The capacity of air for moisture removal depends on its humidity and its temperature.

The study of relationships between air and its associated water is called psychrometry. Humidity (Y) is the measure of the water content of the air. The absolute humidity, sometimes called the -1 humidity ratio, is the mass of water vapour per unit mass of dry air and the units are therefore kg kg , and this will be subsequently termed just the humidity. Air is said to be saturated with water vapour at a given temperature and pressure if its humidity is a maximum under these conditions. If further water is added to saturated air, it must appear as liquid water in the form of a mist or droplets. Under conditions of saturation, the partial pressure of the water vapour in the air is equal to the saturation vapour pressure of water at that temperature. The total pressure of a gaseous mixture, such as air and water vapour, is made up from the sum of the pressures of its constituents, which are called the partial pressures. Each partial pressure arises from the molecular concentration of the constituent and the pressure exerted is that which corresponds to the number of moles present and the total volume of the system. The partial pressures are added to obtain the total pressure.

Humid Air and the Ideal Gas Law

The Ideal Gas Law relating pressure, temperature, and volume of an ideal or perfect gas used for air with water vapor - or moist air
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The Ideal Gas Law relates pressure, temperature, and volume of an ideal or perfect gas.

The Ideal Gas Law

The Ideal Gas Law can be expressed with the Individual Gas Constant: pV=mRT where p = absolute pressure (N/m , lb/ft ) V = volume of gas (m ft ) m = mass of gas (kg, lb) R = individual gas constant (J/kg K, ft lb/slugs R) T = absolute temperature ( K, R) Since density can be expressed as: =m/V where (1b)
o o o o 3, 3 2 2

(1)

 = density (kg/m ) equation (1) can be modified to: p=RT (1c)

The Individual and Universal Gas Constant

The individual gas constant can be expressed with the universal gas constant and the molecular weight of the air as: R = Ru / Mgas where Mgas = molecular weight of the gas Ru = 8314.47 = universal gas constant (J/(kmol K)) The Molecular weight and the Individual Gas Constants for air and water vapor are listed below: (2)

Individual Gas Constant - R Gas Imperial Units (ft lb/slug oR) 1716 2760 SI Units (J/kg K) 286.9 461.5

Molecular Weight (kg/kmole)

Air Water vapor

Air Pressure
According Daltons Law

28.97 18.02

the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases

The total pressure in moist air can therefore be expressed as p t = pa + pw where pt = total pressure (kPa) pa = partial pressure dry air (kPa) pw = partial pressure water vapor (kPa)
Dry Air Partial Pressure

(3)

Using (1) and (2) the dry air partial pressure expressed in SI units: pa = a (286.9 J/kg K) T
Water Vapor Partial Pressure

(4)

The partial water vapor partial pressure expressed in SI units: pw = w (461.5 J/kg K) T (4b)

Compared to the other gases in the air water may condense. The boiling point of water at normal atmosphere - 101.3 o kPa - is 100 Cbut the vapor pressure is in general very low compared to the air pressure in moist air mixture. Common values for the vapor pressure range 0.5 to 3.0 kPa. The maximum vapor pressure possible before the vapor start to condense at an actual temperature - is called the saturation pressure - pws.