PSYCHROMETRIC PROPERTIES AND PROCESSES

CONTENTS
• Properties of moist air (psychrometric properties)
• Psychrometric chart
• Psychrometric processes
• Cooling or heating coils and bypass factors
• Cooling load calculations – Sensible and latent heat loads

Dr. R. Senthil, SRMIST.

(This PPT is meant for Internal circulation only)
• Psychrometrics: The science which investigates the thermal properties of
moist air, considers the measurement and control of the moisture content of
air, and studies the effect of atmospheric moisture on material and human
comfort.
• Dry air : Dry air is never found in practice. Air always contains some moisture.
Hence the common designation “air” usually means moist air. The term ‘dry air’
is used to indicate the water free contents of air having any degree of moisture.

(Note:The international joint committee on Psychrometric Data has adopted the

following exact composition of air expressed in mole fractions (Volumetric)
Oxygen 0.2095, nitrogen 0.7809, Argon 0.0093, Carbon dioxide 0.0003. Traces of
rare gases are neglected. Molecular weight of air for all air conditioning
calculations will be taken as 28.97. )
• Moist air: Moist air is the mixture of dry air and water vapour in which dry air
is treated as if it were pure component. Quantity of water vapour present in
the mixture depends upon the temperature of air and it may vary from zero in
dry air to the maximum quantity when mixture is saturated of water vapour
(called saturation capacity of air). Moist air is assumed to behave as ideal
gas for the purpose of analysis.
• Mixture pressure is the sum of partial pressures of dry air and water vapour.
When the partial pressure of water vapour corresponds to the saturation
pressure of water at mixture temperature then mixture is said to be saturated.
Saturated air is the mixture of dry air and saturated water vapour. When the
temperature of mixture of air and vapour is above the saturation temperature
of water vapour then the vapour is called superheated vapour.
• Saturated air. Moist air is said to be saturated when its condition is such that it can co-exist in
natural equilibrium with an associated condensed moisture phage presenting a flat surface to it.
For a given temperature, a given quantity of air can be saturated with a fixed quantity , of
moisture. At higher temperatures, it requires a larger quantity of moisture to saturate it. At
saturation, vapour pressure of moisture in air corresponds to the saturation pressure given in
steam tables corresponding to the given temperature of air.
• Dry-bulb temperature (DBT). It is the temperature of air as registered by an ordinary thermometer
(ta)
• Wet-bulb temperature (WBT). It is the temperature registered by a thermometer when the bulb is
covered by a wetted wick and is exposed to a current of rapidly moving air (t ).
wb

• Adiabatic saturation temperature. It is the temperature at which the water or ice can saturate air
by evaporating adiabatically into it. It is numerically equivalent to the measured wet bulb
temperature (as corrected, if necessary for radiation and conduction) (t )
wb

• Wet-bulb depression. It is the difference between dry-bulb and wet bulb temperatures (tdb - twb).
• Dew point temperature (DPT). It is W temperature to which air must be cooled at constant
pressure in order to cause condensation of any of its water vapour. It is equal to steam table
saturation temperature correspond to the actual partial pressure of water vapour in the air (t )
d p

• Dew point depression. It is the difference between the dry bulb and dew point temperatures (tdb -
tdp).
• Specific humidity (Humidity ratio). It is the ratio of the mass of water vapour
per unit mass of dry air in the mixture of vapour and air, it is generally
expressed as grams of water per kg of dry air. For a given barometric
pressure it is a function of dew point temperature alone.
• Relative humidity (RH). It is the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapour
in the mixture to the saturated partial pressure at the dry bulb temperature,
expressed as percentage.
• Sensible heat. It is the heat that changes the temperature of a substance
when added to or abstracted from it.
• Latent heat. It is the heat that does not affect the temperature but changes
the state of substance when added to or abstracted from it.
• Enthalpy. It is the combination energy which represents the sum of internal
and flow energy in a steady flow process. It is determined from an arbitrary
datum point for the air mixture and is expressed as kJ per kg of dry air (h).
• When air is saturated DBT, WBT, DPT are equal.
PSYCHBOMETRIC RELATIONS
Pressure
Dalton’s law of partial pressure is employed to determine the pressure of a mixture of
gases. This law states that the total pressure of a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of
partial pressures which the component gases would exert if each existed alone in the
mixture volume at the mixture temperature.
Specific humidity (W)
W = Mass of water vapor / Mass of dry air
Degree of saturation (µ) :
Degree of saturation = Mass of water vapour associated with unit mass of dry air / Mass of water
vapour associated with saturated unit mass of dry saturated air. µ = W/Ws

Relative humidity (ø)

ø = Mass of water vapour in a given volume / Mass of water vapour in the same volume if
saturated at the same temp. ø = m/mvs = Pv/Psat
PSYCHROMETRIC CHARTS
The psychrometric charts are prepared to represent graphically all the necessary moist air properties
used for air conditioning calculations. The values are based on actual measurements verified for
thermodynamic consistency.
For psychrometric charts the most convenient coordinates are dry bulb temperature of air vapour
mixture as the abcissa and moisture content (kg/kg of dry air) or water vapour pressure as the ordinate.
Depending upon whether the humidity contents is abcissa or ordinate with temperature co-ordinate, the
charts are generally classified as Mollier chart and Carrier chart. Carrier chart having tdb as the abcissa
and W as the ordinate finds a Wide application.
The chart is constructed as under :
1. The dry bulb temperature (°C) of unit mass of dry air for different humidity contents or humidity
ratios are indicated by vertical lines drawn parallel to the ordinate.
2. The mass of water vapour in kg (or grams) per kg of dry air is drawn parallel to the abcissa for
different values of dry bulb temperature. It is the major vertical scale of the chart.
3. Pressure of water vapour in mm of mercury is shown in the scale at left and is the absolute
pressure of steam.
4. Dew point temperatures are temperatures corresponding to the boiling
points of water at low pressures of water vapour and are shown in the scale
on the upper curved line. The dew points for different low pressures are read
on diagonal co-ordinates.
5. Constant relative humidity lines in percent are indicated by marking off
vertical distances between the saturation line or the upper curved line and the
base of the chart. The relative humidity curve depicts quantity (kg) of
moisture actually present in the air as a percentage of the total amount
possible at various dry bulb temperatures and masses of vapour.
6. Enthalpy or total heat at saturation temperature in kJ/kg of dry air is shown
by a diagonal system of co-ordinates. The scale on the diagonal line is
separate from the body of the chart and is indicated above the saturation line.
7. Wet bulb temperatures are shown on the diagonal co-ordinates coinciding
with heat co-ordinates. The scale of wet bulb temperatures is shown on the
saturation curve. The diagonals run downwards to the right at an angle of 30°
to the horizontal.
 PSYCHROMETRIC PROPERTIES (Summary)
• DBT – Dry bulb temperature (Actual temperature of Air)
• WBT – The temperature of dry air at 100% RH(Measured by a wet-
cloth covered the temperature sensor)
• DPT-Dew point temperature - Air must be cooled to become
saturated with water vapor (100%RH). When further cooled, the
airborne water vapour will condense to form liquid water.
• Specific humidity or Moisture content (kg of water vapour/kg of
moist air) i.e. mass of moisture present per unit mass of moist air
• RH - Relative humidity (The amount of water vapour present in air
expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at
the same temperature).
• Enthalpy (Energy content of the air, kJ/kg)
PROBLEM -1 (using formula and Steam tables)
Solution
PSYCHROMETRIC CHART
 DIFFERENT LINES IN THE CHART
• Vertical lines are Dry bulb temperature (DBT, x=axis, -10 to 55 C)
• Horizontal lines
[Specific humidity or moisture content (towards right side),
Dew point temperature (DPT), towards left side on 100%RH line]
• Inclined lines
(WBT, Enthalpy lines (further extension of WBT beyond 100% RH line),
specific volume (its reciprocal is density of air))
• Curved lines (Relative humidity (RH))
• At 100% RH line, DBT=WBT=DPT
• Below 100% RH line, DBT>WBT>DPT.
• At 100% RH, the air is fully saturated with water vapour (moisture).
Addition of moisture limit.
 Psychrometric processes
• Sensible Cooling (Decrease in DBT without change in sp. Humidity)
• Sensible Heating (Increase in DBT without change in sp. Humidity)
• Humidification (Increase in sp. Humidity without change in DBT). The
spray of water or steam to the air increases its moisture.
• Dehumidification (Decrease in sp. Humidity without change in DBT).
During this process the moisture in the air is condensed, i.e. moisture is
absorbed using hygroscopic materials like silica gel. Passing air over a
refrigerant coils helps to condense the water vapour present in the air.
• Combinational processes
• Sensible cooling and humidification (SC+H)
• Sensible cooling and dehumidification (SC+ DH)
• Sensible heating and humidification (SH+H)
• Sensible heating and dehumidification (SH+DH)
DEHUMIDIFICATION
 Sensible and Latent heat gains
Sensible heat gain
QSH = m Cp (T2-T1) = m (h2-h1)

Latent heat gain

QLH= m (h3-h2)

Total heat, TH = SH +LH = m (h2-h1)+m (h3-h2) = m (h3-h1)

Sensible heat factor, SHF = SH/TH
Latent heat factor, LHF = LH/TH
Problem -2.
Determine the following properties of air while it has 22 C DBT and 15 C 
WBT.
• Relative humidity?
• Specific humidity?
• Dew point temperature?
• Enthalpy of air?
• Specific volume of air?

Solution: Take the Psychrometric chart and locate the point in the chart
with respect to 22 C DBT and 15  C WBT. Then, find each property as
shown in the Figure given.
 Problem-3
Dry air at 50% RH and 25 C DBT undergoes a process of spraying
hot steam into the air stream and the final temperature of the air
is 40  C and moisture content reached 0.021 kg per kg of dry air.
Determine the moisture added to the air?
Determine the SHF and LHF?
What is the final RH% of air?
Determine the SHF directly from the chart, graphically?
What is the DPT and WBT of the exit air?
What is the final specific volume of air?
 SOLUTION STEPS TO USE THE PSYCHROMETRIC
CHART
• Locate the initial state of air, point 1 (DBT, RH)
• Locate the final state of air, point 3 (DBT, Moisture content)
• Draw horizontal line from 1
• Draw vertical line from 3.
• Mark the meeting point of both lines as Point 2.
• Now, take all the required properties as per the lines and curves.
• Use respective formula to determine the SHF.
• The sensible heating increases the DBT, decreases the RH and
moisture remains same.
• Humidification increases the moisture content and RH value without
change in DBT.