PSYCHROMETRICS

and
ELEMENTARY
PROCESSES
(English Units)
Ashley F. Emery
University of Washington

10/28/97

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Psychrometrics

The study of a mixture of dry air and water vapor

Although precise thermodynamic relations are

available for moist air, we will treat moist air as a
mixture of ideal gases

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Why study psychrometrics?

The degree of moisture has a strong effect on

1) heating, cooling, and comfort
2) insulation, roofing, stability and deformation of
building materials
3) sound absorption, odor levels, ventilation
4) industry and agriculture

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Dry Air and Water Vapor

Dry Air
Component
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Argon
Carbon Dioxide

Water Vapor

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% by vol
78.084
20.448
.934
.031
Effective MW

MW
28.0134
31.9988
39.9430
44.0100
28.9645
18.0153

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IDEAL GAS
R w

85.778

PV=mRT
P = pressure
V= volume
m=mass
R=gas constant
T=temperature

Rda 53.352

R w 85.778
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lbf/sq. ft.
cu. ft.
lbm
R =F+460

Lbf Ft
Lbm R
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Daltons Law

M M da M w
V Vda Vw

T Tda Tw
P Pda Pw

Pda , Pw

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partial pressures
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Mixture of Gases

PdaV nda MWda RdaT

PwV nw MWw RwT
letting

n nda nw

and remembering that

we obtain

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MWda Rda Runiversal

nw
Pw
P
n
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IMPORTANT PROPERTIES
Humidity ratio, W
Humidity ratio is the mass of water vapor per unit mass
of dry air. Units are Lbm/Lbm, grams/grams, or
grains/lbm (7000 grains=1Lbm)

mw
MWw n w
Pw
W

0.622
m da MWda n da
P Pw

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IMPORTANT PROPERTIES
Saturation is when the air contains the maximum amount
of water vapor at its current temperature. The saturation
pressure is taken from the steam tables at the moist air
temperature.
Saturated Humidity ratio, Ws

Pws
Ws 0.622
P Pws

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IMPORTANT PROPERTIES

Relative humidity,

Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the partial

pressure of the water vapor to the saturation pressure
at the same temperature

Pw

Pws

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IMPORTANT PROPERTIES

Degree of saturation,

Degree of saturation is the ratio of the amount of water

contained in the moist air to that which would be
contained if the air were saturated

Ws
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IMPORTANT TEMPERATURES
Dry Bulb

Tb

= temperature of moist air at rest

Dew Point

Tdp

= temperature at which the water vapor will condense

out of the moist air. It is the temperature for which
W is the saturated humidity ratio

Ws (Tdp ) W
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IMPORTANT TEMPERATURES
*
T
Adiabatic Saturation Temperature,
it is the temperature at which liquid water would
evaporate into the moist air without any heat addition
to the system
T * , Ws , hs*

Tb , h, W

T * satisfies

*
*
h (Ws W )hl hs
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hl*

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IMPORTANT TEMPERATURES

Wet Bulb Temperature,

Twb

Is the temperature reached by evaporative cooling.

A cotton sock is wrapped around a thermometer,
saturated with distilled water. The water evaporates
and the resulting temperature is called the wet bulb
temperature.
It is a close approximation to

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T*

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Thermodynamic Properties
enthalpy, BTU/unit weight of dry air

ha hda W hw
=0.24 T +W(0.45 T +1061.1)
specific volume, cu. ft. /unit weight of dry air

Rda T
va
P Pw
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Example

moist air at 80F dry bulb, 65F dew point, 14.696psia

W ,Ws , , , h, v ?

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Example (continued)

a)

degree of saturation

d)

W
0 . 0132

0 . 595
Ws
0 . 0222

relative humidity

Pw
0 . 306

0 . 604
Pws
0 . 507

e) enthalpy

h=0.24*80 +0.0132*(0.45*80 + 1061.1) = 1153.8 BTU/lbm-da

f)

volume

53 . 35 * ( 80 460 )
v da
14 . 696 0 . 306 ) * 144

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= 13.90 cu. Ft. /lbm-da

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Psychrometric Chart

h
T*

saturation line
rh

Tb
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Simple
Heating

da
m

W
1

Tb

*
T1 50 F , T1 40 F , T2 70 F

q m da (h 2 h 1)
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Simple Heating, solution

*
T1 50 F , T1 40 F , T2 70 F

W1 W2 0.0030
h1 0.24*50+0.003*(0.45*50+1061.)=15.25
h2 0.24*70+0.003*(0.45*70+1061.)=20.08

q m da (h 2 h 1)

q / m da (h 2 h 1)
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= 4.83 BTU/Lbm-da
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Simple Heating and Humidification

w
m
a
m

W
1
Tb

T1 50 F ,

T1* 40 F ,

T3 70 F , T3* 63F , Tw 50 F

m
w hw m
da ( h 3 h 1)
q
w m
da ( w 3 w 1)
m
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Simple Heating and Humidification,

Solution
T1 50 F , T1* 40 F , T3 70 F , T3* 63F , Tw 50 F

W1 0.0030 W3 0.0108

h 1 15.25
hw 18.06

h 3

3
W

1
Tb

0.24*70+0.0108*(0.45*70+1061.1)=28.60

m w / m da ( w 3 w1)
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=0.0108-0.003=0.0078Lbm/Lbm
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Simple Heating and Humidification,

Solution
T1 50 F , T1* 40 F , T3 70 F , T3* 63F , Tw 50 F

W1 0.0030 W3 0.0108

h 1 15.25
hw 18.06

h 3

3
W

1
Tb

0.24*70+0.0108*(0.45*70+1061.1)=28.60

w
m

q
( h 3 h 1)
h
da
da w
m
m

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=28.60-15.25-0.0078*18.06
=13.21 BTU/Lbm-da
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Dehumidification and Cooling

T1 70 F , T1* 63F , T2 50 F , T2* 40 F

W1 0.0108

h 1

h 2

28.60
15.25

W3 0.0030

1
W

2
Tb

The answer is the same as for the previous problem

since the end points are the same BUT how can we
actually go from point 1 to point 2??
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Dehumidification and Cooling, solution

1 to 1 by cooling
1 to 2 by cooling and dehumidification
2 to 2 by heating
1

1
W

Tb
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Dehumidification and Cooling, solution

1 to 1 by cooling

h 1

28.60

w1

0.0108

T 1' 59.2F

h 1'

2
Tb

0.24*59.2+0.0108*(0.45*59.2+1061.1)=25.96

11'
q

da
m

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(25.96-28.60)=-2.64
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Dehumidification and Cooling, solution

1 to 2 by cooling and dehumidification
1

w
m

W
2

a
m
W1 0.0108

Tb

W2 0.0030

assume that the water leaves at

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T2' 27
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Dehumidification and Cooling, solution

1 to 2 by cooling and dehumidification

da h1' q m
da h2' mw hw,2'
m

h1' 25.96

1
W

w
m
q
h2' h1'
hw,2'
da
da
m
m

T2' 27

1
2
Tb

h2' 6.80

hw,2' 5

w
m
0.0078
da
m

q1'2'
19.20
m da

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Dehumidification and Cooling, solution

2 to 2 by heating
1

da h2' q m
da h2
m

h2 15.25

q
h2 h2'
da
m

h2' 6.80

2
Tb

q 2'2
8.45
da
m
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Dehumidification and Cooling, solution

q11'
2.64
da
m

q1'2'
19.20
m da

1
W

q 2'2
8.45
da
m

2
Tb

q1 2
13.39
da
m
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Difference between Humidification and

Dehumidification
2

1
W

W
2

1
Tb

Tb

q1 2
13.21
da
m

q1 2
13.39
da
m

Water is injected
at 50F

Water is rejected
at 27F

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Adiabatic Mixing of 2 Streams

1
3
2

m da,1w1 m da,2 w2 m da,3 w3

m da,1h1 m da,2 h2 m da,3h3

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Adiabatic Mixing of 2 Streams

1
3

Tb

da,1
da,2
m
m
w3
w1
w2
3
3
m
m
da,1
da,2
m
m
h3
h1
h2
3
3
m
m
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Adiabatic Mixing of 2 Streams, example

1
3
2

500 cfm at 60F dry bulb and rh=50%

is mixed with 250 cfm at 80F dry bulb
and 60F wet bulb.

Lbm
m da,1 500 / v1 500 / 13.21 37.85
min
m da,2 250 / v2 250 / 13.74 18.195
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Adiabatic Mixing of 2 Streams, example

1
3
2

h1 20.38 h2 26.58

h3 22.83

w1 0.055 w2 0.0067 w3 0.0059

68F db, 40% rh, 43.4F dp

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