AIR CONDITIONING

MEE433 –Air Conditioning and Ventilation Systems

 INTRODUCTION
Air Conditioning (A/C or Aircon) - defined as the process for treating
air, so as to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, cleanliness and
distribution to meet the requirements of the conditioned space.
Air conditioning may be required in buildings which have a high heat
gain and as a result a high internal temperature. The heat gain may be from
solar radiation and/or internal gains such as people, lights and business
machines. The diagram below shows some typical heat gains in a room.

If the inside temperature of a space rises to about 25o C then air conditioning will probably be
necessary to maintain comfort levels.
 Psychrometry
It is the science of study of various properties of air, method of
controlling its temperature and moisture content or humidity and its
effect on various materials and human beings. Studying
Psychrometry helps understanding different constituents of air and
how they affect each other, which in turn unravels various
mysteries of the atmosphere and the nature. It plays a key role, not
only in heating, cooling, and humidification processes and the
resulting comfort of building occupants, but also in building
insulation, roofing properties, and the stability, deformation, and
fire resistance of building materials.
PSYCHROMETRIC
CHART
Guide For Plotting
Definitions of some of the most common terms in psychrometrics follow:

Dry air- Atmospheric air generally contains a number of constituents, water vapor, and
miscellaneous components (e.g., smoke, pollen, gaseous pollutants, etc.). Dry air refers to air
without the water vapor and miscellaneous components.

Moist air- This is the basic medium in psychrometrics and is defined as a binary or two-
component mixture of dry air and water vapor. The amount of water vapor in moist air varies from
nearly 0 (dry air) to a maximum of 0.020 kg water vapor/kg dry air under atmospheric conditions,
depending on the temperature and pressure.

Saturated air- This is a saturated mixture of air and water vapor mixture, where the vapor is at
the saturation temperature and pressure.

Dew point temperature- This is defined as the temperature of moist air saturated at the same
pressure and with the same humidity ratio as that of a given sample of moist air (i.e., temperature at
state 2 in Figure 6.1). When moist air is cooled at constant pressure (i.e., process 1–2), the
temperature reaches the dew point temperature when water vapor begins to condense.
Relative humidity- This is defined as the ratio of the mole fraction of water vapor in
a mixture to the mole fraction of water vapor in a saturated mixture at the same
temperature and pressure. The relative humidity ϕ is normally based on the mole
fraction equation since water vapor is considered to be an ideal gas as follows:

(6.1)ϕ=PvPs=ρvρs=vsvv,

where Pv is the partial pressure of the vapor, and Ps is the saturation pressure of vapor at the
same temperature, which can be taken directly from a saturated water table. The total pressure
is P=Pa+Pv. According to Figure 6.1, ϕ=P1/P3.

Humidity ratio- The humidity ratio of moist air (or the mixing ratio) is defined as the
ratio of the mass of water vapor to the mass of dry air contained in the mixture at the
same temperature and pressure as follows:

(6.2)ω=mvma=0.622PvPa

where mv=PvV/RvT=PvVMv/ŘT and ma=PaV/RaT=PaVMa/ŘT since both water vapor and air,

as well as their mixture, are treated as ideal gases.With the expressions for relative humidity and
humidity ratio in terms of pressure ratios in Equations 6.1 and 6.2, the following expression can
be derived:
(6.3)ϕ=ωPa0.622Ps

Degree of saturation- This is defined as the ratio of actual humidity ratio to the
humidity ratio of a saturated mixture at the same temperature and pressure.
Dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures- Dry-bulb and wet-bulb thermometers have
traditionally been used to measure the specific humidity of moist air. The dry-bulb
temperature is the temperature measured by a dry-bulb thermometer directly. The bulb
of the wet-bulb thermometer is covered with a wick, which is saturated with water.
When the wick is subjected to an air flow, some of the water in the wick evaporates
into the surrounding air, resulting in a lower temperature than that obtained with a dry-
bulb thermometer. The wet-bulb temperature is dependent on the moisture content of
air; thus, it can be used in conjunction with the dry-bulb temperature to determine the
humidity of air. In the past, the wick conventionally was boiled in distilled water and
allowed to dry before being used for wet-bulb temperature measurements. Today,
electronic devices are preferred for measuring the humidity of air because of their
simplicity and accuracy.
Adiabatic saturation process- This is an adiabatic process in which an
air and water vapor mixture with a relative humidity less than 100% has
liquid water added. Some of the water evaporates into the mixture, bringing it
to saturation, i.e., 100% relative humidity. The temperature of the mixture
exiting an adiabatic saturation process is the adiabatic saturation temperature
REFERENCES

http://www.truetex.com/psychrometric_chart.htm

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/psychrometrics

https://lehighcheme.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/psychrometric-chart-2/

https://www.desert-aire.com/resources/application-notes/dehumidification-an
d-psychrometric-chart

https://www.desert-aire.com/resources/application-notes/dehumidification-an
d-psychrometric-chart

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/psychrometric-terms-d_239.html