Knowra Mass balance Mass balance A conservation equation accounting for material entering and leaving a system, together with changes in stored amount and gains or losses from reactions.
Conservation of mass : The physical principle that mass is neither created nor destroyed in ordinary processes. Mass balances apply this principle to a defined system and its material flows.
System boundary : The real or imagined surface separating a system from its surroundings. Choosing the boundary determines which transfers count as inputs and outputs.
Chemical process simulation : Computational modeling of material and energy flows through chemical process equipment. Simulators solve balances across connected units to predict process streams.
Energy balance : An accounting equation for energy entering, leaving, accumulating, or being transformed in a system. It follows a similar structure but tracks energy rather than material.
Control volume : A chosen region in space across whose boundary mass and energy may flow. The balance depends on which region is treated as the system.
Species balance : An accounting equation for the amount of one chemical species in a system. Tracking a single species makes reaction production and consumption explicit.
Reactor design : The engineering of reactors to achieve specified reaction rates, yields, and operating conditions. Balances connect feed rates and reaction extent to reactor size and output.
Momentum balance : An accounting equation for momentum transfer, accumulation, and forces in a system. It is another transport balance, with forces replacing chemical reaction terms.
Mass flow rate : The mass of a substance crossing a surface per unit time. Inlet and outlet flow rates provide the balance's transport terms.
Mole balance : An accounting equation for moles of chemical species entering, leaving, reacting, or accumulating. Mole balances track species counts, which can change during reactions even when total mass is conserved.
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