Jishnu Bhattacharya

1st Semester - 2016-17

Lecture -23

Condition of air
Air pressure : usually 1 bar except at high/low altitude or controlled pressure zones
Dry bulb Temperature: regular temperature measured by a thermometer of the static air
around the bulb.
Wet bulb temperature: Temp sensed by a thermometer, whose bulb is wrapped with a
wick that is water-soaked, placed in fast moving air stream. It is a indirect way to
measure the humidity.
Dew Point Temperature: The temp at which the moisture in the air begins to condense
air is saturated it holds the maximum amount of water vapor that it can hold

Condition of air
Humidity ratio: It is also called absolute humidity. It is the amount of water vapor per
unit weight of dry air
Relative humdity: Mostly we hear and talk about this. The ratio of the absolute
humidities of the air and the same when the air becomes saturated t the same temp.
Specific Volume: Not exactly the reciprocal of density as the name suggests. It is the
volume of air per unit weight of DRY air
Specific enthalpy: Again, the enthalpy per unit weight of DRY air

Mixture of Ideal Gases

Absolute Humidity

Relative Humidity

Dew Point
Definition:

The temperature at which the air

becomes saturated with water when it is cooled at

constant pressure.

Implication:
Partial pressure of water vapor is the saturation
pressure at the dew point so if we know the dew
point, we know the partial pressure of water vapour

Saturated vapour pressure?

Implication:
Given the dew point and DBT, we can obtain the relative humidity with the help of the
saturated stream table

However ..
We need cooling with some kind of refrigerating unit not
straight forward. Not as easy as measuring the dry bulb temperature

Note:
No new information relative humidity and due point are two ways to
express the same concept.
To quantify the amount of water vapor, we have looked at several quantities
deviced absolute humidity, relative humidity, dew point but how to
measure them?
Hence, came the idea of wet bulb temp which is very easy to measure.

Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT)

Definition: Temperature sensed by a thermometer, the bulb of which is covered
with water-soaked wick and placed in the air stream.
Implications:
Very weird kind of definition but think of the quantity we are trying to measure
here.
When air stream flows over the wick, it absorbs as much water as it can take. We
are measuring the amount of heat (latent) spent in this evaporation process. The
latent heat gained by the airstream has to come from the wick or the bulb of the
thermometer as there is no other source of heat.

Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT)

The drop in temperature (Wet Bulb Depression or WBD) due to the air flow
would quantify the amount of water that went into the air stream determining the
amount the air could absorb.
If the flowing air is saturated, there will be no drop in temperature or DB and WB
will be same.
The difference in DB and WB measures the level of unsaturation of the flowing
air.

The physical process (WBT)

Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT)

At equilibrium, the heat loss from the wick would be equal to the heat gain by the
air stream .

hwick A(DBT WBT ) = k water A(Ww Ws ,WBT )h fg ,WBT

Where, hwick = HT coefficient between air stream and the wick
A = Area of the interface
Kwater = mass transfer coefficient of water at the interface
Hfg,WBT = Enthalpy of varporization of water at WBT

Thermodynamic WBT

hwick A(DBT WBT ) = k water A(Ww Ws ,WBT )h fg ,WBT

A small BUT .
hwick A(DBT WBT ) = k water A(Ww Ws ,WBT )h fg ,WBT

Looking up the saturated steam table cannot be avoided --- which makes the quick
analysis impossible.

Hence a concise chart is needed which can be readily looked up for all
relevant information when we know the dry and wet bulb temperature.

Psychrometric Chart

Chart

Psychrometric Chart

Psychrometric Chart word of caution

The chart does not contain any more information than can be obtained from
the saturated steam table and the DBT and WBT temperature.

The charts are made for standard conditions, i.e., 1 atm pressure and typical
DBT range of 0- 50 deg C. But in cases where this assumption is not valid, we
need to make another modified chart or use the steam tables for air conditioning
calculations.

Psychrometric Chart

Psychrometric Chart

Psychrometric Chart

Psychrometric Chart

Psychrometric Chart

Psychrometric Chart

Psychrometric Chart
Specific volume lines are sometimes
required for the equipment sizing
where volume flow rate (instead of
mass flow rate) of air is important

Psychrometric Chart
Note:
Given two independent properties, we can locate the condition of air on the
psychrometric chart as two independent properties would result in an intersection.
However, two quantities which measure the same thing (even though it is not
apparent) and hence not independent properties, will not give a point of
intersection and hence, we cannot locate the condition of air without another
independent property.
For example, if we know the DP and the humidity ratio, we cannot locate the point
as the constant DP and constant W lines are parallel.

Psychrometric Chart
Note:
The properties are continuous in reality but chart is only useable if the iso-lines
are spaced at some distance (to reduce clutter). Hence, as true for most charts, the
use of the psychrometric chart will also involve interpolation whenever needed.

There are few other lines and/or facts about the psychrometric chart, which will be
discussed in proper context and when needed.

Psychrometric Chart
Locating a point (condition of air):
You dont want the glass windows of your room to gather moisture when you are
keeping your room warm in a winter day. This is because you would like to enjoy the
view of the sunny winter morning and also do not want the expensive glass on your
window to get stained and corrode in long run. If the outside air is at 5 C and your
room is at 27 C, what is the maximum relative humidity you can allow your room to be
at?

Psychrometric processes

Psychrometric processes

Psychrometric processes
Note: Always plot the schematic process lines
with all quantities known at each point and
listing all the unknown quantities. This will
ease out to see the physical processes much
more clearly.

Psychrometric processes
A Random process

Psychrometric processes
Sensible heat factor =
SE/TE = SE/(SE+LE)