Humidification & Dehumidification

Jose V Parambil
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Terminology (1)
• Humidity or Absolute humidity
‒ Amount of vapour per quantity of ‘dry’ gas.
‒ Mole or mass basis (Grosvenor humidity).

• Relative humidity
‒ Ratio of partial pressure of the liquid component
at given temperature to its vapour pressure at
the same temperature

• Percentage humidity or Percentage saturation

‒ Ratio of absolute humidity to saturation value

J V Parambil 2
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Terminology (2)
• Humid Heat Capacity
‒ Heat capacity of a unit quantity of carrier gas
and accompanying vapour.

• Humid volume
‒ Volume of a unit quantity of carrier gas and
accompanying vapour at given temperature and
pressure.

• Enthalpy of moist air

J V Parambil 3
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Terminology (3)
• Dew point
‒ The temperature at which when a given sample of carrier gas and
vapour become saturated, when it is cooled down at constant
pressure and absolute humidity.
‒ 100% relative humidity.

• Wet bulb temperature

• Adiabatic saturation temperature

J V Parambil 4
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Numerical 1.1
A gaseous mixture of ethanol vapour and air has a total pressure of
760 mmHg at a temperature of 50°C. The partial pressure of ethanol
is 110 mmHg. Calculate the following quantities of the mixture: mole
fraction, volume fraction, molal absolute humidity, mass absolute
humidity, relative humidity, and percentage humidity.
If the carrier gas is CO2, calculate the absolute molal humidity, mass
absolute humidity, and relative humidity.
Note: the vapour pressure of pure components can be calculated
used Antoine equation.
𝐵 where, p is in mmHg, T is in °C.
log10 𝑝 = 𝐴 − For Ethanol, A=8.20, B=1642.89, C=230.00.
𝐶+𝑇
J V Parambil 5
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Numerical 1.2
Air-water vapour mixture at a dry-bulb temperature of 320 K and a
pressure of 1 atm has a relative humidity of 30%. Calculate the dew
point and absolute humidity. Also, calculate the enthalpy per unit
mass of dry air relative to 0°C.

For water, the constants for Antoine equation are:

A=8.07, B=1730.63, C=233.43 for 1°C<T<100°C.
A=0.14, B= 1810.94, C=244.49 for 99°C<T<374°C.

J V Parambil 6
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Wet bulb temperature

• Temperature measured by a thermometer whose bulb is
covered with a cloth-wick saturated with water.
‒ Equivalent to temperature of a small reservoir of water when it
evaporates into the surrounding air which is flowing past it.
‒ The steady state temperature be reached when the heat flux from
ambient air just satisfies the latent heat required for evaporative
mass flux.

(https://teacheratsea.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wet-bulb-dry-bulb.jpg)
J V Parambil 7
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Wet bulb temperature

Heat transfer from gas to liquid,

Heat required for evaporation,

Mass transfer from liquid to gas,

At steady state condition,

ℎ𝐺
→ 𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑇𝐺 − 𝑇𝑊 = 𝑊𝑒𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑏 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑘𝐺
J V Parambil 8
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Extra Reading
• Reading material:

‒ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100504155413.htm

‒ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2242855-climate-change-has-
already-made-parts-of-the-world-too-hot-for-humans/

J V Parambil 9
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Adiabatic Saturation Temperature (1)

Mass balance,
𝐿′ , 𝑇𝐿 , 𝐻𝐿

Enthalpy balance,
𝐺𝑆′ , 𝑌1′ , 𝐻1′ , 𝑇𝐺1 𝐺𝑆′ , 𝑌2′ , 𝐻2′ , 𝑇𝐺2
Combining,

Assume that (i) the gas leaving the chamber is saturated and that (ii) the
liquid enters at the exit saturation temperature.
J V Parambil 10
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Adiabatic Saturation Temperature (2)

We have, 𝐶𝑝𝐺 = 𝐶𝑝𝐵 + 𝑌𝐴′ 𝐶𝑝𝐴 Also, 𝑇𝐺2 = 𝑇𝑎𝑠 , ; 𝑌2′ = 𝑌𝑎𝑠
′
; 𝐻2′ = 𝐻𝑎𝑠
′
; 𝑇𝐿 = 𝑇𝑎𝑠

By subtracting 𝑌1′ 𝐶𝑝𝐴 𝑇𝑎𝑠 from both sides of the equation and applying the
above relations,

J V Parambil 11
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Air-water vapour system

From Wet bulb temperature, From adiabatic saturation temperature,
ℎ𝐺 𝑌𝑆′ − 𝑌 ′ 𝐶𝑝𝐺 ′ − 𝑌′
𝑌𝑎𝑠 1
= =
𝜆 𝐿 𝑘𝐺 𝑇𝐺 − 𝑇𝑊 𝜆𝐿 𝑇𝐺 − 𝑇𝑎𝑠

For air-water vapour system,

ℎ𝐺 For a general gas system,
𝐶𝑝𝐺 ≈ ⇒ 𝑇𝑊 ≈ 𝑇𝑎𝑠
𝑘𝐺 ℎ𝐺 𝑘𝐽
= 1.231𝑆𝑐 0.56
Lewis relation 𝑘𝐺 𝑘𝑔 ∙ 𝐾
𝜈
Also, for air-water vapour system, 𝑆𝑐 =
ℎ𝐺 𝑘𝐽 𝐷𝐴𝐵
= 0.950
𝑘𝐺 𝑘𝑔 ∙ 𝐾
J V Parambil 12
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Psychrometric Chart or Humidity Chart

• Psychrometric properties of a carrier-gas vapour system
‒ Dry-bulb temperature, wet-bulb temperature, relative humidity,
absolute humidity, dew point, enthalpy, specific volume.

• Chart shows the dependence of the above properties.

‒ Can be drawn as an XY plot with any of the quantities as abscissa
and ordinate axis.

J V Parambil 13
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Psychrometric Charts

𝐴𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑦
75%
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑝𝐴 (𝑃𝑎)

(𝑘𝑔 𝑣𝑎𝑝/𝑘𝑔 𝑔𝑎𝑠)

75%

50%
50%

25%

25%

𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 (𝐾) 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 (𝐾)

J V Parambil 14
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Psychrometric Chart

(http://eon.sdsu.edu/testhome/Test/solve/basics/tables/tablesMA/psychro.html)
J V Parambil 15
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Psychrometric Chart 30 30
30

25

Dew point temperature (°C)

Vapour pressure (mm Hg)

20

20 20

15

10
10 10

0 5

-10

-20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50
Dry bulb temperature (°C)
J V Parambil 16
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Psychrometric Chart

(Fig. 10.6(a), BK Dutta, Principles of Mass Transfer and Separation Processes)

J V Parambil 17
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Numerical 1.3
Determine the psychrometric properties of humid air having dry bulb
temperature of 35 °C and wet bulb temperature of 25 °C.

J V Parambil 18
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Example 1.4
(a) Based on the path from A to B shown in the following diagram, explain
the process occurring.

B A

Dry bulb temp.

In a plot similar to the one above, schematically draw the following

processes:
(b) Air is humidified from 20% RH to 80%, at constant temperature.
(c) Evaporative cooling of air using water which is at wet bulb temperature.
J V Parambil 19
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Example

J V Parambil 20
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Example

J V Parambil 21
MT2 (CB303) – S5 Jul 2022 Humidification

Example

J V Parambil 22