Mass and Energy Balance

6 weeks · 0 milestones

Perform a complete mass and energy balance for a real or representative chemical process, demonstrating conservation of mass and energy across each unit operation and the overall system. The balance must include: a process description identifying all feed streams, products, by-products, and waste streams, a mass balance table with inlet and outlet flows for all components (in consistent units) demonstrating closure within 1% or documenting any unaccounted losses, an energy balance covering the major energy inputs and outputs (heat of reaction, heat exchange, pump or compressor work) with documented thermodynamic data sources, and a stream summary table presenting all stream compositions, flowrates, temperatures, and pressures. Preferred proof: a mass and energy balance for a real industrial process using professional process simulation software. Accessible alternative: DWSIM (free, open-source chemical process simulator for Windows, Mac, and Linux) — simulation input file submitted alongside the results; OR a complete hand calculation for a simplified 2-3 unit process with documented data sources (NIST Chemistry WebBook for thermodynamic data — free). Proof artifacts: the process flowsheet with stream data (design artifact) and the balance tables demonstrating mass and energy closure (analysis artifact). Verification: a process engineer reviews the energy balance — 'your heat exchanger duty — what driving temperature difference are you assuming, and is that physically achievable given your stream temperatures?' — requiring you to reason from your own streams.

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