. The
liquid stream leaving the flash unit is split
into equal portions, one being returned to
the absorber. The other portion, which contains 5% CO2, is fed to the stripper. Since the splitter only physically splits the
stream, the composition of all streams interacting with this unit are the same. The liquid stream leaving the stripper
consists of pure solvent and is returned to the absorber along with fresh, makeup solvent. The stripper overhead contains
30% solvent. All compositions are in mole basis. On a basis of 100 mol/h gas feed rate to the absorber, calculate the:

1. Flow rate and composition of the overhead stream from the flash drum
2. Flow rate and composition of the stripper feed
3. Recovery of solvent in the flash drum (solvent in liquid bottoms/solvent fed to the drum)
4. Recycle ratio of the solvent (solvent recycled to absorber from stripper and flash drum/fresh solvent fed)

Solution:
Diagram with complete stream information:

7

Performing a degree-of-freedom analysis:
Additional
System Unknowns Balances DF
Equations
Absorber

Flash

Splitter

Stripper

Mixer

OMB

We can start by performing an overall material balance around the entire system.

Around entire system:

N 2 bal: 0.6 (100) = 0.99G
G = 60.61mol

Using additional relationship in the problem:

(0.25)(0.3)(100) = xO1 = 7.5mol CO2
(0.15)(0.1)(100) = (0.8 - x )O1 = 1.5mol H2S

Using the composition of the solvent:

x
0.2 = Æ x = 2.25mol solvent
7.5 + 1.5 + x

O1 = 11.25mol

Composition of overhead vapor in flash drum:

xCO2 = 66.7%
x H 2S = 13.3%
x solvent = 20%

solvent bal: M = 0.3O2 + 0.2 (11.25)

OMB : 100 + M = 60.61 + 11.25 + O2
Solving simultaneously:
M = 15.27mol
O2 = 43.41mol / h

H 2S bal: (0.1)(100) = 1.5 + (0.7 - xCO )(43.41)

2

xCO2 = 0.504

Composition of splitter overhead:

xCO2 = 0.504 x H 2S = 0.196 xsolvent = 0.30

8

Around stripper:
CO2 bal: 0.05C 2 = 0.504 (43.41)
C 2 = 437.57mol / h

OMB : 437.57 = 43.41 + S1

S1 = 394.16mol / h

H 2S bal: x (437.57 ) = 0.196 (43.41)

x H 2S = 0.019

Composition of stripper feed:

x H 2S = 0.019 xCO2 = 0.05 x solvent = 0.931

Around splitter:
As given in the problem:

C 1 = C 2 = 12 B Æ C 1 = 437.57mol / h
B = 875.14mol / h

Composition of liquid bottoms:

x H 2S = 0.019 xCO2 = 0.05 x solvent = 0.931

Around flash drum:

OMB : P1 = 875.14 + 11.25
P1 = 886.39mol / h
Solvent bal: x (886.39) = 0.931 (875.14) + 0.2 (11.25)
x solvent = 0.922
H 2S bal: x H 2S (886.39) = 0.019 (875.14) + 1.5
x H 2S = 0.020

Composition of flash drum feed:

x solvent = 0.922 x H 2S = 0.020 xCO2 = 0.058

0.931(875.14)
Recovery of solvent in flash drum = ¥ 100% = 99.7%
0.922 (886.39)

0.931(437.57) + 394.16
Recycle Ratio of solvent = = 52.5
15.27

After finishing this worksheet, please answer the Learning Log Link assigned to your instructor so that
we could better gauge your progress and adapt as necessary. The link can be found in our ChemE 101
course main page in UVLê.