Mass balance

We prepare the mass balance during the conceptual and/or basic design phases of the project and maintain it continuously throughout the project execution phase. Initially, we list the product composition and properties. The mass balance outlines quantities, capacities and characteristics at the various process stages for raw materials, intermediates, finished products, by-products and waste products in the process plant.

The client holds the responsibility and knowledge regarding the input to the mass balance, and the level of detail is agreed upon within the project team based on a risk assessment of process performance. The mass balance can advantageously be integrated into the process flow diagram.

Once the mass balance and other key documents are developed and finalized, the foundation for further project work is established. This helps minimize design errors and time waste for the project team, as well as reduce performance deficiencies in the process plant during the Site Acceptance Test later in the project execution.

A common project execution misconception is to skip the mass balance and proceed directly to the detailed design phase. This rarely leads to a good outcome, as the important initial considerations and overview mentioned above are missing.