CHAPTER 2

HUMIDIFICATION AND DRYING PROCESS

 CONTINOUS HUMIDIFICATION
PROCESSES
Humidification
Transfer of water from the liquid phase into a gaseous mixture of
air & water vapour
Air &water vapour

water

Dehumidification
Water vapour is transferred from the vapour state to the liquid state
1) INTRODUCTION

Humidification Dehumidification

Involve the transfer of material between a pure liquid phase and a fixed
gas that is nearly insoluble in the liquid

Transfer of water from the

Water vapour is transferred
liquid phase into a gaseous
from the vapour state to the
mixture of air & water
liquid state
vapour
 Air-water system
1.1) DEFINITION
Vapor: Gaseous form of the component
that is also present as liquid

Gas: Component present only in gaseous

form.

What is humidity, H ?
Kg of water vapor contained in 1 kg of dry
air, depends only on the partial pressure
PA of water vapor in air and on the
18.02 PA
H
28.97( P  PA ) total pressure P.
Where:
*For air-water system; M A PA MA and MB are MWT of component
H
MWT of air = 28.97 M B ( P  PA ) A and B.
MWT of water = 18.02 Pressure assumed (1 atm)
Saturated air (air in which water vapor is equilibrium with liquid water at the given T
and P). Partial pressure of the water vapor in the air-water mixture is equal to the
vapor pressure pAS at the given T, Saturation humidity is:

18.02 PAS
H
Percentage humidity (HP): defined as 100  times
28.97 the
P actual
PAS humidity H of the air divided
S

by the humidity HS if the air were saturated at the same temperature and pressure.

Percentage relative humidity (HR): The amount of saturation of an air-water vapor

mixture. H
H P  100
HS
Dew point of an air-water vapor mixture: Temperature at which a given mixture of air
and water vapor become saturated.
PA
H R  100
PAS
Examples 9.3-1 (Page 566)
The air in a room at 26.7 °C (80 °F) and a pressure of 101.325
kPa and contains water vapor with a partial pressure pA = 2.76
kPa. Calculate the following:

a)Humidity, H
b)Saturation humidity, Hs and percentage humidity, Hp
c)Percentage relative humidity, HR
Solution:
a) From steam table (A.2-9); at 26.7 °C, PAS = 3.50 kPa. Given PA = 2.76 kPa
and P = 101.325 kPa.
18.02 PA 18.02(2.76)
H   0.01742 Kg H2O/kg air
28.97 P  PA 28.97(101.3  2.76)
b) Saturation humidity is:
PAS = vapor
18.02 PAS 18.02(3.50)
HS    0.02226 Kg H2O/kg air pressure of pure
28.97 P  PAS 28.97(101.3  3.50) water (A-2-2)
c) Percentage humidity is : H 100(0.01742) *interpolation
H P  100   78.3%
HS 0.02226
d) Percentage relative humidity:
PA 2.76
H R  100  100  78.9%
PAS 3.50
Humid heat of an air-water vapor mixture: Humid heat, CS is the amount of heat
in J or KJ required to raise temperature of 1 kg of dry air plus the water vapor
present by 1K or 1°C. Heat capacity of air and water vapor can be assumed constant
over the temperature ranges of 1.005 kJ/kg dry air.K and 1.88 kJ/kg water vapor.K).

CS [kJ/kg dry air.K) = 1.005 + 1.88 H

Humid volume (vH) of an air-water vapor mixture: Humid volume is the total
volume in m3 of 1 kg of dry air plus the vapor it contains at 1.0 atm abs pressure
and the given gas temperature.
vH =

22.41 1 1
*saturated air-water vapor mixture,
TKH
( =Hs, VH is saturated
)  (2.83 volume
10 3  4.56  10 3 H )TK
273 28.97 18.02
Total entalphy of an air-water vapor mixture: Total entalphy [for 1 kg
of air plus water vapor, Hy = J/kg]. Total entalphy is the sensible heat
of the air-water vapor mixture plus the latent heat λ0 in J / kg water
vapor of the water vapor at T0.

Hy kJ / kg dry air =CS (T-T0) + Hλ0 = (1.005 + 1.88 H) (T - T°C) + Hλ0

If the total entalphy is referred to a base temperature T 0 of 0°C, then:

Hy kJ / kg dry air = (1.005 + 1.88 H) (T°C – 0) + 2501.4 H
Humidity chart Saturation line (max amount of humidity that air can hold)
Humidity

Dew point temperature

Relative
humidity

Wet bulb
Dry bulb line
• Dew point –found by following the constant‐humidity line to the left
to the 100% line, and then read at Tdp following the temperature x-
axis.
Examples 9.3-2
Air entering a dryer has a temperature (dry bulb temperature)
of 60 °C (140 °F) and a dew point of 26.7 °C (80 °F). Using
the humidity chart, determine the actual humidity H,
percentage humidity Hp, humid heat Cs and humid volume vH
in SI unit.
Solution:
Dew point of 26.7 °C (100% saturation)

% Hp = 14%

Humidity =
0.0225 kg
H2O/kg dry air
Humid heat : CS [kJ/kg dry air.K) = 1.005 + 1.88 H

CS [kJ/kg dry air.K) = 1.005 + 1.88 (0.0225) = 1.047 kJ / kg dry air.K

22.41 1 1
Humid volume : VH = TK (  )  (2.83  10 3  4.56  10 3 H )TK
273 28.97 18.02

3
m
VH  (2.83  10 3  4.56  10 3  0.0225)(60  273)  0.977
kgdryair
 1.2) WET BULB TEMPERATURE
Wet-bulb temperature: steady-state nonequilibrium
temperature reached when a small amount of water is
contacted under adiabatic condition by a continuous
stream of gas.
Method: thermometer is covered by cloth. The cloth is
kept wet and is immersed iin a flowing stream of air-
water vapor having temperature T (dry bulb T) and
humidity H. At steady state, water is evaporating to the
gas stream. The cloth and water are cooled to Tw.
Latent heat of vaporization is balanced by the
convective heat flowing from the gas stream at T to the
cloth at lower temperature Tw.
Wet-bulb determination is often used to measure
humidity of an air-water vapor mixture.
The adiabatic evaporation of water from the thermometer and the cooling effect is indicated by a "wet bulb temperature" lower
than the "dry bulb temperature" in the air.
Heat balance (MA: molecular weight of water, NA : kg mol H2O
W m2 and
evaporating / S.m2. A : surface area is the latent heat of
vaporization at Tw in kJ / kg H2O.
q  M A N AW A

The flux NA is: (k’y : mass transfer coefficient in kg mol/s.m2.mol frac.; xBM :
log mean inert mole fraction of the Nair;
 yW is the mole fraction of water
A

vapor in the gas at the surface; y is the mole fraction in the gas. Dilute
mixture xBM = 1.0 and k’y = k' y.
ky
NA  ( yw  y )  k y ( yw  y )
xBM

Relation between H and Y H

is /(M
MBA : molecular weight of air, MA : molecular
weight of H2O): y  1 / M  H / M Since H is small,
y
HM B
B A Approximation: MA
 Thus, q  M B k y W ( H W  H ) A

Rate of convective heat transfer from the gas stream at T to the cloth at
Tw is (h is heat transfer coefficient in kW/m 2.k)
q  h(T  TW ) A
Psychrometric ratio: for water
H  HW h / M Bk y
 vapor mixture (0.96-1.005).
T  TW W
Example
A water vapor-air mixture having a dry bulb temperature of T
= 60 °C is passed over a wet bulb, as shown previously and the
wet bulb obtained is Tw = 29.5 °C. What is the humidity of the
mixture?
H = 0.0135 kg H2O/kg DA
 1.3) ADIABATIC SATURATION TEMPERATURE
• Entering gas of air-water vapor
mixture is contacted with a spray of
Inlet gas Outlet gas liquid water. Gas leaves having a
HS, TS different humidity and T and the
H, T process is adiabatic. The water
recirculated with some makeup water
added.
Makeup H2O
TS
• Temperature of the water being
TS recirculated reaches a steady-state T
called the adiabatic saturation
temperature, TS.
Examples 9.3-3
An air stream at 87.8 °C having a humidity H = 0.030 kg
H2O / kg dry air is contacted in an adiabatic saturator with
water. It is cooled and humidified to 90% saturation.

a)What are the final values of H and T?

b)For 100% saturation, what would be the values of H and T.
a) From humidity chart at H = 0.030 and T = 87.8 °C. Adiabatic
saturation curve through this point is followed upward to the left
until it intersects the 90% line at 42.5 °C and H = 0.0500 kg H 2O /
kg dry air.
b)

T = 40.5 °C
H = 0.0505
kg H2O/kg
dry air
Wet bulb temperature
• Wet Bulb temperature: adiabatic saturation temperature.
• Wet Bulb temperature can be measured by using a thermometer with
the bulb wrapped in wet muslin/cloth. The adiabatic evaporation of
water from the thermometer bulb and the cooling effect is indicated by a
"wet bulb temperature" lower than the "dry bulb temperature" in the air.
• The rate of evaporation from the wet bandage on the bulb, and the
temperature difference between the dry bulb and wet bulb, depends on
the humidity of the air. The evaporation from the wet muslin is reduced
when air contains more water vapor.
• The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached
under current ambient conditions by the evaporation of water only. Wet-
bulb temperature is largely determined by both actual air temperature (
dry-bulb temperature) and the amount of moisture in the air (humidity).
Quiz 1
Air enters an adiabatic saturator having a temperature of 76.7 °C and a
dew point temperature of 40.6 °C, It leaves the saturator 90% saturated.
Determine the final values of H and T.
THANK YOU