Psychrometrics

Dew Point indicate the moisture amount in the air.

- Warmer air can hold more water vapor than cooler air.
- The higher the dew points, the higher the moisture content of the air at a given temperature.
- The lower the dew point, the lower the amount of moisture in the air.
- The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor (100% relative
humidity ). When further cooled, water vapor will condense to form liquid water (dew) (at constant pressure and
constant water vapor content).
- Also clouds would form.
- When air cools to its dew point through contact with a surface that is colder than the air, water will condense on the
surface.

Human comfort and Body thermoregulation

When the air temperature is high, the human body uses the evaporation of sweat to cool down.
How fast the perspiration evaporates?!!
The rate at which perspiration can evaporate depends on how much moisture is in the air and how much moisture
the air can hold.
If the air is already saturated with moisture, perspiration will not evaporate.
The body's thermoregulation will produce perspiration in an effort to keep the body at its normal temperature even
when the rate it is producing sweat exceeds the evaporation rate, so one can become coated with sweat on humid
days even without generating additional body heat (such as by exercising).
As the air surrounding one's body is warmed by body heat, it will rise and be replaced with other air. If air is moved
away from one's body with a natural breeze or a fan, sweat will evaporate faster, making perspiration more effective
at cooling the body.
The more unevaporated perspiration, the greater the discomfort.

Note:
- Discomfort also exists when the dew point is very low (below around −30 °C or −22 °F).
- The drier air can cause skin to crack and become irritated more easily.
- The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends indoor air be maintained at 20 - 24.5 °C with
a 20 - 60% relative humidity, equivalent to a dew point of − 4.5 to 15.5 °C (24 to 60 °F).

Units Note:
- 1 gr (grain) = 0.0648 g (gram)
- 1 Kg = 2.2 Ib
- 1 Droplet of water = 1 grain
- 1 Ib of Water = 7000 grain or droplet
The Specific Humidity, or Humidity Ratio: pounds of water per pound of dry air or in grains of water per pound of dry air.
A grain of water is approximately one drop, and there are 7,000 grains of water to one pound of water.

Wet-Bulb Temperature
- Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT in short) is a measure of how much moisture or water vapor is present in the air.
- The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached under current ambient conditions by the
evaporation of water only.
- The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature which may be achieved by evaporative cooling of a water-wetted
ventilated surface.

Prepared by: Hossam Abdelghani MEP Engineer TEL: +971523073712

Understanding Wet Bulb Temperature that affect Evaporative Cooling Tower Performance

 A cooling tower primarily uses latent heat of vaporization (evaporation) to cool process water.
 Cooling tower selection and performance is based on:
- Water flow rate.
- Water inlet temperature.
- Water outlet temperature.
- Ambient wet bulb temperature.
 The measured wet bulb temperature is a function of the relative humidity and ambient air temperature. Wet bulb
temperature essentially measures how much water vapor the atmosphere can hold at current weather conditions. A
lower wet bulb temperature means the air is drier and can hold more water vapor than it can at a higher wet bulb
temperature.
 Highest wet bulb temperatures occur during the summer, when air temperatures and humidity are highest.
 Most cooling towers are capacity rated at a "standard" wet bulb temperature of 78°F. That means on the days when the
wet bulb temperature is 78°F, the tower will produce its stated capacity. In other words, a tower rated to produce 135
tons of cooling will produce 135 tons of cooling at a 78°F wet bulb temperature. At a higher wet bulb temperature, the
tower cell capacity decreases.

The Psychrometric Chart Explained

The chart is visually conveying the answers to two related questions:

1. How much sensible (dry-bulb) heat is in the air?
2. How much latent (moisture-related) heat is in the air?
Sensible Heat Vs. Latent Heat
- Sensible heat is the “dry” heat in the air and relates directly to the dry-bulb temperature.
- Latent heat is the “wet” heat captured in the air as water undergoes phase change from liquid to vapor via
evaporation or boiling.
Humidity Ratio and Relative Humidity
- As air gets warmer and expands, it has the ability to hold more moisture. As the air temperature drops, it has
less capacity to hold moisture.
- The relative humidity of an air-vapor mix at any given dry-bulb temperature helps one determine the
saturation level of the air-vapor mix relative to its current capacity.

Prepared by: Hossam Abdelghani MEP Engineer TEL: +971523073712

Determining changes in enthalpy (latent and sensible heat) due to simultaneous change in humidity ratio and dry-bulb
temperature

Prepared by: Hossam Abdelghani MEP Engineer TEL: +971523073712

Visualizing Condensation

- Dehumidification is achieved by cooling the air below the dew point temperature, causing condensation.

Dew Point
- Condensation occurrence would be when hot-humid indoor air comes into contact with a cool window
surface during the winter.
- As the temperature of the air adjacent to this surface is pulled beyond the saturation line, its limit for holding
moisture is reached and "dew" (i.e. water) starts to form on the cool window surface.
- The dew point: the temperature at which condensation occurs as the dry-bulb temperature of an air-vapor mix
is lowered.
Reheating
- After being cooled beyond the dew point temperature, the humidity ratio of the air-vapor mix will
be reduced and the air will remain at 100 percent relative humidity.
- In order to lower the relative humidity, or to bring the conditions into the human thermal comfort
zone, sensible heat will need to be added while the moisture content (latent heat) is maintained.

Humidity Ratio or Moisture Content:

- It is the mass of water vapor per unit mass of dry air.
Relative humidity:
- It is the percentage or ratio of the amount of water vapor in a volume of air at a given temperature
and the amount that it can hold at that given temperature.

Why does cold air hold less moisture?

Conclusion
- Humidity: the measure of water vapor in the air.
- Warm air can contain more moisture than cold air.
- The relative humidity: the amount of water vapor in the air, in % of the maximum that the air can hold at
any given temperature.
- The relative humidity: can be controlled by temperature, while the moisture content and dew point
temperature remain the same.

Q: The air in a closed room (30 degrees Celsius) has an absolute humidity of 18 g/m3. When the air is cooled, how do the
following parameters change:
- relative humidity
- absolute humidity
- dew point temperature

Relative Humidity = (Absolute humidity/Saturation Point) x100

At 25 °C
- Absolute humidity: 15 g/m³
- Saturation Point: 30 g/m³ (the max amount of water vapor can be held by air at 25 °C)

Prepared by: Hossam Abdelghani MEP Engineer TEL: +971523073712

Prepared by: Hossam Abdelghani MEP Engineer TEL: +971523073712
Prepared by: Hossam Abdelghani MEP Engineer TEL: +971523073712