CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024

EXP - 3 Wet Bulb and Dry Bulb Temperature

Date of experiment: 15/02/2024

Date of Report: 22/02/2024

Batch: Thursday Group no.: 16

Name Roll no
Jaabili Sri CH21B064

Narendra Kawche CH21B065

Abhishek Nemade CH21B066

AIM:

This experiment’s goal is to measure wet bulb temperature (TW) and dry bulb temperature (TG), how these
values change as the gas flow rate changes and find:

 kY and hG using correlations, calculate YG and RH

 Compare with RH measured separately
 Unsteady state analysis of the TW and comparison with theoretical estimates

INTRODUCTION:

Dry Bulb Temperature:

 Definition: Dry bulb temperature refers to the ambient air temperature measured by a thermometer
unaffected by moisture. It is labeled "dry bulb" because the measurement is not influenced by the
air's moisture content.
 Significance: This temperature parameter provides a baseline indication of the overall air
temperature in a given environment.

Wet Bulb Temperature:

 Definition: Wet bulb temperature is the temperature of adiabatic saturation and is measured using a
thermometer with its bulb wrapped in wet muslin.
 Measurement Method: The wet bulb temperature is influenced by adiabatic water evaporation from
the wet muslin. The cooling effect on the thermometer results in a wet bulb temperature lower than
the dry bulb temperature in the air.
 Dependency on Humidity: The rate of evaporation from the wet muslin and the temperature
difference between the dry and wet bulb temperatures depend on the humidity of the air. Higher
humidity levels reduce the evaporation rate.

Psychrometric Chart:
 Function: The psychrometric chart serves as a valuable tool for computing unknown quantities
when two of the three parameters—dry bulb temperature (TG), wet bulb temperature (TW), and
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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024
relative humidity (RH)—are known.

Equation Describing Wet Bulb Temperature (1):

𝑚𝑎𝐶𝑝𝑎 = 𝐾𝑐(𝑌𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑌𝑠 )𝐴𝜆 + ℎ(𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑇𝑤)𝐴

 ma - mass of water vaporized

 Tw - Wet bulb temperature
 Yair’ - Absolute humidity of air at inlet RH (0.1 in our case)
 Ys’ - Absolute humidity of air at Tw
 λ - Latent heat of vaporization of water
 h - Convective heat transfer coefficient

Flux Term Evaluation:

 This involves the determination of Ky and h (mass and heat transfer coefficients), which can be
obtained from Sherwood and Nusselt number relations.
Sherwood and Nusselt Number Relations:

𝑆ℎ = 0.332 × 𝑆𝑐 × 𝑅𝑒

𝑁𝑢 = 0.332 × Pr × 𝑅𝑒

 Sh - Sherwood number
 Nu - Nusselt number
 Sc - Schmidt number
 Re - Reynold’s number
 Pr - Prandtl number

APPARATUS REQUIRED

 Thermocouples
 Cotton wick
 Air pump
 Psychrometer setup
 Hygrometers
 Distilled water
 Stopwatch
 Temperature indicator

PROCEDURE:

1. Connect the dry air inlet pipe in the experimental setup.

2. Install two thermocouples, one dedicated to measuring Dry Bulb Temperature (DBT) and the other
for Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT).
3. Utilize a hygrometer to measure the relative humidity of the airflow at specified flow rates.
4. Place the WBT thermocouple in a moistened wick, ensuring it is positioned at the same level as the
DBT thermocouple. The portion of the wick exposed to airflow should not cover the entire length of
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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024
the thermocouple.
5. Insert the opposite end of the wick into a small water container, allowing water to rise through
capillary action.
6. If needed, connect the thermocouples to the Temperature Indicator device, adjusting the dry air flow
to the desired rate (expressed in liters per minute).
7. Record the initial temperatures of WBT and DBT before wetting the wick.
8. Note temperature readings at 30-second intervals and create a plot illustrating the variations in DBT
and WBT values.
9. Conduct repeated experiments using different wicks and flow rates, and compare the obtained results
with DBT values corresponding to the respective points on the Psychrometric Chart.
10. Determine the quantity of water present in the wick connected to the WBT thermocouple.

OBSERVATIONS:
Flow rate = 3LPM Flow rate = 6LPM Flow rate = 9LPM
Time(sec)
WBT(⁰C) DBT(⁰C) WBT(⁰C) DBT(⁰C) WBT(⁰C) DBT(⁰C)
0 26 29 28 30 26 30
30 23 29 22 30 21 30
60 22 29 19 30 19 30
90 22 29 18 30 19 30
120 21 30 18 30 18 30
150 21 29 18 30 18 30
180 20 30 17 30 18 30
210 20 30 17 30 18 30
240 20 30 17 30 18 30
270 20 30 17 30 18 30
300 20 30 17 30 18 30
330 20 30 17 30 18 30
360 20 30 17 30 18 30
390 20 30 17 30 18 30
420 20 30 17 30 18 30
450 19 30 17 30 18 30
480 19 30 17 30 18 30
510 19 30 17 30 18 30
540 19 30 17 30 18 30
570 19 30 17 30 18 30
600 19 30 17 30 18 30
630 19 30 17 30 18 30
660 19 30 17 30 18 30
690 19 30 17 30 18 30
720 19 30 17 30 18 30

SAMPLE CALCULATIONS:
The wet-bulb temperature is the steady-state temperature reached by a small amount of liquid evaporating
into a large amount of unsaturated vapor-gas mixture. Under properly controlled conditions it can be used to
measure the humidity of the mixture. For this purpose, a thermometer whose bulb has been covered with a
wick kept wet with the liquid is immersed in a rapidly moving

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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024
stream of the gas mixture. The temperature indicated by this thermometer will ultimately reach a value
lower than the dry-bulb temperature of the gas if the latter is unsaturated, and from a knowledge of this
value the humidity is computed.
Consider a drop of liquid immersed in a rapidly moving stream of un-saturated vapor-gas mixture. If the
liquid is initially at a temperature higher than the gas dew point, the vapor pressure of the liquid will be
higher at the drop surface than the partial pressure of vapor in the gas, and the liquid will evaporate and
diffuse into the gas. The latent heat required for the evaporation will at first be supplied at the expense of the
sensible heat of the liquid drop, which will then cool down. As soon as the liquid temperature is reduced
below the dry-bulb temperature of the gas, heat will flow from the gas to the liquid, at an increasing rate as
the temperature difference becomes larger. Eventually the rate of heat transfer from the gas to the liquid will
equal the rate of heat requirement for the evaporation, and the temperature of the liquid will remain constant
at some low value, the wet-bulb temperature. The mechanism of the wet-bulb process is essentially the same
as that governing the adiabatic saturation, except that in the case of the former the humidity of the gas is
assumed not
to change during the process.

The wet bulb temperature eventually reach steady state after a while at all 3 flow rates. Now, once the
temperature reaches steady state, we have
At steady state, =0 -------------------------(1)
Hence, the right-hand part of equation (1) become 0.
Therefore,
𝑘 (𝑌 − 𝑌 )𝐴𝜆 = ℎ(𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑇𝑤 )𝐴
Which implies, after cancelling out the area,
𝑘 (𝑌 − 𝑌 )𝜆 = ℎ(𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑇𝑤 )- ---------------------
------(2)

We can first observe what is going on here in this experiment like we can see in the diagram below taken
from trey ball.

𝑚𝑎𝐶𝑝𝑎 = 𝐾𝑐(𝑌𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑌𝑠 )𝐴𝜆 +

ℎ(𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑇𝑤)𝐴
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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024
 ma - mass of water vaporized
 Tw - Wet bulb temperature
 Yair’ - Absolute humidity of air at inlet RH (0.1 in our case)
 Ys’ - Absolute humidity of air at Tw
 λ - Latent heat of vaporization of water
 h - Convective heat transfer coefficient

To find all the unknows, we can easily get it from the psychrometric chart.

Taking the flow rate 9LPM case,

Using the Psychrometric chart we can find Ys’ and Yair’

Ys’= 0.008 kg water / kg Dry Air = 0.000544 mol/m3

Using the chart, by assuming steady state Tw=18 ℃

Yair’= 0.0001 kg water / kg Dry Air = 0.00668 mol/m3

Using the chart, by assuming steady state Td=30 ℃

Now,

Cpair = 1.005x103 J/kg/K

Cpwater = 4.18x103 J/kg/K

ρ water = 103 kg/m3

ρ air = 1.225 kg/m3

µ air = 1.81x10-5 µ Pa.s

A = 7.06 mm^2.

𝑣air=32.8 m/s

Dair =2.24x10-5 m2 /s (Diffusivity of air in water)

λ = 2260 KJ/Kg (Latent heat of water)

k = 2.623x10-2 W m-1 K -1 (Thermal Conductivity of air)

From the formulae of this dimensionless numbers we have obtained their values.

Re=64500
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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024
Sc= 0.66

Pr=0.693

Sh=23.21

Nu=23.60

Kc=0.258 m/s

h=310.66 W m^-2 K^-1

Using this values we can calculate the value of Tw using our above obtained equation no 2.

Tw = 18.258 ( calculated)

Using this new value of Tw, we will now find Ys’ and Yair’ once again using the
psychrometric chart. Therefore,

Ys’= 0.0083 kg water / kg Dry Air = 0.000564 mol/m3

*Using the chart, by assuming steady state Tw=18.29 ℃ *

Yair’= 0.0001 kg water / kg Dry Air = 0.00668 mol/m3

*Using the chart, by assuming steady state Td=30 ℃ *

Again find the Tw,2 then again find Ys and Yair.we get same value after 2 or 3 iterations and we
will get predicted values. For this we can Use MAT-LAB.

% Error in calculated Vs experimental = 1.61%

Now, finding Relative Humidity using Psychrometric chart, we see that we get RH=31% for 9LPM
air flow rate at steady state.

To get Relative humidity values, we use the following formulae for every reading and then take an
average to find the average relative humidity

. ✕𝑇𝑤
ρ = 6.112𝑒𝑥𝑝
. +𝑇𝑤

. ✕𝑇𝑑 ρ . ( . )( )
ρ = 6.112𝑒𝑥𝑝 𝑅𝐻 = ✕100
. +𝑇𝑑 ρ

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CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024

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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024

RESULTS, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:

Wet bulb temperature with time.

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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024

For Flow rate 3LPM

Time(sec) WBT(⁰C) DBT(⁰C) 𝛒𝒘 𝛒𝒅 RH

0 26 29 33.60787 40.05716 78.69403
30 23 29 28.08464 40.05716 59.74502
60 22 29 26.42913 40.05716 53.90195
90 22 29 26.42913 40.05716 53.90195
120 21 30 24.85967 42.4344 43.94785
150 21 29 24.85967 40.05716 48.27871
180 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
210 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024
240 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
270 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
300 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
330 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
360 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
390 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
420 20 30 23.37244 42.4344 38.84052
450 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
480 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
510 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
540 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
570 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
600 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
630 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
660 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
690 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
720 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
Average Value of RH=41.09%

For 6LPM:
For Flow rate 6LPM

Time(sec) WBT(⁰C) DBT(⁰C) 𝛒𝒘 𝛒𝒅 RH

0 28 30 37.79689 42.4344 85.78581
30 22 30 26.42913 42.4344 49.2537
60 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
90 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
120 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
150 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
180 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
210 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
240 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
270 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
300 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
330 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
360 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
390 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
420 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
450 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
480 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
510 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
540 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
570 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
600 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
630 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
660 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
690 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
720 17 30 19.36797 42.4344 24.62436
Average value of RH=28.97%

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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024

For Flow rate 9LPM

Time(sec) WBT(⁰C) DBT(⁰C) 𝛒𝒘 𝛒𝒅 RH

0 26 30 33.60787 42.4344 72.64744
30 21 30 24.85967 42.4344 43.94785
60 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
90 19 30 21.96376 42.4344 33.92302
120 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
150 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
180 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
210 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
240 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
270 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
300 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
330 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
360 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
390 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
420 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
450 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
480 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
510 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
540 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
570 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
600 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
630 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
660 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
690 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
720 18 30 20.63008 42.4344 29.18699
Average value of RH= 31.89%

Calculated Constants:
Flow Pr Re Sc Sh Nu kc h
3 0.693 21.5X102 0.66 13.4 13.63 0.149 179.36
6 0.693 43X102 0.66 18.95 19.27 0.211 253.65
9 0.693 64.5X102 0.66 23.21 23.6 0.258 310.66

Flow Rate WBT(Experimental) WBT(Calculated) %Error

3 19 18.41 3.115%
6 17 18.07 6.31%
9 18 18.26 1.435%

RH(From
Flow Rate (LPM) RH calculated %Error
Psychrometric Chart)
3 32% 41% 28.125
6 30% 28.97% 3.433333333
9 31% 31.89% 2.870967742

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 CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024
Conclusions:
- The time for Wet Bulb temperature to reach steady state decreases with increasing flow rates. As higher
flow enhances the evaporation rate from wet bulb thus helps in reaching steady state quickly. - Based on a
dry bulb temperature (DBT) of 30 °C and 0.1% relative humidity (RH) (at 6LPM), a psychrometric chart
was used to forecast the wet bulb temperature (WBT), which came out to be around 18.86 °C.
- The graphs we obtained do not follow any form of trend. Based on the predicted model, it is supposed to
be an exponential curve. The reason could be the fact that the transient effects have been simplified in the
assumptions made while making the model, hence causing differences between the theoretical and the actual
model.
- The calculated Relative Humidity values are very accurately close to the values obtained through the
psychrometric chart. The chart is not a direct result of specific experimental data but is constructed based on
well-established theoretical models that describe the behaviour of moist air. This is very well verified by the
accurate values obtained.

References:
1. Engineering Toolbox-
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/dry-wet-bulb-dew-point-air-d_682.html
2. Treybal’s Mass Transfer Operations
3. https://www.psych-chart.com/
4. Our calculation is done on Excel file:
https://kawche-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/narenkawche_kawche_onmicrosoft_com/EW-
XIgWVsypAkfZaQKpvySEBXCN7jh4Dy_5fWJep3LjFvw?e=Nf6zyu

Observed Data

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CH3521: Heat & Mass Transfer lab II, January-May 2024

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