Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg

Chair for PROCESS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Prof. K. Sundmacher
Winter term 2015/2016
Script 1. Mass Balance

Contents
Balancing Technical Systems ................................................................................................3
1.1 General Balances .....................................................................................................3
2.1 Material Balances .....................................................................................................4
0.2.1 Conc entration Measures ....................................................................................4
0.2.2 Material Balance for One Component..................................................................5
0.2.3 Total Mass Balance ...........................................................................................8

Balancing Technical Systems

1.1

General Balances

Balance equations are the foundation of the mathematical description of any system. They are the
system equations in the previous chapter. For process engineering systems the material balance, the
momentum balance and the energy balance are of outstanding significance.
Each of these balances can be written in different manners. Besides balancing masses, a material
balance can also balance molar quantities or volumes. Although there are no laws of conservation for
the last two cases, we can write down balances for them. For the energy balance, too, there are various
forms. Besides the total energy, for which law of conservation exists in classical physics, we can balance
internal energy or enthalpy.
For all balances we find a common form, in which in a considered volume the in - and outflows of an
entity plus all sources and sinks are equal to the change of this entity within this volume. So we equate
causes (flows, sources and sinks) with its effects (accumulation of the entity).
All in all we can write down a verbal balance equation for an arbitrary entity:

accumulation = inflow outflow sources/sinks

Here the in- and outflows are all flows which transport the balanced entity in or out of the considered
volume. These flows can be subdivided in a convective and a diffusive term. The convective term
describes the entities in- and output of the system that is connected to a convective material flow. The
diffusive term describes the part of the flow which is not caused by convective transport.
Sources and sinks describe the change of the entity in a volume by diverse physical and chemical
processes. Sinks are interpreted as sources with a negative sign and therefore are summarised under
the term `source`.
Accumulation is defined as the change of the balanced entity by time which is induced by procedures
described on the right-hand side.

Note: Equating input parameters with inflow as well as equating output parameters with outflow is,
globally seen, not allowed. While input parameters are given, the inflows need not be given. On the
other hand output parameters result out of the system, but outflows can also be given. As a result the
direction of the system-theoretical signal flux is not always identical to the direction of the physical
material flow.

On the following sides we show and derivate single balances in their general form.

2.1

Material Balances

0.2.1 Concentration Measures

Diverse measures can be used to describe the quantity of materials. Extensive measures like masses,
number of moles or the volume of a material show the absolute amount of a balance variable.
Unfortunately, these extensive measures often show up as impractical since they depend on the size of
the considered system. The contrast to these measures are intensive measures like concentration or
density. They do not depend on the size of the system.
The following table, which need not necessarily be complete, shows the large variety of measures for
extensive and intensive material quantities, hence also shows the diversity of possible balances.

Measure Volume V Mass m Quantity n

Reference variable
Volume V (m)

V/V=v

m/V= n /V=c

Mass m (kg)

V/m

m/m=w n /m

Quantity n (mol)

V/n

m/n

n /n=x

Table 1: Measures of Quantities of Materials vs. Reference Variables

with
m3m-3

Volumetric concentration of component

Density of component

kgm-3

Molar concentration of component

molm-3

Mass fraction of component

kgkg-1

Molar fraction of component

molmol -1

For the sake of clarity and for being universal we will use tensor notation in the following derivation of
balance equations. In this respect we refer to the introduction into tensor notation, which can be found
at the appendix of this script.

0.2.2 Material Balance for One Component

On the following pages we want to derive the material balance of a component for the generalized case
of an arbitrary mixture of materials. We use the partial mass density as the concentration measure.
The balance is set up on a stationary and constant volume V of arbitrary size and form. It is pictured in
the following figure. Additionally we have drawn the surface normal vector n k, which is defined as
positive pointing outwards of the volume, the fluxes over the surface of the volume and the sources an d
sinks in the volume.

nk

z3
Flux

Sink

Source

z2
z1
Figure 1.1: Balance volume

The change in mass of component in the considered volume V is

dm d

dV dV
dt
dt V
t
V

(0.1)

with
m

Mass of component

kg

Time

Density of component relative to the total volume

kgm-3

Volume

m3

The flow of component through the surface into the volume is equivalent to the integral taken over
the surface of the mass-flux density vk, of component in opposite direction to the surface normal
vector n k.. vk, is the velocity of component in the fluid.

vk , nk dA

(0.2)

with
vk,

Velocity of component

ms-1

nk

Surface normal vector

Surface of respective volume

m2

For further breaking down this term, we define the velocity of the center of gravity of a fluid:

vk vk ,

(0.3)

with
vk

Velocity of center of gravity of a fluid

ms-1

Total density of a fluid

kgm-3

The diffusion-flux density or diffusion velocity of component is defined as the velocity difference of
component to the center of gravity of the fluid:

jk , vk , vk

(0.4)

with
Diffusion-flux density of component

jk,

kgm-2s-1

Breaking up this equation we get two terms containing the flows into and out of the volume. The first
part is called the convective term, it describes the in- and output of material via motion of the fluid. The
second part is called the diffusive term. It represents the in- and output of material caused by material
fluxes other than the movement of the fluid.

vk , nk dA vk nk dA j k , nk dA
A

(0.5)

The source term takes into account the occurring reactions that change the mass of component inside
the volume. is the source density of component .

dV

(0.6)

with
Source density of component

kgs-1m-3

In the material balance the source term contains all reactions occurring inside the volume. We here
refer to chapter 2.5, which describes possible contents of the source term. Please pay attention since
the balance used here is based on unit-mass source densities, but in chemical reaction engineering
molar reaction rates are preferred. A suitable conversion via molar mass is required therefore.

Summarizing all terms we get the mass balance in its integral form

dV vk j k , nk dA dV
t
A
V

(0.7)

Besides integrals taken over the volume we also find integrals taken over the surface. These are
converted to integrals over the volume via the Gaussian Theorem. It says:

nk dA

g k
dV
z k

(0.8)

with
gk

Arbitrary 1st order tensor function

zk

Space coordinate

For the material balance follows

vk j k , nk dA
A

vk jk , dV
z k

(0.9)

and from this

dV 0

k
k
,

V t z k

(0.10)

For this function to be valid, the integrand always has to be zero:

vk jk ,

t
z k

(0.11)

This is the mass balance of component in the local form. Since it is only made for one component, the
balance is called partial mass balance.

0.2.3 Total Mass Balance

Summing up the densities of all components in a fluid results into the total density of the fluid. The same
can be said about the respective derivations by time. In order to get the total mass balance, we sum up
the material balances of all the single components.

t
t

(0.12)

It holds for the sum of all diffusion fluxes

k ,

(0.13)

Using the conservation law for mass we see that the sum of the product terms has to be zero. This is
only valid for unit-mass balances. For balancing quantities or volumes, the sum of the source terms need
not be zero, since no respective law of conversation exists.

(0.14)

Hence the change of the total density of a fluid is

vk

t
z k

(0.15)

This is the local form of a total mass balance. It is also called global continuity equation. This local
approach, also called Eulerian approach, acts on the assumption of a constant reference volume. We
balance on this volume via a stationary observer and the destiny of single fluid particles is not relevant.
This results in a balance equation of local form.
Contrary to this is the Lagrangian approach, where a constant reference mass is taken. This mass moves
in the fluid along the velocity of center of gravity. The observer is attached to the fluid and sees the
change of the property of the reference mass with regard to the movement of the center of gravity.
Using this point of view results in the substantive (also called material) form of the balance equation.
Converting one form of balance equation into the other is done with the help of the following relation:

vk
Dt t
zk

(0.16)

Applying this conversion gives the substantive form of the total mass balance:

D
v
k
Dt
zk

(0.17)

Although the substantive form of a balance equation is more simple, it is more laborious for concrete
calculations since no stationary discretisation is allowed. Nevertheless, there are also systems where the
Lagrangian methodology is preferable: A particle in a flow field, e.g. in a cyclone, can be described much
simpler with the Lagrangian methodology than with the Eulerian one. Sometimes even a mixture
between both approaches may be of advantage. This lecture will be restricted to the Eulerian
methodology. Therefore we are not going to additionally set up the substantive forms of further balance
equations subsequently.