Department of Mechanical Engineering

ME 322 Mechanical Engineering

Thermodynamics

Lecture 33
Psychrometric Properties of Moist Air

Air-Water Vapor Mixtures

Atmospheric air
A binary mixture of dry air (a) + water vapor (w)
The air in the mixture is treated as a pure
substance even though it is really a mixture itself

Applications
Heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC)

Analysis
HVAC pressures are always low ~ Patm
Ideal gas law can be used for both air and water vapor

Properties of Moist Air

Both air and water vapor are treated as ideal gases that
obey Daltons Law of Partial Pressures.
Universal Gas Constant:

R 1.986

Dry Air

Water Vapor

M a 28.97 lbm/lbmol

M w 18.016 lbm/lbmol

Ra 0.06855 Btu/lbm-R

R w 0.1102 Btu/lbm-R

Since moist air is a binary mixture,

ya y w 1
3

Btu
lbmol-R

Properties of Moist Air

The field of psychrometrics (air-water vapor properties) has
adopted other properties to represent the composition of the
mixture rather than the mole fraction.
Mole Fraction Ratio
%

yw
ya

Humidity Ratio

mw
ma

These properties are related,

%

nw / n mw M a 28.97 mw

1.608
na / n M w ma 18.016 ma

Properties of Moist Air

Relative Humidity

Psat Partial pressure of the water vapor in

a saturated mixture

Pw Partial pressure of the water

vapor in the mixture
State of the water vapor in the mixture

Pa P Pw
Tdp

T-s diagram of water

s

Dew Point
Temperature
5

yw
yw, sat

Pw

P

Partial pressure
of the dry air

P
Pw

Psat
Psat

Total pressure
of the mixture

Properties of Moist Air

All of these properties are related. For example,

mw Pw V / RwT

ma Pa V / RaT

Ra Pw R / M a Pw

Rw Pa R / M w Pa

M w Pw 18.016 lbm/lbmol Pw

M a Pa
28.97 lbm/lbmol Pa

Pw
Pw
0.622 0.622
Pa
P Pw

Psat
Psat
0.622
0.622
Pa
P Pw
6

Example
Given: Moist air at the following state
T 70F

P 14 psia

60% 0.60

Find: Various psychrometric properties of the moist air

Solution: Partial pressure of the vapor
The partial pressure
of the water in a
saturated mixture
can be found from
Table C.1a,
T
7

Pw
0.60
Psat

Pw Psat
Pw 0.60 0.3632 psia
Pw 0.2179 psia
Psat

Example
Dew Point Temperature The dew point temperature is the
saturation temperature of the water vapor at its partial
pressure. Using Table C.1a,
P 0.3632 psia
sat

Pw 0.2179 psia

T 70F

Tdp 55.5F

Pw 0.2179 psia

Interpolating ...
Tdp 55.5F
8

If the mixture drops below

this temperature, the water
vapor will start condensing.

Example
Humidity Ratio

mw
P
0.2179 psia
0.622 w 0.622
ma
Pa
14 0.2179 psia

0.009834

lbm w
0.009834
lbm a

Grains A new unit! A grain is an ancient Egyptian measure of the

mass of one grain of barley (7000 grains/lbm). Since the humidity ratios
are typically very small, the HVAC industry has adopted the use of
grains to represent humidity ratio ...

0.009834

lbm w 7000 grains

grains

68.8

lbm a
lbm w
lbm a

Example
Mole Fraction Ratio
%

yw
1.608 1.608 0.009834 0.015813
ya

Mole Fraction of each Component

%

yw
yw

ya 1 y w

%
0.015813
yw

0.016
1 % 1 0.015813

y w 1 ya

ya
ya

1
1
ya

0.984
%
1 1 0.015813

Notice that: yv ya 1
10

Intensive Moist Air Properties

Consider the enthalpy of the mixture
H Ha Hw
H ma ha mw hw
Question: How can the specific enthalpy of the
air-water vapor mixture be specified?
Answer: The total enthalpy must be divided by
a mass value. Which mass value should be
used?
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Intensive Moist Air Properties

In air conditioning applications, the water vapor mass can
vary due to condensation or evaporation (dehumidification
or humidification). Thus, specific properties of the mixture
are based on the dry air,
H ma ha mw hw
mw
H
h
ha
hw
ma
ma
h ha hw
Units: Btu/lbma or kJ/kga
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Intensive Moist Air Properties

Using ideal gas mixing for the components of moist air, the
internal energy, enthalpy, heat capacities, and entropy of
the mixture can be calculated by,
u ua T u w T
h ha T hw T
c p c pa T c pw T
cv cva T cvw T
s sa T , Pa sw T , Pw

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Department of Mechanical Engineering

ME 322 Mechanical Engineering

Thermodynamics

Example
Heating of a Moist Air Stream

14

Example
Given: Moist air flowing at 300 cfm enters a heating unit at
65F, 14 psia with a relative humidity of 50%. The moist air
leaves the heating unit at 110F, 14 psia.
Find: (a) The heat transfer rate required (Btu/hr)
(b) The relative humidity of the air leaving the heater
Q&
P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

15

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

Q&

Example

P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

The First Law applied to the heating system is,

Q& m&a 2 h a 2 m&w 2 h w 2 m&a1h a1 m&w 2 h w1

The mass flow rate of the dry air does not change (in this case
the water vapor mass flow does not change either why?).
Therefore,
m& m& m&
a1

16

a2

Q&

Example
Rearranging the First Law,

P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

Q& m&a 2 h a 2 m&w 2 h w2 m&a1h a1 m&w 2 h w1

m&w 2
m&w1
Q&
ha 2
h w 2 h a1
h w1 h a 2 2 h w 2 h a1 1h w1

m&a
m&a
m&a

The mass flow rate of the dry air is,

V&
m&a 1
va1

17

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

Q&

Example
The specific volume of the dry
air at state 1 is found using the
ideal gas EOS with the partial
pressure of the dry air,

P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

va1

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

RaT1
Pa1

The partial pressure of the dry air at state 1 is found knowing

the relative humidity,
Pw1
1
Psat1
18

Psat1 Psat T1
P1 Pa1 Pw1

Q&

Example
The component enthalpy values
can be found using the ideal
gas model for each component,

P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

The humidity ratio at state 1 can be found,

1 0.622

19

Pw1
Pa1

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

Q&

Example
No water vapor is added to or
taken from the moist air from
state 1 to 2. Therefore,

P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

1 2

At this point, the problem can be solved for the heat transfer
rate. We are also interested in the relative humidity at the exit
of the heater. This can be found from the humidity ratio at 2,
Pw 2
2
Psat 2

Psat 2 Psat T2

20

Pw 2
2 0.622
Pa 2
P2 Pa 2 Pw 2

Q&

Example
Solution (Key Variables):

P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

Even though the humidity ratio stays constant in this process,

the moist air leaving the heater will feel uncomfortably dry.
This is a common problem encountered in heating processes.
The dryness can be alleviated by injecting water vapor into
the moist air stream leaving the heater (humidification).
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Q&

Example
What would happen if the
moisture content is neglected and
the mixture is treated as dry air?

P1 14 psia
T1 65F
1 0.50
V& 300 cfm

P2 14 psia
T2 110F

Since no water vapor is added or removed from the moist air

in this process, neglecting the moisture results in a small
error. However, neglecting the moisture does not reveal the
relative humidity at the exit!
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