With the design basis fixed, the heat and material balances quantify exactly what crosses every unit operation — mass flow rates, component balances, energy requirements and the hydraulic profile that the whole plant is built around.
The work that turns the brief into defensible engineering
Conservation of mass across every unit operation — influent, recycle, chemical addition, sludge and effluent all reconciled so nothing is unaccounted for.
Per-species tracking of COD, solids, nitrogen and phosphorus through the train, predicting the concentration and load reaching each stage.
Heating, cooling, aeration and pumping energy quantified to size blowers, exchangers and the overall power demand of the plant.
The hydraulic grade line from inlet to outlet, confirming every unit can pass peak flow by gravity or with defined pumping head.
The material balance is simply conservation of mass applied to each unit and the plant as a whole: mass in = mass out + accumulation ± reaction. Closing this balance for water, solids and each contaminant species is what turns a process concept into a sized plant — it sets the recycle ratios, the sludge production, the chemical dosing rates and the load on every downstream stage. The energy balance does the same for heat and power, sizing aeration, mixing, heating and pumping. Together they are the quantitative backbone of the design: every datasheet, pump curve and tank volume traces back to a line in these balances.
Quantified return streams and sludge production that close the loop and size the solids-handling train.
Dosing rates derived from the balances, feeding storage, day-tank and dosing-pump sizing.
Aeration, mixing and thermal duties that set the connected load and operating-cost model.
The complete bespoke equipment design methodology.
Read MoreA companion step in the design methodology.
Read MoreA companion step in the design methodology.
Read MoreA companion step in the design methodology.
Read MoreReynolds & Bauhm delivers bespoke water and wastewater equipment design through a gated, fully documented methodology — every figure traceable from characterisation to fabrication.
Our expertise spans multiple industries with sector-specific water treatment solutions.