Student Chapter Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 3rd

7pm
ECJ 4.304
Interested in HVAC design, MEP, or building environmental systems?
Come learn about all of the opportunities and resources ASHRAE has to offer!
Including: networking, scholarships, social events, and much more.
 Objectives

Learn about Psychometrics

• Psychometric chart
• Equations
 Humidity Ratio, W
• W = mw/ma
• Degree of saturation, µ = W/Ws
• Humidity ratio is hard to measure, but very
useful in calculations
• What are units?
• Is W a function of temperature? What about
Ws?
Ws = humidity ratio at saturation
ma = mass of dry air
mw = mass of water vapor
 Relative Humidity
• Φ = xw/xw,s = Pw/Pws

• Function of T
0.622  Ws

0.622  W

Easy to measure and useful in some contexts, but

often need to know temperature as well
x = mole fraction
P = pressure
μ = degree of saturation
W = humidity ratio
 Dew-point temperature, td
• Temperature at which condensation will form
• Under appropriate surface conditions
• Vapor is saturated
• Φ=?
• Ws(P, td) = W
 Wet-bulb temperature, VBT (t*)
• Temperature of wet surface or

• Temperature at which water, by evaporating into the

air, will bring air to saturation adiabatically

• * superscript is designation that variable is evaluated

at the wet-bulb temperature
• Note, distinct from that measured by a sling
psychrometer
• Section 9.5
 Tables for Moist Air (P = 1 atm)
• Tables A.4 in your text
• Ability to get Ws for calculations v = va+µvas

• Subscripts: h = ha+µhas

• a = dry air, s = saturated air s = sa+µsas

 Psychrometric Chart
• Need two quantities for a state point
• Can get all other quantities from a state point
• Can do all calculations without a chart
• Often require iteration
• Many “digital” psychrometric charts available
• Can make your own
• Best source is ASHRAE fundamentals (Chapter 6)
• Also in your text (back cover fold-out)
Ref: Tao and Janis (2001)
Ref: Tao and Janis (2001)
Ref: Tao and Janis (2001)
Ref: Tao and Janis (2001)
 Examples
• What is enthalpy of air in the classroom right
now?
• Condensation on windows when taking a
shower
• How cold does it have to be outside for condensation to
form on windows?
– Assumption is that windows are the same temperature as
outside air
– 80 °F, RH = 80%
 Alternate calculation for W
• PV = mRT (IGL)
 PwV 
mw  RwT  Pw Ra
W  
ma  PaV  Pa Rw
 Ra T 

• What do we know about R ratio?

R = gas constant
• P = Pw + Pa P = pressure
V = volume
T = absolute temperature
Pw
W  0.622 W = humidity ratio
P  Pw
Subscripts: w is water
vapor, a is dry air
Calculation of psychometric quantities
• For an ideal gas,
• hda = ∫cpadT, hw = ∫cpwdT

• So, hda = cp,dat which assumes a reference state of 0

°F or 0 °C – Tables A4
• Note different reference
cp = specific heat
• hw = cpwt + hg0 h = enthalpy
T = absolute temperature
• h = cp,dat + W(cpwt + hg0) t = temperature
W = humidity ratio
Or you can use:
• h = cpt + W∙hg0, cp = cp,da + Wcpw Subscripts: w is water
vapor, a is dry air, g is
saturated water vapor
 Adiabatic mixing
• Governing equation   
m
 h   m h
Q
in out
External heat
Sensible heating

Q  m c p t
Dehumidification by Cooling
Real Dehumidification Process
 Transport of saturated air

tsurface < tdp Condensation

Mold in a duct
Humidification

hw Specific enthalpy
of water added to
system
hg Specific enthalpy
of saturated water
vapor
 Summary
• Describe psychrometric quantities
• Given any two psychrometric quantities,
calculate any other quantity
• Use Tables A4 or psychrometric charts to look
up psychrometric quantities
• Calculate psychrometric quantities at non-
standard conditions