Psychrometrics

Psychrometrics. Psychrometrics is the branch of thermodynamics that deals specifically with moist air, a biaary mixture of dry air and water vapor. The properties of moist air are frequentiy presented on psychrometric charts such as that shown ia Figure 2 for the normal air conditioning range at atmospheric pressure. Similar charts exist for temperatures below 0°C and above 50°C as well as for other barometric pressures. AH mass properties ate related to the mass of the dry air. 

Fig. 2. Psychrometric chart at atmospheric pressure, 101.3 kPa (1 atm)(3). To convert kj to kcal, divide by 4.184.

Eigure 3 shows the winter and summer comfort zones plotted on the coordinates of the ASHRAE psychrometric chart. These zones should provide acceptable conditions for room occupants wearing typical indoor clothing who are at or near sedentary activity. Eigure 3 appHes generally to altitudes from sea level to 2150 m and to the common case for indoor thermal environments where the temperature of the surfaces (/) approximately equals air temperature (/ and the air velocity is less than 0.25 m/s. A wide range of environmental appHcations is covered by ASHRAE Comfort Standard 55 (5). Offices, homes, schools, shops, theaters, and many other appHcations are covered by this specification. 

Rearranging equation 32 and defining the ratio h -a/iky-ci-Cf ) as r, the psychrometric ratio, give... 

Work in the area of simultaneous heat and mass transfer has centered on the solution of equations such as 1—18 for cases where the stmcture and properties of a soHd phase must also be considered, as in drying (qv) or adsorption (qv), or where a chemical reaction takes place. Drying simulation (45—47) and drying of foods (48,49) have been particularly active subjects. In the adsorption area the separation of multicomponent fluid mixtures is influenced by comparative rates of diffusion and by interface temperatures (50,51). In the area of reactor studies there has been much interest in monolithic and honeycomb catalytic reactions (52,53) (see Exhaust control, industrial). Eor these kinds of appHcations psychrometric charts for systems other than air—water would be useful. The constmction of such has been considered (54). 

Before drying can begin, a wet material must be heated to such a temperature that the vapor pressure of the contained Hquid exceeds the partial pressure of vapor already present in the surrounding atmosphere. The effect of a dryer s atmospheric vapor content and temperature on performance can be studied by constmction of a psychrometric chart for the particular gas and vapor. Figure 2 is a standard chart for water vapor in air (6). 

Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, New York, 1967. Quinn, Humidity The Neglected Parameter, Test Eng. (July 1968). Treybal, Mass-Ttansfet- Operations, 3d ed. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980. Wexler, Humidity and Moisture, vol. I, Reinhold, New York, 1965. Zimmerman and Lavine, Psychrometric Charts and Tables, Industrial Research Service, 2d ed., Dover, N.H., 1964. 

Experimentally it has been shown that for air-water systems the value of Tj /Zc c, the psychrometric ratio, is approximately equal to 1. Under these conditions the wet-bulb temperatures and adiabatic-saturation temperatures are substantially equal and can be used interchangeably. The difference between adiabatic-saturation temperature and wet-bulb temperature increases with increasing humidity, but this effect is unimportant for most engineering calculations. An empirical formula for wet-bulb temperature determination of moist air at atmospheric pressure is presented by Liley [Jnt. J. of Mechanical Engineering Education, vol. 21, No. 2 (1993)]. 

For systems other than air-water vapor, the value of h /k c, may differ appreciably from unity, and the wet-bulb and adiabatic-saturation temperatures are no longer equal. For these systems the psychrometric ratio may be obtained by determining h /k from heat- and mass-transfer an ogies such as the Chilton-Colburn analogy [Ind. Eng. Chem., 26, 1183 (1934)]. For low humidities this analogy gives... 

Values of andt, are given by the saturation curve of the psychrometric chart, such as Fig. 12-2. By trial and error, = 72.1 F, or the adiabatic-saturation temperature is 0.1 F higher than the wet-bulb temperature. 

Examples Illustrating Use of Psychrometric Charts In these examples the following nomenclature is used ... 

Solution. Reading directly from the psychrometric chart (Fig. 12-2),... 

FIG. 12-2 Psychrometric chart—medium temperatures. Barometric pressure, 29.92 iuHg. To convert British thermal units per pound dry air-degree Fahrenheit to joules per Idlogram-kelvin, multiply by 4186.8 and to convert cubic feet per pound to cubic meters per kilogram, multiply by 0.0624. 

Solution. Figure 12-8 shows the path on a psychrometric chart. The leaving dry-bulb temperature is obtained directly from Fig. 12-2 as 72.2 F. Since the spray water enters at the wet-bulb temperature of 70 F and there is no heat added to or removed from it, this is by definition an adiabatic process and there will be no change in wet-bulb temperature. The only change in enthalpy is that from the heat content of the makeup water. This can be demonstrated as follows ... 

FIG. 12-5 Revised form of high-temperature psychrometric chart for air and combustion products, based on pound-moles of water vapor and dry gases. [Hatta, Chem. Metall. Eng., 37, 64 (1930).]... 

FIG. 12-6 Diagram of psychrometric chart showing the properties of moist air. 

Use of Psychrometric Charts at Pressures Other Than Atmospheric The psychrometric charts shown as Figs. 12-1 through 12-4 and the data of Table 12-1 are based on a system pressure of 1 atm (29.92 inHg). For other system pressures, these data must be corrected for the effect of pressure. Additive corrections to be apphed to the atmospheric values of absolute humidity and enthalpy are given in Table 12-2. 

FIG. 12-36 Psychrometric chart properties of air and water-vapor mixtures from 20 to 120 C, Catrier Corp. )... 

Figures 12-37 to 12-39 show humidity charts for carbon tetrachloride, oenzene, and toluene. The lines on these charts have been calculated in the manner outlined for air-water vapor except for the wet-bulb-temperature lines. The determination of these hnes depends on data for the psychrometric ratio /j Z/c, as indicated by Eq. (12-22). For the charts shown, the wet-bulb-temperature hnes are based on the following equation ...

A rate balance between evaporation and heat transfer when radiation occurs may be modified by means of the psychrometric ratio for air-water vapor mixtures to give ... 

Psychrometric charts plot wet bulb and dry bulb data for air-water vapor mixtures at atmospheric pressure. These charts are quite useful for... 

Figure B-2. Psychrometric chart atmospheric air, mixture pressure (barometric) 29.921 in. Hg. (From Short, Kent and Walls, Pressure-Enthalpy Otarts for Selected Engineering Substances. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, TX, 1970.)...

Propagating stall, 237 Proximity sensors, 350 Proximity transducers, 350 Pseudocriticals, 20 Psychrometric chart, 20,... 

A comparison of wet and dry bulb readings allows the relative humidity to be determined from a psychrometric chart. The wet bulb temperature is always lower than the dry bulb value except when the air is already saturated with water - 100% relative humidity. This is when the wet and dry bulb temperatures are the same. Tlie air will no longer accept water and the lack of evaporation does not allow the wetted bulb to reject heat into the air by evaporation. This situation would be... 

Where e, is in units of inches of water per day. Up is the wind speed 2 feet above the ground expressed in miles per day, and e and e, are the saturation vapor pressures at mean air and mean dew-point temperatures, respectively (expressed in inches of mercury). For development of the wind function, an adjustment in the psychrometric constant is generally made to account for the sensible heat conducted... 

Figure 9.14 shows the processes of humidification and dehumidification in a skeleton psychrometric chart, while Table 9.5 explains the cycle. 

The specific enthalpy (h ) of the room-air design condition is obtained from tables of the property of air or the psychrometric chart. 

Constant volume lines Lines on a steam or psychrometric chart passing through the state points representing an equal volume of steam or air (dry or wet). 

Psychrometric chart A chart constructed so that knowing any two air properties the remaining thermodynamic properties of air at that condition can be determined. 

Psychrometric coefficient The coefficient in the equation for the determination of the water vapor partial pressure from the wet bulb depression. 

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