Worked examples and worksheet on Psychrometry and Air Standard Cycle

1. The atmospheric conditions are; 20°C and specific humidity of 0.0095 kg/kg of dry air.
Calculate the following :
(i) Partial pressure of vapor (ii) Relative humidity (iii) Dew point temperature.

Check the dew point temperature by the equation

2. 0.004 kg of water vapor per kg of atmospheric air is removed and temrature of air after
removing the water vapor becomes 20°C. Determine :
(i) Relative humidity
(ii) (ii) Dew point temperature.
Assume that condition of atmospheric air is 30°C and 55% R.H. and pressure is 1.0132
bar.
Sensible cooling process

3. 40 m3 of air at 35oc DBT and 50% R.H is cooled to 25oc DBT maintaining its humidity
constant. Determine
i) The relative humidity of the cool air
ii) Heat removed from air
 Cooling and dehumidification
4. 120 m3 of air per minute at 35oc DBT and 50% R.H is cooled to 20oc DBT by passing
through a cooling coil. Determine the following
i) Relative humidity of out coming air and its wet bulb temperature
ii) Capacity of cooling coil in tons of refrigeration
iii) Amount of water vapor removed per hour
 Evaporative cooling
5. Atmospheric air at 38ºC and 25% relative humidity passes through an evaporator cooler.
If the final temperature of air is 18ºC, how much water is added per kg of dry air and
what is the final relative humidity?

Worksheet on psychrometery
1. What are the different types of psychrometeric properties with their definitions and
formula’s?
2. What are the different processes that a psychrometeric graph can show us? Define all.
3. Can we achieve cooling and dehumidification if the DPT is equal to WBT, if yes
explains? Or else why?
4. What is the difference between saturated air, moist air and dry air?
5. In cooling and humidification process, if the temperature of the water is less than the
WBT of air, in which direction the rate of heat transfer will be you think, why?
6. Explain practical meaning of unity of SHF and SHF=0 means.
7. Explain practical meaning of unity of BPF?
 Self-testing conceptual on Psychrometery

1. Which of the following statements are TRUE?

a) The maximum amount of moisture air can hold depends upon its temperature and barometric
pressure
b) Perfect gas model can be applied to air-water mixtures when the total pressure is high
c) The minimum number of independent properties to be specified for fixing the state of moist
air is two
d) The minimum number of independent properties to be specified for fixing the state of moist
air is three
2. Which of the following statements are TRUE?
a) When the dry bulb temperature is equal to dew point temperature, the relative humidity of air-
water mixture is 1.0
b) All specific psychrometric properties of moist air are based on unit mass of water vapor
c) All specific psychrometric properties of moist air are based on unit mass of dry air
d) All specific psychrometric properties of moist air are based on unit mass of moist air
3. Which of the following statements are TRUE?
a) Thermodynamic WBT is a property of moist air, while WBT as measured by wet bulb
thermometer is not a property
b) Both the thermodynamic WBT and WBT as measured by wet bulb thermometer are properties
of moist air
c) Under no circumstances, dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures are equal
d) Wet bulb temperature is always lower than dry bulb temperature, but higher than dew point
temperature
 Worked examples on air standard cycle
1. A Carnot engine working between 400°C and 40°C produces 130 kJ of work. Determine :
(i) The engine thermal efficiency.
(ii) The heat added.
(iii) The entropy changes during heat rejection process.
 2. A certain quantity of air at a pressure of 1 bar and temperature of 70°C is compressed
adiabatically until the pressure is 7bar in Otto cycle engine. 465 kJ of heat per kg of air is
now added at constant volume. Determine:
i) Compression ratio of the engine.
ii) Temperature at the end of compression.
iii) Temperature at the end of heat addition.
Take for air cp= 1.0 kJ/kg K, cv= 0.706 kJ/kg K.
Show each operation on p-V and T-s diagrams.
Solution
 3. In a constant volume ‘Otto cycle’, the pressure at the end of compression is 15 times that
at the start, the temperature of air at the beginning of compression is 38°C and maximum
temperature attained in the cycle is 1950°C. Determine :
(i) Compression ratio.
(ii) Thermal efficiency of the cycle.
(iii) Work done.
Take γ for air = 1.4.
Solution
4. The stroke and cylinder diameter of a compression ignition engine are 250 mm and 150
mm respectively. If the clearance volume is 0.0004 m3 and fuel injection takes place at
constant pressure for 5 per cent of the stroke determine the efficiency of the engine.
Assume the engine working on the diesel cycle.
Solution

5. An engine with 200 mm cylinder diameter and 300 mm stroke works on theoretical
Diesel cycle. The initial pressure and temperature of air used are 1 bar and 27°C. The cut-
off is 8% of the stroke. Determine :
(i) Pressures and temperatures at all salient points.
(ii) Theoretical air standard efficiency.
(iii) Power of the engine if the working cycles per minute are 380. Assume that
compression ratio is 15 and working fluid is air. Consider all conditions to be
ideal.
Solution
6. A gas turbine is supplied with gas at 5 bar and 1000 K and expands it adiabatically to 1
bar. The mean specific heat at constant pressure and constant volume are 1.0425 kJ/kg K
and 0.7662 kJ/kg K respectively.
(i) Draw the temperature-entropy diagram to represent the processes of the simple
gas turbine system.
(ii) Calculate the power developed in kW per kg of gas per second and the exhaust
gas temperature.
 7. Consider an air standard cycle in which the air enters the compressor at 1.0 bar and 20°C.
The pressure of air leaving the compressor is 3.5 bar and the temperature at turbine inlet
is 600°C. Determine per kg of air :
(i) Efficiency of the cycle, (ii) Heat supplied to air,
(iii) Work available at the shaft,(iv) Heat rejected in the cooler, and
(v) Temperature of air leaving the turbine.
For air γ = 1.4 and cp= 1.005 kJ/kg K.

Solution
 Worksheet on Air Standard Cycle
1. Why is carnot cycle impossible in practice? List down at least three major factors.
2. What is the purpose of using carnot efficiency in real world?
3. List down the basic terminologies that are used in internal combustion engine.
4. What is the main difference between carnot cycle, diesel and otto cycle? Do they have
any similarities?
5. Why the compression ratio of diesel engine is is higher than otto engine cycle?
6. What is the main reason for why gas cycles are applied to an aircraft engine? Why don’t
we use internal combustion engines in place of gas turbine engines?
7. What do we mean by air standard cycle? Why it’s not thermodynamic cycle but
mechanical cycle?
Self-Testing Conceptual On Air Standard Cycle
1. Why do we focus on cut-off ratio in otto cycle since the heat addition process is occurring
at constant volume?
2. Is it desirable to increase the compression ratio as much as we can for internal
combustion engine? If so why? If not what is the drawback to increase it beyond the
limit?
3. What is the reason the efficiency of otto cycle is greater than diesel cycle for the same
compression ratio?
4. Can you mention some points to improve the efficiency of an otto-cycle or diesel cycle?
5. We know intercooling improves the thermal efficiency of gas turbine cycle but care must
be taken while doing so. Why is that you think?