Continuous

Humidification
Prepared by:
Rhoda B. Leron, Ph.D.
Introduction
! When relatively warm liquid is directly contacted
with gas that is unsaturated, some of the liquid is
vaporized.
! The liquid temperature will drop mainly because
of the latent heat of vaporization.

! This direct contact of a gas with a pure liquid

occurs most often in contacting air with water.
Introduction
! Applications
§  Humidifying air for control of moisture content of
air in drying or air conditioning
§  Dehumidifying air, where cold water condenses
some water vapor from warm air
§  Water cooling, where evaporation of water to air
cools warm water
Tower for Water Cooling
Warm Warm
air water

Packing

Cold air Cold

water
Introduction
! The water cannot be cooled below the wet bulb
temperature.

! The driving force for the evaporation of water is

approximately the vapor pressure of water minus the
vapor pressure it would have at the wet bulb
temperature.

! Only a small amount of water is lost by evaporation in

cooling water (about 1.5%). Therefore, the total flow of
water is usually assumed constant in calculations of
tower size.
Temperature and Concentration
Profile at Interface
Liquid water Interface

Hi Air

HG

TL Water vapor
Ti

TG

latent heat in gas

Sensible heat in
liquid

Sensible heat in gas

Continuous Countercurrent Adiabatic
Water Cooling Tower
G
TG2 L2
H2 TL2
hG2

G
TG + dTG
H + dH L + dL
hG TL + d TL
dz
L
TL

G
TG1 L1
H1 TL1
hG1
Continuous Countercurrent
Adiabatic Water Cooling Tower
where

L = water flow rate, kg water/s –m2 (lbm/h-ft2)

TL = temperature of water, °C or K (°F)

G= dry air flow, kg /s –m2 (lbm/h-ft2)

TV = temperature of air, °C or K (°F)

H = humidity of air, kg water/kg d.a

hV = enthalpy of air-water vapor mixture, J/kg d.a

 Heat Balances
G
TG2
L2
H2
TL2
Overall heat balance:
hG2
G (hG2 – hG1) = LcpL(TL2 – TL1)
TG + dTG
H + dH L + dL
hG + dhG TL + d TL
Heat bal around the dashed line
TG L
H TL G (hG – hG1) = LcpL(TL – TL1)
hG

G
TG1 L1
H1 TL1
hG1
Operating Line Equation

Heat bal around the dashed line

Operating line
G (hG – hG1) = L cpL (TL2 – TL1) equation

hG − hG1 Lc pL
=
TL − TL1 G

slope = LcpL/G
Operating Line and Equilibrium Curve Diagram

Equilibrium curve

hG2
TOP

Operating line
Lc pL
hG1 BOTTOM slope =
G
0 TL1 TL2
Operating Line and Equilibrium Curve Diagram

Equilibrium curve
Operating line for Gmin
Lc pL
slope =
Gmin
hG2
TOP

Operating line
Lc pL
hG1 BOTTOM slope =
G
0 TL1 TL2
Heat Balances
G
TG2
L2
H2
TL2 Heat bal for dz column height:
hG2
(neglecting sensible-heat terms
TG + dTG compared with the latent heat):
H + dH L + dL
hG + dhG TL + d TL
dz G dhG = L cPL dTL
TG L
H TL
hG

G
TG1 L1
H1 TL1
hG1
 Rate Equations for Heat and
Mass Transfer
Total sensible heat transfer from the Liquid water Air
bulk liquid to the interface:
Hi

Lc pL dTL = GdhG = hL adz (TL − Ti ) HG

TL Water
Ti vapor
where
TG
hLa - liquid-phase volumetric heat transfer
coefficient (W/m3-K) latent heat in gas
Sensible heat
Ti – interface temperature in liquid

Sensible heat in gas

 Rate Equations for Heat and
Mass Transfer
The sensible heat in the liquid equals Liquid water Air
the latent heat plus sensible heat in the
gas: Hi
HG
GdhG = M B kG aPλ0 ( H i − H G ) dz TL Water
Ti vapor
+ hG a (Ti − TG ) dz
TG

where latent heat in gas

Sensible heat
kGa - gas-phase volumetric heat transfer in liquid
coefficient (W/m3-K)
Sensible heat in gas
Ti – interface temperature
Rate Equations for Heat and Mass
Transfer
Defining:
hG a
≅ cs
M B PkG a

Substituting to the equation and rearranging :

GdhG = M B kG aPλ0 ( H i − H G ) dz + cs M B kG aP (Ti − TG ) dz

GdhG = M B kG aPdz "#( csTi + λ0 H i ) − ( csTG + λ0 H G )$%

Rate Equations for Heat and
Mass Transfer
Adding and subtracting csT0 to the terms inside the bracket:

GdhG = M B kG aPdz "#( csTi + λ0 H i − csT0 ) − ( csTG + λ0 H G − csT0 )$%

GdhG = M B kG aPdz {"#cs (Ti − T0 ) + H i λ0 $% − "#cs (TG − T0 ) + H G λ0 $%}

Writing in terms of enthalpy hG:

GdhG = M B kG aPdz ( hi − hG )
Rate Equations for Heat and Mass
Transfer
Integrating to get the final equation for calculating z;

h
z G G2
dhG
∫ 0 dz = z = M k aP ∫ (h − h )
B G hG1 i G

Also:

hL a hi − hG Tie line
− =
kG aPM B Ti − TL equation
 Temperature and enthalpy at the interface

Equilibrium curve

hG2
hL a h −h
slope = − = i G
hi kG aPM B Ti − TL

hG1

0 TL1 TL2
Ti TL
 Temperature and enthalpy at the interface

Equilibrium curve

hi2
hG2
hL a h −h
slope = − = i G
hi kG aPM B Ti − TL

hi1
hG1

0 TL1 TL2
Ti TL
Calculations using Overall
Coefficients
In terms of overall mass transfer coefficient KGa

hG 2
z G dhG
∫ 0 dz = z = M K aP ∫ h* − h
B G hG1 ( G)
Calculations using Overall Coefficients

h*2
hi2

hG2
hL a h −h
slope = − = i G
hi kG aPM B Ti − TL

h*1
hi1
hG1

0 TL1 TL2
Ti TL
Calculations using Transfer Units

In terms of transfer units, HG and NG:

hG 2
G dhG
z= ∫
M B kG aP hG1 ( h* − hG )

z = H G NG

where HG – height of a gas enthalpy transfer unit in m

NG – number of transfer units
Calculations using Transfer Units

In terms of transfer units, HOG and NOG:

hG 2
G dhG
z= ∫
M B K G aP hG1 ( h* − hG )

z = H OG N OG

where HOG – height of a gas enthalpy transfer unit in m

NOG – number of transfer units
Simplified Solutions:

When the equilibrium and operating lines are straight within limits:
hG 2
dhG hG 2 − hG1
∫ (h − h ) (hi2 − hG 2 ) − (hi1 − hG1 )
=
hG1 i G

ln
( hi2 − hG 2 )
(hi1 − hG1 )
Also:
hG 2
dhG hG 2 − hG1
∫ h* − h =
hG1 ( ) ( ) ( 1 − hG1 )
* *
G h2 − hG2 − h

ln
( h −h )
*
2 G2

(h − h )
*
1 G1
Sample Problem
A packed countercurrent water-cooling tower using a
gas flow rate of G = 1.356 kgmol dry air/s-m2 and a
water flow rate of L = 1.356 kgmol water/s-m2 is to cool
the water from 43.3°C to 29.4°C. The entering air at
29.4°C has a wet bulb temperature of 23.9°C. The mass
transfer coefficient kGa = 1.207 × 10-7 kgmol/s-m3-Pa
and hLa/kGaMBP = 4.187 × 104 J/kg-K. Calculate the
tower height. The tower operates at 1.013 × 10-5 Pa.
Solution:

1
H1 = 0.0165

Tw = 23.9°C TG1 = 29.4°C

Solution:
Solving for enthalpy hG1:

hG1 = !"1.005 +1.88 ( 0.0165)#$(29.4 − 0) + 2.501×10 6 ( 0.0165)

hG1 = 7.17 ×10 3 J/kg

Substituting in the heat balance (operating line) equation:

1.356 ( hG 2 − 71.7 ×10 3 ) = 1.356 ( 4.187 ×10 3 ) ( 43.3− 29.4)

hG 2 = 129.9 ×10 3 J/kg dry air

Solution:
 Enthalpy, hG (J/kg x 10-3)

hG2

hG1
Solution:
 Solution:

hi2
Enthalpy, hG (J/kg x 10-3)

hi
hG2

hG
hi1

hG1

TL
Solution:

hi hG hi – hG 1/(hi – hG)

94.4 × 103 71.7 × 103 22.7 × 103 4.41 × 10-5

108.4 × 103 83.5 × 103 24.9 × 103 4.02 × 10-5

124.4 × 103 94.9 × 103 29.5 × 103 3.39 × 10-5

141.8 × 103 106.5 × 103 35.4 × 103 2.83 × 10-5

162.1 × 103 118.4 × 103 43.7 × 103 2.29 × 10-5

184.7 × 103 129.9 × 103 54.8 × 103 1.82 × 10-5

Solution:
Plotting the 1/(hi – hG) vs. hG and taking the area under the
resulting curve:
hG 2
dhG
∫ h* − h = 1.82
hG1 ( G)

Finally solving for z:

1.356
5 (
z= 1.82 )
(29) (1.207 ×10 ) (1.013×10 )
−7

z = 6.98 m
Worksheet Problem

Resolve the problem 1.75 times the minimum air

rate.