Psychrometry

Ho Nee Fun
School of Design & Environment
64606627 / hnf@np.edu.sg
Applied Psychrometrics
It deals with thermodynamic properties of
moist air.

Properties of Moist Air
Air is a mixture containing oxygen, nitrogen,
carbon dioxide and water vapour.




Even though water vapour forms a small
proportion of the air but it plays a very major
role in the sensation of comfort.

Oxygen Nitrogen
Carbon Dioxide Water Vapour
AIR
Properties of Moist Air
The properties of moist air which are of
interest in air-conditioning are:
1. Dry Bulb Temperature
2. Wet Bulb Temperature
3. Enthalpy
4. Moisture Content
5. Relative Humidity (~ % Saturation)
6. Density or Specific Volume

Psychrometric Chart
All these properties are inter-related. They
are best represented on the psychrometric
chart.

Dry Bulb Temperature
M
o
i
s
t
u
r
e

C
o
n
t
e
n
t

Relative Humidity
Dry Bulb Temperature
This is the temperature of air indicated on a
normal thermometer.



This is plotted on the horizontal scale of the
psychrometric chart.
Point at constant dry bulb temperatures lie on
the vertical lines.

Dry Bulb Temperature
1 C
0.5 C
27.5 C
Moisture Content or Humidity Ratio
Moisture content or humidity ratio is the ratio
of the mass of moisture (water vapour) in the
air to the total mass of dry air in the sample.
The vertical scale on the right hand side of
the psychrometric chart gives the moisture
content.
Points with equal moisture content lie on the
horizontal lines.
In SI units, it is expressed as kg water/kg dry
air.

Moisture Content or Humidity Ratio
0.0002
0.001 kg/kg
0.0018 kg/kg
Relative Humidity
A more common and more useful way of
expressing humidity is relative humidity or
RH.
This is defined as the amount of moisture in
the air compared to the amount of moisture
when it is saturated, at the same
temperature.

Relative Humidity
RH
1
= ?%
RH
2
= ?%
Saturation Line
When air is saturated with moisture, it cannot
hold any more moisture or water vapour.
The relative humidity is then 100%.
The curve line on the boundary of the
psychrometric chart is the saturation line.

Saturation Line
Dew Point
Dew point is the temperature at which
moisture in the air would start to condense
i.e. it becomes saturated with moisture or the
relative humidity becomes 100%.
Dew point temperatures are simply dry bulb
temperatures on the saturation line.
At the dew point, the dry bulb temperature
and wet bulb temperatures are the same.
Points along the constant moisture content
lines have the same dew point temperature.
Wet Bulb Temperature
If the bulb of the thermometer is kept moist,
water will evaporate and remove the latent
heat of vaporisation.
The temperature indicated is the wet bulb
temperature.
It would be lower than that of the dry bulb
thermometer.
Wet Bulb Temperature
Wet Bulb Temperature
It depends on the rate of evaporation which in
turn depends on the relative humidity of the
air.
If the RH is low, the rate of evaporation is
high and the temperature indicated would be
considerably lower than the dry bulb
temperature.
Wet Bulb Temperature
If the RH is high, less evaporation occurs and
the dry and wet bulb temperatures would be
quite close.
At 100% RH (on the saturation line), there is
no evaporation and the wet bulb and dry bulb
temperatures are the same.
Hence the wet bulb temperature compared to
the dry bulb temperature gives a good
measure of relative humidity.
Wet Bulb Temperature
Points having the same wet bulb temperature
lie on diagonal lines sloping down to the right.
The sling psychrometer is used to for
measuring the wet bulb temperature as well
as the dry bulb temperature.
Wet Bulb Temperature
Sling Psychrometer
Density & Specific Volume
Air has mass and volume.
Density is the mass per unit volume and the
specific volume is the inverse of density,
expressed as m
3
/kg dry air.
Lines of constant specific volume are also
shown on the psychometric chart.
Density & Specific Volume
0.01 m
3
/kg
0.87 m
3
/kg
0.866 m
3
/kg
Enthalpy
This is the heat content of moist air,
expressed in kJ/kg dry air.

Enthalpy
Psychrometric Chart
Properties of Moist Air
In practice, it is necessary only to determine
any two properties e.g. the dry and wet bulb
temperatures, to determine the condition of
air.
Once the condition is plotted on the
psychrometric chart, all other properties can
be read off from the chart.

Example 1
Using the psychrometric chart to determine the
following:
1. Room air condition measured at 23C dry
bulb temperature and 21C wet bulb
temperature. What is the % saturation and
dew point?
2. Outside air condition measured at 23C dry
bulb temperature, 70% saturation. Determine
the wet bulb temperature, specific volume,
moisture content and enthalpy.
23
0
C
21
0
C
State Point
Dew Point = 20C
80%
90%
Percentage Saturation = 83%
23
0
C
WB Temperature = 19.6
0
C
State Point
Moisture Content
= 0.0129 kg/kg (Dry Air)
0.85
0.86
Specific Volume = 0.856 m
3
/kg
Enthalpy = 56 kJ/kg
70%
Basic Air-Conditioning
Processes
Air-conditioning is the automatic control of an
artificial environment within a building enclosure
for:
1. thermal comfort of human beings,
2. the proper performance of some industrial or
scientific process, or
3. maintain the quality and life of a stored
product.
Basic Air-Conditioning
Processes
The artificial environment is created by
simultaneously controlling:
1. Temperature
2. Relative Humidity (Moisture Content)
3. Air Movement (Air Velocity)
4. Cleanliness
5. Air Quality
6. Mean Radiant Temperature
Major Processes of Air-
Conditioning
The seven major processes of air-conditioning
are:
- Heating
- Cooling
- Humidifying
- Dehumidifying
- Cleaning
- Ventilating
- Air Movement
Heating
Heating is the process of adding thermal energy
(heat) to the air in the air-conditioned space for
the purposes of raising or maintaining the
temperature of the air.
Cooling
Cooling is the process of removing thermal
energy (heat) to the air in the air-conditioned
space for the purposes of lowering or
maintaining the temperature of the air.
Humidifying
Humidifying is the process of adding water
vapour (moisture) to the air in the air-
conditioned space for the purposes of raising or
maintaining the moisture content of the air.
Dehumidifying
Dehumidifying is the process of removing water
vapour (moisture) to the air in the air-
conditioned space for the purposes of lowering
or maintaining the moisture content of the air.
Cleaning
Cleaning is the process of removing particulate
and biological contaminants from the air in the
air-conditioned space for the purposes of
improving or maintaining air quality.
Ventilating
Ventilating is the process of supplying outside
air to replace some of the air in the air-
conditioned space to dilute the gaseous
contaminants in the air and improve or maintain
air quality, composition or freshness.
Air Movement
Air movement is the process of circulating and
mixing air through the air-conditioned spaces in
a building to achieve proper ventilation and
facilitate thermal energy transfer, humidification
(or dehumidification) and cleaning processes
outlined earlier.
Air-Conditioning Processes
Cooling & Dehumidification
Air-Conditioning Processes
Heating & Humidification
Air-Conditioning Processes
Mixing
Example 2
Plot the following conditions of air taken by a sling
psychrometer onto the given Psychrometric Chart provided:-

(i) From : 27C DB / 20C WB
To : 14C DB / 10C WB

(ii) From : 18C DB/12C WB
To : 31C DB/ 0.0062 (moisture content) kg/kg
(dry air)

Name the processes you have just plotted in (i) & (ii) and
explain the meaning of these processes.
27
0
C
20
0
C
State Point 1
Cooling
and
Dehumidification
Processes
14
0
C
10
0
C
State Point 2
Cooling and dehumidification are the processes of removing thermal
energy (heat) and water vapour (moisture) from the air in the air-
conditioned space for the purpose of lowering or maintaining the
temperature and moisture content of the air respectively.
Solution (i)
31
0
C
0.0062 kg/kg (dry air)
State Point 2
Sensible Heating
Process
18
0
C
12
0
C
State Point 1
Sensible Heating is process of adding thermal energy (heat) to the air in
the air-conditioned space for the purpose of raising or maintaining the
temperature of the air at constant moisture content.
Solution (ii)
Example 3
Mixed air at a flow rate 30 m
3
/min enters a cooling coil of an
air handling unit at 26C dbt, 75% sat and leaves at 16C
dbt and 0.011 kg/kg (dry air). Determine:-

(i) the rate of heat removal in kW and
(ii) the rate of condensate formation in kg/s at the cooling
coil.

If the air handling unit operates for the same condition for 12
hours, how much condensate can be collected at the cooling
coil.
26
0
C
State Point 1
Moisture Content, MC
2

= 0.0110 kg/kg (Dry Air)
0.86
0.87
Specific Volume,
1
= 0.868 m
3
/kg
75%
16
0
C
State Point 2
Moisture Content, MC
1

= 0.0162 kg/kg (Dry Air)
Enthalpy, h
1
= 67.6 kJ/kg
Enthalpy, h
2
= 45 kJ/kg
Solution 3
From Psychrometric Chart,

1
= 0.868 m
3
/kg
MC
1
= 0.0162 kg/kg (dry air) MC
2
= 0.0110 kg/kg (dry air)
h
1
= 67.6 kJ/kg h
2
= 45 kJ/kg
(i)


Rate of heat removal = m
a
(h
1
h
2
) kJ/s
= 0.576 (67.6 45) kW
= 13.02 kW

kg/s 576 . 0
868 . 0
60 / 30 V
m
1
1
a

Solution 3
(ii) Rate of condensation formation = m
a
(MC
1
MC
2
) kg/s
= 0.576 (0.0162 0.0110) kg/s
= 0.003 kg/s

The condensate collected in 12 hours
= 0.003 x 12 x 60 x 60 kg
= 129.6 kg
= 129.6 litres