Malnad College of Engineering

(An autonomous Institution under Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi)

#21, Hassan –573202, Karnataka, India
2024-2025
Report on
Mathematics-II For Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Stream (MAT4E21)

TOPIC :
“Mixing Problem involving one tank, two tank”

Submitted by :
Jnanavi H L (4MC24EC044)
Keerthana K N (4MC24EC049)
Krishi H (4MC24EC050)
Kruthika N P (4MC24EC051)
Lipi S C (4MC24EC056)
Shalini K S( 4MC24EC095)

Under the guidance of :

Dr.Roopa G S
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
 INTRODUCTION

Mixing problems are a class of applied mathematics problems that model the
concentration of a substance, such as salt, dye, or chemical, dissolved in a liquid
within one or more connected tanks. These systems are studied under the topic
of differential equations, as the rate of change of the quantity of the substance
depends on inflow and outflow processes.

In a one-tank system, a single tank receives an inflow of liquid containing a

dissolved substance and may simultaneously discharge the mixture. The
concentration inside the tank changes over time depending on the input rate,
input concentration, volume of the tank, and the rate at which the mixture exits.
The governing equation for such problems is typically a first-order linear
differential equation.

In a two-tank system, two tanks are connected such that fluid flows from one
tank to another, possibly with inflow and outflow at different rates. This adds
complexity to the system, often requiring a system of coupled differential
equations to describe how the concentration in each tank evolves over time.
These models are essential in chemical engineering, environmental science, and
industrial processes where multi-stage mixing occurs.

Understanding and solving mixing problems allow us to predict how long it

takes to reach a desired concentration or determine optimal flow rates for desired
outcomes. These problems combine mathematical modelling with real-world
applications, making them a key topic in applied mathematics and engineering
disciplines.
Mathematical Modelling of Mixing Problems

General Assumptions:
To mathematically model mixing problems, the following assumptions are
generally made:
• The liquid in the tank is perfectly mixed at all times.
• The volume of liquid inside the tank may be constant or variable.
• Flow rates (in and out) are either constant or defined functions of time.
• The concentration of incoming solution is known and uniform.

Modeling a One-Tank System:

Let:
• x(t) = amount of solute (e.g., salt) in the tank at time
• V = volume of liquid in the tank (assumed constant unless stated)
• rin = inflow rate (L/min)
• rout = outflow rate (L/min)
• Cin = concentration of solute in incoming liquid (kg/L)

Differential Equation:

dx x(t)
= rin ⋅ Cin − rout ⋅
dt V

Modeling a Two-Tank System:

Let:
• x(t) , y(t) = amounts of solute in Tank A and Tank B
• VA , VB = volumes of tanks A and B
• rAB , rBA = flow rates from A to B and B to A

System of Differential Equations:

dx r rAB
= BA y − x
dt VB VA
dy r rBA
= AB x − y
dt VA VB

These are coupled linear first-order ODEs and often require methods for
systems, like eigenvalue-eigenvector solutions or numerical approximation.

Why Use Differential Equations?

Because the amount of solute changes continuously over time, and this rate of
change is dependent on the current state (concentration), differential equations
are the natural mathematical tool for modelling such processes.
 Problems on Mixing involving one tank, two tank

1. A tank has pure water flowing into it at 10 l/min. The contents of the tank are
kept thoroughly mixed, and the contents flow out at 10 l/min. Initially, the tank
contains 10 kg of salt in 100 l of water. How much salt will there be in the tank
after 30 minutes?

To study such a question, we consider the rate of change of the amount of salt
in the tank. Let S be the amount of salt in the tank at any time t. If we can
dS
create an equation relating to S and t, then we will have a differential
dt
equation which we can, ideally, solve to determine the relationship between S
and t.
dS
To describe , we use the concept of concentration, the amount of salt per
dt
unit of volume of liquid in the tank. In this problem, the inflow and outflow
rates are the same, so the volume of liquid in the tank stays constant at 100 l.
Hence, we can describe the concentration of salt in the tank by
S
concentration of salt = kg/l.
100
Then, since mixture leaves the tank at the rate of 10 l/min, salt is leaving the
tank at the rate of
S S
(10 l/min)=
100 10
This is the rate at which salt leaves the tank, so
dS S
=−
dt 10
This is the differential equation we can solve for S as a function of t. Notice
that since the derivative is expressed in terms of a single variable, it is the
simplest form of separable differential equations, and can be solved as follows:

dS 1
∫ S ∫ 10
=− dt
1
ln | S | = − t+C
101
S = Ce − 10 t

where C is a positive constant. Note that we have used the fact that S ≥ 0 to
eliminate the absolute value symbol.
Since S = 10 when t = 0, we find C = 10 and finally we have
1
S = 10e − 10 t.

We can see from this that as t goes to infinity, the amount of salt in the tank
goes to zero. Also, after 30 minutes, there will be
S = 10e −3= 0.49787068 kg
of salt in the tank.
 2. A tank has pure water flowing into it at 10 l/min. The contents of the tank
are kept thoroughly mixed, and the contents flow out at 10 l/min. Salt is added
to the tank at the rate of 0.1 kg/min. Initially, the tank contains 10 kg of salt in
100 l of water. How much salt is in the tank after 30 minutes?

Here the setup is very similar the previous problem. The only difference from
the previous problem is the addition of 0.1 kg/min of salt to the tank. As a
result, we can modify our differential equation to take this into account:

dS S
=− + 0.1 = −0.1S +0.1
dt 10
Here we see the effect of the outflow as a negative term and the addition of salt
as a positive term which we sum to get the net rate of change of salt.
Yet again, this equation is clearly separable, since there is no t variable on the
right hand side.We thus solve in the standard way:
dS
∫ −0.1S + 0.1 ∫
= dt
−10 ln | − 0.1S + 0.1 | = t + C
−0.1S + 0.1 = Ce −0.1t
S = 1 + Ce −0.1t.
Here C may be positive or negative, depending on the initial conditions. We see
that as t approaches infinity, S approaches 1 kg regardless of the initial
conditions. For this problem, there were initially 10 kg of salt in the tank, so we
can solve for C and find C=9. Thus,
S = 1 + 9e −0.1t
After 30 minutes, there will be 1.448 kg of salt in the tank.

Unlike the previous problem, the amount of salt in the tank does not go to zero
as t goes to infinity: S goes to 1. Notice that if there was 1 kg of salt in the tank,
then the outflow rate of salt will be (0.01 kg/l)(10 l/min) = 0.1 kg/min, which
will exactly balance the inflow rate of salt.
3. A tank has pure water flowing into it at 12 l/min. The contents of the tank are
kept thoroughly mixed, and the contents flow out at 10 l/min. Initially, the tank
contains 10 kg of salt in 100 l of water. How much salt will there be in the tank
after 30 minutes?

In this case, the inflow rate is greater than the outflow rate. As a result, the
volume is not constant. Using the initial conditions and the flow rates, we can
say that the volume V of liquid in the tank is

V = 100 + 2t

after t minutes. The concentration of salt after t minutes is then

S S
=
V 100 + 2t
and the rate of change of S is

dS S 10S
=− (10 l/min) = −
dt 100 + 2t 100 + 2t

Once again, this is a separable differential equation, and we can solve it:

dS −10
∫ S ∫ 100 + 2t
= dt

ln S = − 5 ln(100 + 2t) + C

S = C(100 + 2t)−5

Note we have used the fact that S ≥ 0 and V = 100 + 2t ≥ 0 to eliminate

absolute value symbols from the equation. With the initial conditions, we can
solve for C:
10 = C(100 + 0)−5

C = 1011
and thus
1011
S=
(100 + 2t)5

After 30 minutes, there will be 0.953674 kg of salt in the tank. Notice this is
more than in problem 1 due to the fact that the increased inflow rate dilutes the
salt, and reduces the outflow rate of salt, so the amount of salt in the tank will
be greater than in problem 1.
4. Tank A contains 100 litres of brine with 40 kg of salt. Tank B contains 100
litres of pure water. Brine is pumped between the tanks at 4 litres per minute in
both directions. The contents of both tanks are perfectly mixed at all times.
Find the amount of salt in each tank at time t , and determine the final amount
of salt in each tank as t → ∞.

To study this, we consider the rate of change of salt in Tank A. Let S(t) be the
amount of salt (in kilograms) in Tank A at time t . Since the total salt in the
system is conserved and initially only present in Tank A, the amount of salt in
Tank B at time t is 40 − S(t).

S(t) 40 − S(t)
The salt concentration in Tank A is kg/L, and in Tank B it is
100 100
kg/L. Since 4 L/min is pumped in both directions, the amount of salt leaving
Tank A per minute is:
4S(t) S(t)
=
100 25

and the amount of salt entering Tank A from Tank B per minute is:

4(40 − S(t)) 40 − S(t)

=
100 25

Thus, the rate of change of salt in Tank A is:

dS 40 − S(t) S(t)
= inflow from B − outflow to B = −
dt 25 25

Simplifying the equation:

dS 40 − 2S(t)
=
dt 25
dS 2
= 1.6 − S(t)
dt 25

This is a first-order linear separable differential equation, which we solve as

follows:
dS
= 1.6 − 0.08S
dt
dS
= dt
1.6 − 0.08S
We use substitution to integrate the left-hand side. Let:
u = 1.6 − 0.08S
du
= − 0.08
dS
−1
dS = du = − 12.5 du
0.08

So:
1
∫u ∫
(−12.5) du = dt

−12.5 ln | 1.6 − 0.08S | = t + C

Solving for S :

t+C
ln | 1.6 − 0.08S | = −
12.5

1.6 − 0.08S = Ce −t/12.5

1.6 − Ce −t/12.5
S(t) =
0.08

Now use the initial condition S(0) = 40 :

1.6 − C
S(0) = = 40
0.08
1.6 − C = 3.2
C = − 1.6

Substitute back:

1.6 + 1.6e −t/12.5

S(t) = = 20 + 20e −t/12.5
0.08

This is the amount of salt in Tank A. Since the total salt is 40 kg, the salt in
Tank B is:
40 − S(t) = 40 − (20 + 20e −t/12.5) = 20 − 20e −t/12.5
Final Answer:

• Salt in Tank A:
SA(t) = 20 + 20e −t/12.5

• Salt in Tank B:
SB(t) = 20 − 20e −t/12.5

As t → ∞ , e −t/12.5 → ∞ , so the final amount of salt in both tanks is:

SA(∞) = SB(∞) = 20 kg
 Conclusion

In this project, we learned how salt mixes in water inside tanks. First, we
looked at one tank. If salt is added and removed at the same time, it spreads out
in the water. After some time, the amount of salt becomes steady — it does not
change anymore. If no salt is added, the salt slowly goes away with the water.

Then, we looked at two tanks connected to each other. Water and salt move
from one tank to the other. We used easy math to see how the salt spreads in
both tanks. After some time, the salt is shared between the two tanks in a
balanced way.

This study helped us see how mixing happens in real life. These ideas are used
in many places, like water cleaning, making medicines, or mixing liquids in
factories. It shows how math can help us understand and solve real problems.

We also saw that the speed of mixing and how salt spreads depends on the
amount of water going in and out. If water flows faster, the salt mixes and
balances more quickly. This teaches us that small changes in flow can make big
changes in results. So, using math models like these can help in planning better
systems in science, health, and industries.