(a) Example "Humidification"

A 20 liter vessel contains 1 liter of water

at 25°C. The free surface of the water is
150 cm2.

1. The initially dry air above the water is

5% saturated after 3 minutes. What is
the average flux? (Water vapor
pressure at 25°C = 23.8 mmHg).

2. How long does it take to reach 90%

saturation?

6
7-6
Question 1: Average flux?
When no information, assume steady state and set a mass balance:
Amount of water evaporated: N1 × area × time
Water in the air: Air volume × concentration
Water evaporated = water in the air

Area: A = 150 cm2; time: t = 3 min = 180 s

Air volume: V = (20 - 1)L = 19L (neglecting vol. of evaporated water)
Concentration: 23.8 Torr N
0.05   101325 2
n1,sat p1,sat 760 Torr m
c1  0.05  c1,sat  0.05   0.05  
V RT 8.314
Nm
 298 K
mol K
mol
 0.064
m3 7
7-7