Editor: José Pezo P TECHNICAL NEWSLETTER Nº 02 October 2005

Specific humidity, Relative Humidity, Moisture content wood,

Specific Humidity ( 100/TWB)
Equilibrium moisture content 40,0

35,0

SPECIFIC HUMIDITY OF THE AIR (W): It is defined as the mass of steam water in the humid

W (kg ag u a/ kg aire seco )

30,0

air with regard to the mass of dry air. 25,0

Why a vaporized at 100/99°C (TDB/TWB) does it consume much more steam that a vaporized
20,0

15,0

at 95/94°C? Does it mean that if they notice a condition of 100/99°C 17.1 kg of water they are 10,0

needed (vapor that it gives the water bath) for each kg of dry air to reach the TWB 99°C. 5,0

However for the condition of 95/94°C 2.5 kg of water/kg dry air is needed only. This is the 0,0
80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100

reason for which the valves open 100% are always when they notice conditions 100/100°C or TWB (°C)

similar. The UGL or EMC that it is achieved with the previous strategies are very similar:
100/99°C UGL = 17.2%, 95/94°C UGL = 17.6%. Graph that shows the specific
RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR (HR) Humidity of the air
The relative humidity of the air is really the relationship among the quantity of water vapor of Fixing 100°C of temperature dry
contained in a cubic meter of air and the biggest quantity possible of vapor of water that it can bulb and for different wet bulb
be in the air to a given temperature. (typical cases of conditioning)
The relative humidity also represents the reason among the partial pressure of the vapor of
water it presents in the air (Pv) and the pressure of saturation of this, both measures to the
same temperature.
MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE WOOD (MC)
The water in the wood this present in several forms; free water that is located in the lumens or
spaces of the cells, bounded water that this in the cellular wall, constitution water that is part of INITIAL MOISTURE LATERAL LUMBER (Pino radiata)
(Average 151,6%, Desv Std 21,9%)
the chemical structure and water in form of vapor. 160 120,%
It is the quantity of water with regard to the quantity of wood substance (exclusively cellular wall). 140
100,%

The moisture content, generally, it is referred as percentage of the dry or anhydrous weight, but 120

100
80,%

Frecuencia
in some cases it refers to the wet base. 80 60,%

The moisture content depends on the relationship sapwood - heartwood, wood juvenile mature 60

40
40,%

wood, relationship wood spring summer and density. The sapwood has more moisture than the 20
20,%

heartwood. 80 100 120 140 160

0

180 200
,%

If the initial moisture content is of 100%, it means that of 100 kg wood 50 kg they are of water INITIAL MOISTURE (%)

and 50 kg they are wood. If the initial moisture content is of 150%, it means that of 100 wood kg
to the 60 kg are of water and 40 kg they are wood. Typical distribution initial moisture
In a wood load of 100 m3 with initial moisture of 150% and final moisture of 10% with a basic content in radiate Pine
density of 450 kg/m3 during the drying 63.000 liters of water evaporate.
EQUILIBRIUM MOISTURE CONTENT (CHE, EMC, UGL) It is the content of moisture of the
TBS °C 15 20 20 25 25 25
wood that reaches the wood when it achieves a equlibrium that is to say with the environmental HR (%) 40 40 80 40 60 80

conditions that surround , it depends on: the relative humidity of the air, ambient temperature and Heartwood drying 9,4% 9,1% 16,0% 8,7% 11,7% 15,6%
Sapwood drying 9,2% 8,8% 14,8% 8,5% 11,1% 14,3%
temperature to which was dried from green, species (mainly sapwood heartwood), recurrent Heartwood wetting 8,8% 8,5% 13,4% 8,2% 10,4% 13,0%

changes (ad and desoption), reconstituted wood. The relative humidity is the variable of more Sapwood wetting 8,2% 7,9% 12,8% 7,6% 9,7% 12,4%

relevance. The EMC of the wood is the content of moisture in which the wood doesn't win neither
Equilibrium moisture content
it loses humidity from the atmosphere. The final moisture that should dry off the wood
for Radiate Pine
corresponds to the EMC of the area or place where it will use this wood. For example if it is for
areas deserted the EMC it is from 6 to 7%, for interior houses it is of the order from 8 to 10% and
for exterior it is of the order from 12 to 16%

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Meisenweg 1 Mg. Ing. Jose Pezo P
D - 72622 Nürtingen, Germany Executive Engineer
FAX +49-7022-62121 TEL +49-7022-66924-6 Emilio Rioseco 337, Concepción , Chile
Internet: e-mail www.mahild.com josepezo@entelchile.net
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