Department of Chemical

Engineering
University of the Philippines Diliman

Equations of Continuity
ChE 131 – Transport Processes

Reference:
B, Bird, R.B., Stewart, W.E., and Lightfoot, E.N. (2007). Chapter 19
Equations of Change for Multicomponent Systems , Transport Phenomena,
2nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
 Outline
 Equations of Continuity
 Derivation
 Simplifications

 Examples
 Steady-State Evaporation (BSL Problem 19B.1)
 Diffusion and Chemical Reaction inside a porous catalyst (BSL
§18.7)
 Concentration Profile in a Tubular Reactor (BSL Example 19.4-2)

 Transient (Unsteady-State Mass Transfer)

Equations of Continuity
 Derivation:
 Consider a volume element Δx Δy Δz (see figure below),
through which a fluid mixture is flowing.

 Mixture is composed of α species, α = 1,2,…,N

 Within mixture, reactions may be occurring, with a rate
rα [units: mass/(volume x time)]

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Equations of Continuity
 Derivation:
 Apply law of conservation of mass to each specie
(component mass balance)
 Various contributions to the mass balance:

 When the entire mass balance is written down and

divided by Δx Δy Δz:

Equation of Continuity for species α in

a multicomponent reacting system 4
Equations of Continuity
 Eqn. 19.1-5 in vector notation is written as,

 Since, nα = jα + ραv, the equation of continuity for

species α, we can write 19.1-6 as

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Equations of Continuity
 Addition of all N equations in either eqn. 19.1-6 or
7 gives

 Equation of continuity for the mixture, similar to

the equation of continuity for a pure liquid

 For fluid mixtures of constant mass density ρ,

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Equations of Continuity
 Equation of Continuity for species α in molar units

 Since, Nα = J*α + cαv*

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Equations of Continuity
 When all N equations in eqn. 19-1.10 or 11 are
added we get

 For a fluid mixture of constant molar density c

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Equations of Continuity
 Other forms

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Equations of Continuity

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Equations of Continuity

11
Equations of Continuity
 Simplifications: Binary system (mixture: A + B)
 Binary mixture with constant ρDAB
 Diffusion in dilute liquid solutions at constant T and P

 Binary mixture with constant cDAB

 Diffusion in low-density gases at constant T and P

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Equations of Continuity
 Simplifications: Binary system (mixture: A + B)
 Binary systems with zero velocity
 Diffusion in solids or in stationary liquids (v = 0)
 Equimolar counter-diffusion in gases (v* = 0)
 No chemical reaction

Fick’s second law of Diffusion / Diffusion equation

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Examples
 Steady-State Evaporation (BSL Problem 19B.1)
 Re-work the problem solved in BSL § 18.2. Use
equation of continuity instead of shell balance.
 Show that you will get the same differential
equation and solution

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Examples
 Diffusion through a Stagnant Gas Film (BSL 18.2)
Assumptions:

1. Steady-state
2. T and P are
constants
3. Gas A and B are
ideal
4. No dependence of vz
on the radial
coordinate
At the gas-liquid interface,

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Examples
 Steady-State Evaporation (BSL Problem 19B.1)
 Binary system, T,P = constant, ideal gas

 Mass transfer is only in the z-direction:

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Examples
 Steady-State Evaporation (BSL Problem 19B.1)
 B is stagnant (Uni-component diffusion)
 vBz = 0: v*z = xAvAz = NAz/c = xAv*z – DAB dxA/dz

 Simplifying the equation from the previous slide, we

get the following differential equation:

 Which could also be written as

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Examples
 Diffusion and Chemical Reaction inside a Porous
Catalyst (BSL § 18.7)

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Examples
 Assumptions
 Steady-state
 Mass transfer only in the radial direction
 Isothermal, isobaric
 First order reaction: A → B
 Concentration of A is small
 EMCD (once B is produced, B will diffuse out)

 Equation of Continuity for A (spherical

coordinates)

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Examples
 Simplifying and taking note that RA = -k1aCA

B.C.
r = R (at the surface) ,CA = CAR
r = 0 (symmetry) ,dCA/dr = 0

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Examples
 Concentration Profile in a Tubular Reactor (BSL
Example 19.4-2)

A dilute solution of A in a solvent S is in fully developed, laminar flow in

the region z < 0. When it encounters the catalytic wall in the region 0 <
z < L, solute A is instantaneously and irreversibly rearranged to an
isomer B. Write the diffusion equation appropriate for this problem,
and find the solution. Assume that the flow is isothermal and neglect
the presence of B.

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Examples
 Continuity of A: (cylindrical coordinates)

 Motion:

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Examples
 Solve the equation of motion to get vz, plug-in vz to
equation of continuity

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Unsteady-State Mass Transfer
 Fick’s 2nd law: no chemical reaction, 1D

I.C. and B.C.

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Unsteady-State Mass Transfer
 Solution
 Numerical: FTCS, Method of Lines
 Analytical: Fourier Series

 Charts: Gurney-Lurie Charts (See Geankoplis

Chapter 5)

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