Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

(ME 439)
Instructor Dr. Muhammad Asif

Lecture 7

Moist Air properties and Conditioning Processes

(Chapter 3)

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology

https://giki.edu.pk/personnel/dr-muhammad-asif/
 Moist Air and The Standard Atmosphere
• Atmospheric air is a mixture of many gases plus water vapor and countless
pollutants
• Composition of the gases making up dry air is nearly constant, varying
slightly with time, location, and altitude.
• Standard composition of dry air was fixed by the International Joint
Committee on Psychrometric Data

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The ASHRAE Handbook (3) summarizes standard
atmospheric data for altitudes up to 60,000 ft (18,291 m).
Atmospheric pressure may be estimated as a function of
elevation by the following relation:

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 Fundamental Parameters
Enthalpy of Dry Air Enthalpy of Water vapors

Since water vapor is an ideal gas, the enthalpy of water

vapor is a function of temperature only, that is, h = h(T).

Therefore, the enthalpy of water vapor in air

can be taken to be equal to the enthalpy of
saturated vapor at the same temperature

The cp of dry air can be

assumed to be constant at
1.005 kJ/kg · °C in the
temperature range 10 to
50°C with an error under
0.2%.
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 Fundamental Parameters
Water vapor in air behaves as if it existed alone and obeys the ideal-gas relation
Pv = RT. Then the atmospheric air can be treated as an ideal-gas mixture:

Pa Partial pressure of dry air Relative humidity

Pv Partial pressure of vapor (vapor pressure)
Absolute or Specific humidity (also called
humidity ratio)
The mass of water vapor present in a unit mass of dry air.
The ratio of the amount of moisture the air holds
(mv) to the maximum amount of moisture the air can
hold at the same temperature (mg).

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 Fundamental Parameters
Enthalpy of Moist air
In most practical applications, the amount of dry air in
the air–water-vapor mixture remains constant, but the
amount of water vapor changes.
Therefore, the enthalpy of atmospheric air is expressed
per unit mass of dry air.
The total enthalpy (an extensive property) of atmospheric
air is the sum of the enthalpies of dry air and the water
vapor:
Dry-bulb temperature
ordinary temperature of atmospheric air is
frequently referred to as the dry-bulb
temperature
Dew-Point Temperature
The temperature at which condensation
begins when the air is cooled at constant
pressure (i.e., the saturation temperature of
water corresponding to the vapor pressure.)
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ADIABATIC SATURATION AND
WET-BULB TEMPERATURES

The specific humidity (and relative

humidity) of air can be determined from
these equations by measuring the pressure
and temperature of air at the inlet and the 7
exit of an adiabatic saturator.
Psychrometric charts: Present moist air properties in a convenient form. They are used extensively
in A-C applications. The psychrometric chart serves as a valuable aid in visualizing the A-C
processes such as heating, cooling, and humidification.
Appendix E
Psychrometry Charts at various
sea levels are available

Any of the two mist air properties

are required to specify the point on
Chart

Properties on Charts
1. Dry bulb temperature (dbt)
2. Wet bulb temperature (wbt)
3. Dew-point temperature (dpt)
4. Specific humidity (ꞷ)
5. Relative humidity (φ)
6. Enthalpy of moist air (h)
7. Specific volume of moist air (v)

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 AIR-CONDITIONING PROCESSES

- simple heating (raising the temperature)

- simple cooling (lowering the temperature)
- humidifying (adding moisture)
- dehumidifying (removing moisture).
Combination of above
- Cooling and Humidification
- Cooling and dehumidification
- Heating and humidification

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Simple Heating and Cooling ( = constant)

During simple heating, specific humidity

remains constant, but relative humidity
decreases.

During simple cooling, specific humidity

remains constant, but relative humidity
increases.

Dry air mass balance

Water mass balance
Energy balance
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 By-pass Factor of Heating and cooling Coil
coil cannot cool/heat all of the air passing through it to the coil surface
temperature.
Energy Balance (heating coil)

Energy Balance (cooling coil)

Efficiency of Heating and Cooling Coil

The term (1-BPF) is known as efficiency of coil or contact
factor
(heating coil)

(cooling coil) 11
HUMIDIFICATION/DEHUMIDIFICATION

When the state of air is altered along t= constant

moisture in the form of vapour has to be transferred to
change in humidity ratio of air

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Heating with Humidification
- Winter Application ; cooling towers

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 Sensible Heat factor
The ratio of the sensible heat to the total heat is known as sensible heat factor SHF

𝑆𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒h𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑆𝐻
𝑆𝐻𝐹 = =
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 h𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑆𝐻 + 𝐿𝐻

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Cooling with Dehumidification
- Summer application

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Adiabatic Mixing of Airstreams
Many A-C applications require the mixing of two airstreams.
This is particularly true for large buildings, most production and
process plants, and hospitals, which require that the
conditioned air be mixed with a certain fraction of fresh outside
air before it is routed into the living space.

When two airstreams at states 1 and 2 are mixed

adiabatically, the state of the mixture lies on the straight
line connecting the two states.

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Cooling and humidification (Evaporative cooling)

Mass balance

Energy balance

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 EXAMPLE 1
Consider a single duct, single zone, constant speed air handling unit
in which 39.6 m3/min mixture of outdoor air and recirculated room air
at 31℃ dbt and 18.5℃ wbt enters a cooling coil. The effective
surface temperature of the coil is 4.4 ℃. The surface area of the coil
is such as would give 12.5 kW of refrigeration with the given
entering air state. Determine the dbt and wbt of the air leaving the
coil and the by-pass factor.

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First of all mark initial state of the moist air,
Then the effective surface temperature (ADP) of the coil at 4.4℃

From BPF factor

Capacity of cooling coil Now point 2 can be located on the chart

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EXAMPLE 2
Consider a room is to be maintained at 22℃, 55% RH. Outside saturated air at
3℃ is first heated and then water at 10℃ is sprayed to get the required humidity.
Calculate
1. Required mass of sprayed water per m3 of air
2. The temperature to which the air must be heated

22 C
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At point 3 (22℃, 55% RH) W3 = 0.00904 kg/kg of dry air

At point 1 (3℃, 100% RH), W1 = 0.0047 kg/kg of dry air =W2

W3-W1= 0.00434 kg/kg of dry air

2. Temperature to which the air must be heated

Energy balance between (2-3) Or through steam table

h3 = 45 kJ/kg of dry air

hw= 2519.1 kJ/kg

h2= 36 kJ/kg of dry air

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EXAMPLE 3
You are required to design an air conditioning plant for the LH-1 of FME, in which
seating capacity is 60 students. Let say the weather condition is now a days (winter
season) and assume for a particular day the outdoor conditions are measured with a sling
thermometer that shows 12℃ dbt, 10 ℃ WBT and 1 atm pressure. The required
conditions in the classroom are 20℃, 60% RH, and air circulation of 0.3 m3/min/person
(from ASHREA handbook). The required conditions in the classrooms are achieved by
first heating and then adiabatic humidification.
Calculate
a. Required heating capacity of the coil and surface temperature of the coil if the bypass
factor of coil is 0.4.
b. Capacity of the humidifier

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Practice following exercise Problem
3-6, 3-7, 3-16, 3-24, 3-43

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