Psychrometrics

Outline
• What is psychrometrics?
• Psychrometrics in daily life and food industry
• Psychrometric chart
– Dry bulb temperature, wet bulb temperature, absolute
humidity, relative humidity, specific volume, enthalpy
– Dew point temperature
• Mixing two streams of air
• Heating of air and using it to dry a product

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 Psychrometrics
• Psychrometrics is the study of properties of mixtures
of air and water vapor
• Water vapor
– Superheated steam (unsaturated steam) at low pressure
– Superheated steam tables are on page 817 of textbook
– Properties of dry air are on page 818 of textbook
– Psychrometric charts are on page 819 & 820 of textbook
• What are these properties of interest and why do we
need to know these properties?

3
 Psychrometrics in Daily Life
• Sea breeze and land breeze
– When and why do we get them?
• How do thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes form?
• What are dew, fog, mist, and frost and when do they form?
• When and why does the windshield of a car fog up?
– How do you de-fog it? Is it better to blow hot air or cold air? Why?
• Why do you feel dry in a heated room?
– Is the moisture content of hot air lower than that of cold air?
• How does a fan provide relief from sweating?
• How does an air conditioner provide relief from sweating?
• When does a soda can “sweat”?
• When and why do we “see” our breath?
• Do sailboats perform better at high or low relative humidity?
Key factors: Temperature, Pressure, and Moisture Content of Air 4
 Do Sailboats Perform Better at low or High RH?
• Does dry air or moist air provide more thrust against the sail?
• Which is denser – humid air or dry air?
– Avogadro’s law: At the same temperature and pressure, the no. of
molecules in a given volume is the same, no matter what the gas is
– Air has ~80% N2 and ~20% O2 (Ratio of N2:O2 = 4:1)
– If 10 molecules of water are added to air, 8 molecules of N2 and 2
molecules of O2 are displaced
– Atomic weight gained by air = 10 x 18 = 180
– Atomic weight lost by air = 8 x 28 + 2 x 32 = 288
– Thus, there is a net decrease in weight and hence density
– So, humid air is less dense than dry air

Thus, there is more thrust for the sail with dry air and hence sailboats perform better at low RH
5
 Psychrometrics in the Food Industry
• Heating or cooling of air
– To heat or cool a product
• Mixing different streams of air
• Drying a food product using hot and dry air
– Drier the air, better the drying efficiency

6
 Psychrometric Chart: 6 Quantities
• Dry bulb temperature, Tdb (°C)
– Temperature recorded by a regular thermometer
• Wet bulb temperature, Twb (°C)
– Temp. of a thermometer with air blowing over a moist wick on its bulb
• Moisture content or specific humidity, W (kg water / kg dry air)
– Amount of moisture in air (also called, absolute humidity)
• Relative humidity (RH),  (%)
– Ratio of amount of moisture in air to max. amt. of moisture air can hold
• Specific volume, V’ (m3/kg dry air)
– Volume of moist air per unit mass of dry air (specific volume = 1/density)
• Enthalpy, H (kJ/kg dry air)
– Energy content of air
Note 1: Each psychrometric chart is created at some constant pressure
(most are for atmospheric pressure). So, psychrometric charts can not be
used to analyze processes in which the pressure changes.
Note 2: Human comfort zone is at ~70-80 °F & ~40-60% RH
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 Measurement of Wet Bulb Temperature
• Place a moist wick over the bulb of a mercury thermometer
• Blow air at high speed over the wick
• High energy water molecules from the wick evaporates since
vapor pressure of water vapor near the wick is higher than that
of the bulk surrounding air
• Latent heat for evaporation (of high energy water molecules)
is removed from the wick, causing a decrease in temperature
• As the temperature of the wick decreases, sensible heat from
air flows to it
• Equilibrium is attained when latent heat lost from the wick
equals sensible heat flowing into the wick
Note 1: If the relative humidity of the surrounding air is 100%, moisture will NOT evaporate
from the wick and hence the reading of the wet bulb & dry bulb thermometers will the same
Note 2: Greater the difference between Tdb & Twb, lower the RH of the surrounding air
Note 3: This evaporative cooling principle provides cooling of water in an earthen pot
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 Dew Point Temperature (Tdp)
• It is the temperature at which moisture in a mixture
of water vapor and air begins to condense (or form
“dew”) when cooled

Q: Why does a soda can “sweat”?

Q: When and why do we “see” our breath?
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 Hygrometers to Measure RH (and Twb, Tdp)
• Psychrometer
– Two thermometers; one has moist wick (sling or mounted with fan)
• Mechanical
– Metal-paper coil (paper strip attached to metal coil; coil changes
shape with moisture; dial rotates similar to that in a bimetallic
thermometer; inexpensive & not very accurate)
– Hair tension (human hair attached to spring & dial; hair swells as RH
inc.)
• Electronic
– Change in electrical resistance of LiCl or semiconductor
• Chilled mirror
– Optoelectronic mechanism; very accurate
• Capacitive, resistive, thermal conductivity, gravimetric
• Other (Change in weight, volume or transparency of a material)
High RH: Sweating; promotes growth of mold during storage of foods
Low RH: Static electricity 10
 Hygrometers (contd.)

wet bulb temp.

wet wick dry bulb temp.
handle is rotated

Sling psychrometer 11
 Psychrometric Chart (Low Temp.)

‐10 °C to +55 °C

Sensible heat factor
Page 819 of textbook

Moisture Content 
(g/kg dry air)
Dry bulb Temperature (°C)
Specific Volume (m3/kg dry air) 12
 Psychrometric Chart (High Temp.)

20 °C to 120 °C

Page 820 of textbook

Moisture Content 
(g/kg dry air)
Dry bulb Temperature (°C) 13
Constant Dry Bulb Temperature

Sensible heat factor
Dry bulb Temperature (°C)
14
Const. Wet Bulb Temp. & Const. Enthalpy

Sensible heat factor
15
 Moisture Content 
Constant Moisture Content or Humidity Ratio

(g/kg dry air)
16

Sensible heat factor
Constant Relative Humidity

Sensible heat factor
17
Constant Specific Volume

Sensible heat factor
Specific Volume 
(m3/kg dry air) 18
Lines of Constant Psychrometric Parameters

Sensible heat factor
Moisture Content 
(g/kg dry air)
Dry bulb  Specific Volume 
Temperature (°C) (m3/kg dry air) 19
 Dew Point Temperature

Dew point temp. of air at “A” is 
determined by moving horizontally to
the left and intersecting the 100%

Sensible heat factor
RH line (saturation temp. line) &
reading the temp. at that point. A
Note: Tdb = Twb at this point
< *

Moisture Content 
(g/kg dry air)
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 Cooling Air Below its Dew Point Temperature

When warm air contacts a cold surface
that is below its dew point temp.,
moisture from the air condenses onto

Sensible heat factor
the surface of the cold surface
A
< *

Moisture Content 
(g/kg dry air)
21
Psychrometric Chart (Determining Properties)
Given any two properties on the
chart, the condition of air-
watervapor mixture can be
identified on the chart and hence
the remaining properties can be
determined.

Moisture Content (g/kg dry air)
Exception: Constant enthalpy
and constant wet bulb
temperature lines are the same.
Thus, given enthalpy & wet bulb
temperature, we can not identify
the point that depicts the
properties of the air-watervapor
mixture on the chart and hence
the remaining properties can not
be determined.
Dry bulb Temperature (°C) 22
 Mixing Two Streams of Air

.
A: ma kg/s
.
B: mb kg/s B
C: Conditions of mixture
*

Sensible heat factor
. . .
LA to C:  [mb/(ma + mb)]*LA to B
. . . C
LB to C:  [ma/(ma + mb)]*LA to B A
* *
Example: L = 10 cm

Moisture Content 
A to B
. .
ma = 6 kg/s, mb = 2 kg/s

(g/kg dry air)
Then, LA to C = [2/(2+6)]*10 = 2.5 cm
LB to C = [6/(2+6)]*10 = 7.5 cm
Dry bulb  Specific Volume 
Temperature (°C) (m3/kg dry air) 23
 Spray Dryer “Atomization” involves
Air + Tiny breaking up a liquid
Wet Product product into tiny droplets
Particles Heater
of Product Blower by forcing the product &
compressed air into an
Hot atomizer (disc with
Atomizer
Dry Air multiple slots at periphery
B that spins at a high rpm) at
Cyclone Ambient air the TOP. This increases the
Separator surface area of the product,
Moist Product
A thereby increasing the rate
(Atomized) of heat transfer, and thus
the rate of evaporation. In
Dry this lab, we are using a
Product nozzle at the CENTER
instead of a true atomizer
at the TOP.
Spray dryer calculations involve:
1. Energy balance equation for air between
points ‘A’ & ‘B’
(heater adds energy to air at point ‘A’)
2. Water balance equation for air between
C points ‘B’ & ‘C’
(product adds moisture to air at point ‘B’)
Warm Moist Air + Dry Product
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Heating of Air (Constant Moisture Content or Humidity Ratio)

Q: Why do we feel dry in a heated
room?
.

Sensible heat factor
. V
Note : m a 
V'

Moisture Content 
*A > *B

(g/kg dry air)
. .
Energy Balance : m a (H A )  Q  m a (H B )
Dry bulb 
Temperature (°C) 25
 Drying of Product (Constant Enthalpy & Wet Bulb Temp.)

Adiabatic Process (Q = 0)
If Q = 0 & work done = 0, 

Sensible heat factor
then, H = Constant
Part of sensible heat of air 
is converted to latent heat 

C*
of water vapor; thus, temp. 
drops; m.c. inc.

Moisture Content 
*B

(g/kg dry air)
. . .
Water Balance : m a ( WB )  m p (% moisture)  m a ( WC )
Dry bulb 
Temperature (°C) 26
 Heating Ambient Air & Drying a Product

A: Ambient air
B: Heated air
C: Exit air (after heating product)

Sensible heat factor
C*

Moisture Content 
*A > *B

(g/kg dry air)
Energy Balance

Dry bulb 
Temperature (°C) 27
 Further Applications of Psychrometrics:
Heating, Cooling, Humidification, and Dehumidification

Humidification
(Latent Heat Addition)
Cooling & Humidification Heating & Humidification

Sensible Cooling Sensible Heating
*

Cooling & dehumidification Heating & dehumidification

Dehumidification
(Latent Heat Removal)

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 Summary
• Psychrometric chart (6 quantities + dew point temp., Tdp)
– Dry bulb temperature, Tdb (°C)
– Wet bulb temperature, Twb (°C)
– Moisture content or specific humidity, W (kg water / kg dry air)
– Relative humidity,  (%)
– Specific volume, V’ (m3/kg dry air)
– Enthalpy, H (kJ/kg dry air)
• Mixing of two streams of air
– Straight line split in the inverse ratios of mass flow rates
• Heating of air
– Const. m.c. line (horizontal line); energy balance
• Drying of a product
– Const. enthalpy (inclined line – const. Twb); water balance
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