Problem Set 8 – Material Balance Involving Recycle, Bypass, and Purge without Chemical Reactions

1. The manufacture of such products as penicillin, tetracycline, vitamins and other pharmaceuticals, as
well as photographic chemicals, dyes, and other fine organic compounds, usually requires separating the
suspended solids from their mother liquor by centrifuging and then drying the wet cake. A closed-loop
system (see figure 1) for centrifuging unloading, drying, conveying and solvent recovery is comprised of
equipment especially designed for handling materials requiring sterile and contamination-free
conditions. Given the experimental measurements on the pilot plant equipment, what is the lb/hr of the
recycle stream R?

2. A distillation column separates 10,000 kg/hr of a 50% benzene-50% toluene mixture. The product D
recovered from the condenser at the top of the column contains 95% benzene, and the bottom W from
the column contains 96% toluene. The vapor stream V entering the condenser from the top of the
column is 8000 kg/hr. A portion of the product from the condenser is returned to the column as reflux,
and the rest is withdrawn elsewhere. Assume that the compositions of the streams at the top of the
column (V), the product withdrawn (D) and the reflux (R) are identical because the V stream is
condensed completely. Find the ratio of the amount of refluxed R to the product withdrawn (D).

3. A material containing 75% water and 25% solid is fed to a granulator at a rate of 4000 kg/hr. The feed
is premixed in the granulator with recycled product from a dryer which follows the granulator (to reduce
the water concentration of the overall material in the granulator to 50% water. 50% solid). The product
that leaves the dryer contains 16.7% water. In the dryer, air is passed over the solid being dried. The air
entering the dryer contains 3% water by weight (mass) .and the air leaving the dryer contains 6% water
by weight (mass).
A) What is the recycle ratio to the granulator?
B) What is the rate of air flow to the dryer on a dry basis?

4. Given the process shown, find the recycle flow in pounds/hour, the production rate of potassium
nitrate, and the recycle ratio.

5. Fresh air containing 4.00 mole% water vapor is to be cooled and dehumidified to a water content of
1.70 mole% H2O. A stream of fresh air is combined with a recycle stream of previously dehumidified air
and passed through the cooler. The blended stream entering the unit contains 2.30 mole% H2O. In the
air conditioner, some of the water in the feed stream is condensed and removed as liquid. A fraction of
the dehumidified air leaving the cooler is recycled and the remainder is delivered to a room. Take 100
moles of the dehumidified air delivered to the room as a basis and calculate the moles of fresh feed,
moles of water condensed, and moles of dehumidified air recycled.
6. The steady-state process shown below extracts oil from soybeans:
(a) Calculate the flow rate and composition of stream 2.
(b) Calculate the flow rate of stream 6.
(c) Calculate the flow rate of stream 5.

7. In the feedstock preparation section of a plant manufacturing natural gasoline, isopentane is

removed from butane-free gasoline. Assume for purposes of simplification that the process and
components are as shown. What fraction of the butane-free gasoline is passed through the isopentane
tower? The process is in steady state and no reaction occurs.

8. A stream containing 5.15 wt% Cr is contained in the wastewater from a metal finishing plant. The
wastewater stream is fed to a treatment unit that removes 95% of the Cr in the feed and recycles it to
the plant. The residual liquid stream leaving the treatment unit is sent to a waste lagoon. The treatment
unit has a maximum capacity of 4,500 kg of wastewater/h. If wastewater leaves the finishing plant at a
rate higher than the capacity of the treatment unit, the excess (anything above 4,500 kg/h) bypasses
the unit and combines with the residual liquid leaving the unit, and the combined stream goes the waste
lagoon. Wastewater leaves the finishing plant at a rate of 6,000 kg/h. Calculate the flow rate of liquid to
the waste lagoon and the mass fraction of Cr in this liquid.