Degree of Freedom Analysis - General Introduction

When solving mass balance problems, a useful part of the "EXPLORE" or analysis part of the
problem is to find out if we have all the information necessary to solve the problem; i.e., do we have
sufficient equations for the remaining unknowns. A structured way to do this is through a degree of
freedom analysis. Basically, we count the total number of variables, subtract from that the number
of independentequations relating the variables and the number of independent known values.
Analysis of Material Balance Problems
The solution of an algebraic model representing process mass balances can be obtained provided
the problem has been well defined. A simple index that can provide a good indication of whether the
problem has been properly set up as well as point to the most reasonable starting point for a hand solution
is the degree of freedom of the problem.
In simple terms, if you have m unknowns contained within n algebraic equations, then the
problem is uniquely solvable if m = n, under-specified if m > n (you cannot solve for all unknown stream
variables), and over-specified if n > m (there is a redundancy or perhaps even an inconsistency in the
equations). To provide a more systematic approach, we will define the degree of freedom of a system as
F=m-n-p-s
where:
F = degree of freedom of the system
m = total number of independent stream variables
n = total number of independent balance equations
p = total number of independent stream variables for which the values are specified in the
problem
s = total number of subsidiary relations
If the degree of freedom is positive then the problem is under-specified, if it is negative then the
problem is over-specified, and if the degree of freedom is zero then the problem is correctly specified and
a unique solution can be found. Note the use of the key word "independent" in the above definitions. Let's
talk about each of the individual terms in the degree of freedom equation in more depth. In particular, we
need simple ways of obtaining them from the problem statement.

Rules of Thumb for Getting m, n, p, and s

m: The total number of independent stream variables. This is found by adding up the number of
components in each of the streams that cross the system boundary.
Why does this work? The specific variables for each stream that are independent can be
found in one of two ways:
o

count 1 for the number of moles (or molar flow rate) for each component
(Note that the total flow rate is not independent in this case because the sum of

the individual component flows must add to the total flow)

o

count 1 for the total flow rate plus an additional 1 for each of the C-l mass fractions (or

mole fractions), where C is the number of components in that stream.

Recall that only C-1 of the total C mole fractions are independent because the last

one can be found from the previous C-1 using:

n: The total number of independent mass balance equations. In general, the number of independent
mass balances that can be written for a system is equal to the number of different components that
cross the system boundaries.
Why can we count the number of independent mass balances by counting the number of unique
or different components in the various streams? A few pages back we arrived at this very algorithm. You
should review the concept of the number of independent mass balances that can be written for a system if
you have forgotten. Actually this number will depend upon how many process units we have, but for now
we will write it for a single unit without reactions.
p: The number of independent specified stream variables ; i..e., variables for which you have
numbers.
These are the "knowns." These are stream values prescribed by the problem, such as 10 mol% benzene,
30 moles/sec, etc. Be sure to include the basis as a p-value whenever appropriate.
s:The number of independent subsidiary relationships.
Subsidiary relationships are additional equations that relate properties in two streams. Often subsidiary
relations are given in a problem such as a percent conversion, a ratio of flow rates, a yield, etc. Subsidiary
relations come about because of the way the apparatus is operated, because of constraints set by the
operator or equipment, or because of equilibrium relationships between outlet streams.

The degree-of-freedom analysis for a problem becomes more and more important as the
complexity of the problem increases. This is because the degrees of freedom tell you where to start in
solving a problem (anything with a zero degree of freedom can be solved immediately), and what to use
to solve it (n mass balance equations and s subsidiary relations). We will use it extensively to direct our
solving efforts. At first it may seem like extra effort because the problems will be simple. Learn how to
do it correctly with these simple examples because it will become indispensable for very complex
problems. Incidentally, this is the same kind of analysis that is done in process design software to direct
its solving efforts.
Degree of Freedom Analysis on Single Units With No Reactions
The general formulation of the degree-of-freedom analysis developed on the previous page can be
straightforwardly applied to a single unit in which no reaction takes place. A degree-of-freedom analysis
can be done correctly in different ways than we have formalized here, but the methods of
counting m, n, p, and s proscribed on the previous page is a good systematic way to do it, and I urge you
to become quite familiar with it. In particular, we deal completely with independent variables to keep the
number of variables as small and simple as possible. One could formulate a similar procedure for all
variables (instead of independent ones), but that simply increases m, n, and p equivalently so that f comes
out the same.
Calculating these quantities correctly takes some practice, so I suggest the you use the interactive
degree-of-freedom applet (link below) to get some practice with this concept.
Interactive Degrees of Freedom Applet
Degrees of Freedom
The purpose of performing a degrees of freedom analysis is to determine if a problem is solvable with the
given information. If a problem has 0 degrees of freedom (df = 0), there is just enough information to
solve it. If df > 0, information is lacking. If df < 0, the problem is overspecified.
The following four variables are necessary in a degrees of freedom analysis:
1.

m - The number of independent variables in the system.

2.

n - The number of material balance equations that can be written.

3.

p - The number of variables whose values are given.

4.

s - The number of subsidiary relations - e.g. relationships given in the problem statement

that are not material balances.

The following applet will take you through several problems. In each problem you must
determine m, n and p from the information on the flow diagram and enter the values into the textfields on
the right.
Solving Mass Balances for Nonreacting Processes
We will now illustrate the whole procedure for solving problems with some simple examples. The
examples will become more complex as we go. Also, we will do the first problem identifying each step in
the general problem solving approach and writing down everything. This is to make sure you understand
specifically the steps. Generally one would not solve a problem with so much tedium, but use the steps as
a guide.
Example 1: Problem Solving Approach
Problem Statement:
(Drying) A wet paper pulp contains 71% water. After drying, it is found that 60% of the original
water has been removed. What is the composition of the dried pulp and how much water was removed?
Solution
Step 1: Define

Draw a simple sketch of the process

Label all stream variables and insert numbers for known values
Set a basis for the calculation. Choose it to make the calculations easy. It doesn't

need to be the feed, but in this case that is convenient.

Label any subsidiary relations on the diagram to keep track of them

Step 2:

Explore

m=independent

stream variables. Add up the number of components in each stream (shown in red)

n=independent
mass balances. Add up the number of unique components (shown in blue). Remember that you
can do 1 mass balance for each component.

p=independent

specified variables. Add up number of specified variables that were part of m (shown in green).
Remember that you can only count C-1 mole fractions for C components.

s=independent

subsidiary equations. Non-mass balances relating variables between two streams

If f=0 then
problem is solvable.

Example 2: Simple Distillation Example

Problem Statement
A mixture containing 10% EtOH and 90% H2O by weight is fed to a distillation column at the
rate of 1000 kg/h. The distillate contains 60% EtOH and is produced at a rate 1/10 th that of the feed. What
is the composition and flow rate of the bottoms?
Solution
Basis: 1 hr
DOF Analysis: (click on link if you want to see where it came from)
m
n
p
s
f

6
2
4
0
0
Independent Equations:
(According to the DOF analysis, we need 2 mass
balances.
overall: 1000 kg = B + 100 kg B = 900 kg
EtOH: 100 kg = 60 kg + (wEtOHB )(900 kg)
(wEtOHB ) = 0.044
Divide by Basis:
B = 900 kg/hr
Check water: 900 kg = 40 kg + (0.956)(900 kg) = 900 kg OK

DOF Notes:

m is the number of independent variables for all of the streams combined. The rule for

counting it is to find the number of components in each stream and add them up. In this case, there are 2
components (E and W) in the feed, 2 in the distillate, and 2 in the bottoms; i.e., a total of 6.

n is the number of independent mass balances that can be written for this system. The

rule for counting it is to find the number of different components that enter or leave the system. In this
case n=2 because E and W are the only two components that are in any of the streams.

p is the number of independent variables for which we have known values. In this case,

p=4. Which ones are they? (1) The feed = 1000 kg, (2) The feed composition is 10% E, (3) the distillate
is 100 kg, and (4) the distillate is 60% E. What about the other two values: 90% W in the feed and 40%
W in the distillate. These are not independent of the other variables because we may not count
all C mass fractions for C components in a stream. This is because we know they add to one. When we
counted m, we counted the mass of the stream andC-1 mass fractions (for a total of C), so we can't count
any other values that we know except those included in that independent set.