Psychrometry

By Muhammad Adnan Tabassum 2006-ag-1626 MSc(Hons) Agriculture Department of Agronomy

Introduction to psychrometry


Psychrometry is the science dealing with the physical laws of air water mixtures. Or The study of atmospheric air and its associated water vapour. the word Psychrometer is originally from the Greek, meaning cold + meter , i.e. literally meaning a measurer of cold.

Introduction to psychrometry


Its current meaning is two thermometers, mounted on the same scale, with indications of wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures. Hence the word Psychrometry is the determination of the degree of humidity in the atmosphere by means of a psychrometer and is therefore used to define the study of atmospheric air and its associated water vapour.

When designing an air conditioning system, the temperature and moisture content of the air to be conditioned, and the same properties of the air needed to produce the desired air conditioning effect, must be known. Once these properties are known, the air conditioning task can be determined.

Air comprises a mixture of gases of which nitrogen makes up 78%, oxygen 21% and carbon dioxide and the inert gases (such as argon, neon, krypton, helium etc.) the remainder. These are known as the dry gases of the atmosphere In addition to these dry gases, the air also contains varying amounts of water vapour

In the air mixture, the dry gases and associated water vapour behave according to Dalton s law of Partial Pressures .  That is they behave independently of one another and the pressure each exerts combine to produce an overall atmospheric pressure .


Psychrometery Based on


The Daltons law of Partial Pressures. That is dry gases and associated water vapour behave independently of one another and the pressure each exerts combine to produce an overall atmospheric pressure and The First Law of Thermodynamics (Conservation) states that energy is always conserved, it cannot be created or destroyed.

Psychrometric Chart


There is a fixed relationship between saturated vapour pressure and temperature, for example; 20 30 40 50 60

Temperature 10 (C) Pressure (Pa) 1.23



2.34 4.24 7.38 12.33 19.92

and this relationship forms the basis for the psychrometric chart which is essentially a plot of vapour pressure against air temperature.

Psychrometeric Chart

Above chart graphically displays several physical properties of air over a broad range of conditions the relationship of these air properties aids the task of air conditioning system design and analysis.

 Knowing

The psychrometric chart contains five physical properties to describe the characteristics of air which are as follows:

Properties of Air
    

Dry-bulb temperature Wet-bulb temperature Dew-point temperature Humidity ratio Relative humidity

Dry-bulb temperature (tdb)



Normal air temperature can be measured by a normal mercury-in-glass thermometer. This is known as the Dry-bulb temperature (tdb) because the bulb of the thermometer is kept dry.

Wet-bulb temperature (twb)



Wet-bulb temperatures are read from a thermometer whose bulb is covered by a wet wick. The difference between the wet-bulb temperature and the dry-bulb temperature is caused by the cooling effect produced by the evaporation of moisture from the wick. This evaporation effect reduces the temperature of the bulb and, therefore, the thermometer reading.

Thermometers

Dry Bulb

Measured in degrees Fahrenheit (oF)

Wet Bulb

Dew-point temperature (tdp)

Condensation occurs at the Dew Point Temperature

(oF)

Saturation


 

When the dry-bulb, wet-bulb, and dew-point temperatures are the same, the air is saturated. It can hold no more moisture. When air is at a saturated condition, moisture entering the air displaces moisture within the air. The displaced moisture leaves the air in the form of fine droplets. When this condition occurs in nature, it is called fog.

Saturation


Fog


DP, WB, DB same

Humidity Ratio


 

Actual weight of water in an air water vapor mixture Pounds of moisture per pound of dry air 7000 grains of water in a pound

Relative humidity (rh)



The fourth property, relative humidity, is a comparison of the amount of moisture that a given amount of air is holding, to the amount of moisture that the same amount of air can hold, at the same dry-bulb temperature.

Relative Humidity
Relative Humidity
(percentage)

Amount of moisture that a given amount of air is holding = Amount of moisture that a given amount of air can hold

100% RH Saturated 50% RH

PSYCHROMETER


Psychrometer is used to measure relative humidity (RH%). It consist of dry bulb (RH% thermometer, wet bulb thermometer and a small fan on the top to push surrounding air to wet bulb. bulb. A general Psychrometer consists of the following parts

DRY BULB THERMOMETER



It is used to measure the actual temperature of the i.e. mercury in glass thermometer. It thermometer. should be kept in the Stevenson screen to avoid direct exposure to the sunrays. It should sunrays. be dept in vertical position. position. All liquids expand or contract with increase or decrease in temperature. Generally mercury is temperature. used in dry bulb thermometer. thermometer.

Cont .


Mercury in a glass bulb is attached to a graduated capillary tube. So that when tube. mercury expands with increase in temperature, its value can be noted. noted. Mercury expands or contracts whenever there is a change in the temperature of the surrounding air. The change in the air. mercury level can be read as the temperature of the ambient air. air.

WET BULB THERMOMETER



It is used to measure the wet bulb temperature. temperature. E.g. mercury in glass thermometer. thermometer. It is also placed in the Stevenson screen in vertical position. Bulb of position. the wet bulb thermometer should be dept covered with a muslin cloth and it should be dept wet by a thread. One end of the thread it thread. fixed to the muslin and other end is dept in the distilled water bottle. bottle.

Cont


..

Its construction is same as that of dry bulb thermometer, but its bulb is dept wet with water using muslin cloth through wick action. One end of the action. muslin cloth surrounds the thermometer bulb. bulb. Whereas the other end in the shape of a wick is kept in a container of distilled water so that continuous wetting of the cloth is done. done.

Working of Psychrometer


It is based on the principle that cooling is caused by evaporation. When the water evaporation. evaporates from the muslin cloth covering the bulb of the thermometer, heat energy is taken from the bulb. This heat energy is latent heat bulb. of evaporation the loss of heat results in cooling of the bulb causing a fall in the mercury level, which is read as wet bulb temperature. temperature.

Cont .


The thermometer indicates the temperature of the ambient air under saturated conditions. The difference conditions. between the readings of wet and dry bulb thermometers is called the wet bulb depression. depression. Relative humidity can be determined from the hygrometric table against the readings of dry bulb and wet bulb temperature. temperature.

Schematic Diagram of Sling Psychrometer

The Sling Wet-bulb



The sling wet-bulb temperature reading obtained in moving air preferably above 2 m/s. It can be obtained by whirling a sling hygrometer or by using the more cumberson, but more accurate Assman hygrometer which is fan-assisted.

Assman Psychrometer

Sling Psychrometer
Aspirated Psychrometer

The Screen Wet-bulb



The screen wet-bulb temperature is the reading obtained in still air. This is usually used for meteorological data and is obtained from a wetbulb thermometer installed into a Stevenson Screen (from which this type of measurement gets its name). This is a slatted enclosure, designed to screen direct radiation from the instruments, but equipped with wet and dry-bulb thermometers and maximum and minimum thermometers.

Of the two methods of reading wet-bulb, the sling reading is considered to be more accurate.

Applications of psychrometery


The principles of psychrometry apply to any physical system consisting of gas-vapor mixtures. The most common system of interest is the mixture of water vapor and air, because of its application in heating, ventilating, and airconditioning and meteorology.

Psychrometry is a specialised area of thermodynamics but obviosuly has applications in air conditioning.

Applications


Practical Applications of Psychrometry Characteristics and use of psychrometric charts Software for psychrometric analysis Techniques of Psychrometric Analysis Psychrometrics and Bioclimatic Analysis

Application
In Agricultural Meterology Psychrometers are used to measure the RH.  Effect of Relative Humidity on Crop Production: Relative humidity (RH) directly influences the water relations of plant and indirectly affects leaf growth, photosynthesis, pollination, occurrence of diseases and finally economic yield.


Refferences
 

 

http://arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/65156-7e.htm http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/psychrome tric-terms-d_239.html http://www.uigi.com/psychrometry.html http://www.hku.hk/bse/MEBS6006/http://en.wik ipedia.org/wiki/Psychrometrics http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/questions/ 109579-heat-latent-heat

http://www.arch.hku.hk/~cmhui/teach/ 65156-7e.htm

http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/agricultur e/agri_agrometeorology_relativehu midity.html