PSYCHROMETRY

PSYCHROMETRY
– study of the properties of moist air ( air and water vapor)
• Identification of lines and scales in the “Psychrometric Chart” as well as Psychrometric terms
- important in the drying and storage operation
- analysis of individual requirements for a particular climatic conditions
• Skeleton Psychrometric chart
- looks like a part of a pair of “shoes”

Properties of air or psychrometric terms

1. Dry Bulb Temperature (Tdb)

– measured by the ordinary thermometer
• Dry bulb scale – x-axis or abscissa
• Dry bulb lines – vertical lines parallel to the ordinate

2. Wet Bulb Temperature (Twb)

- air temperature measured by an ordinary thermometer whose glass bulb is covered by a wet
cloth or gauze
• The wet bulb scale is on the face of the “shoe.”
• The wet bulb lines are diagonal.
• The wet bulb depression (difference between Tdb and Tdp) is a measure of RH.
•

3. Dewpoint temperature (Tdp)

- air temperature at which moisture condenses at the surface
• Dew point scale is the same as the wet bulb scale which is on the face of the “shoe.”
• Dew point lines are lines parallel to the x-axis or abscissa.
4. Absolute humidity (or humidity ratio, H)
- amount of water vapor per unit dry air
- kg water vapor per kg dry air
- The humidity ratio is equal to the y-axis or the ordinate (the back of the “shoe”).
- The humidity ratio lines are the same as the dew point temperature lines.

5. Relative humidity (%)

- ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor to the saturation pressure of pure water at the
same temperature
- The face of the “shoe” is what is known as saturation line or 100% relative humidity.
- Corresponding lines of lower RH are shown.

6. Specific volume (m3/kg dry air)

- defined as the volume occupied by a kilogram of dry air
- specific volume lines
 diagonal lines having a higher slope compared to wet bulb lines
7. Enthalpy(kJ/kg)
- defined as the heat content of the air
- usually denoted by h
- essential in the calculation of the energy requirement of any process involving air as the
medium
• enthalpy scale
- diagonal scale on top of the face of the shoe
• enthalpy lines
-diagonal lines originating from the enthalpy scale
- have almost the same slope as the wet bulb lines