Air Conditioning 10

4. Cooling and Dehumidifying

In a cooling and dehumidifying process, both the temperature
and the humidity ratio of the moist air will drop.
There are three types of heat exchangers commonly used in the
cooling and dehumidifying process:

1. Indirect cooling or chilled water-cooling.

2. Direct expansion DX-coil in which refrigerant evaporates directly
inside the coil’s tubes
3. Air washer where chilled water rather than recirculated water is
used for spraying

The temperature of the entering chilled water in a water-cooling

coil determines whether the process is a sensible cooling process or a
cooling and dehumidifying process. If the temperature of entering
chilled water makes the outer surface temperature of the coil tubes
higher than the dew point of entering air, this process will be a sensible
cooling process. Condensation cannot take place on the outer surface
of the coil tubes or associated fins. However, if the surface temperature
of coils is low so that it is lower than the dew point temperature of the
air, cooling and dehumidifying occur. The average surface
temperature of cooling coils or Apparatus Dew Point (ADP)
must be lower than the DP temperature of air to create
condensation.
If recirculating water is used in an air washer, the process is an
actual adiabatic saturation process. The changes of the properties of
the moist air follow the adiabatic saturation line on the psychrometric
chart. The temperature of the water spray approaches the
thermodynamic wet bulb temperature. Temperature, humidity ratio,
and enthalpy of the moist air are changed during the cooling and
humidifying process.

Based on the principle of heat balance:

Total Total Cooling Heat

enthalpy of enthalpy of coil’s load energy of
= + (or cooling +
the entering the leaving the
air air capacity of condensate
the washer)
 Air Conditioning 11

Q
Cooling
Coils
Supply Room Air
Outside Air
fan
1 m 2
• 3 •
h1 h2
Condensate
w1 removed w2
mw v2
v1
tw
hw

•1 W1

•2 W2
•3

tdb2 tdb1
tdb3 = ADP
By energy balance:
mh1 = mh2 + Q + mwhw

Negligible
Q = m(h1 - h2) - mwhw -- heat removed from air,
kj/min.

By mass Balance:
m + mW1 = m + mW2 + mw
mw = m(W1 - W2)

where: mw = mass of water removed from air, kg/hr.

= mass of condensate
hw = enthalpy of condensate, Kj/kg.
= hf
tw

tw = temperature of make-up water

 Air Conditioning 12

COOLING AND DEHUMIDIFYING COIL PERFORMANCE

Cooling Coil Apparatus Dew Point, By-Pass Factor and Contact Factor

Some of the air passing through a cooling coil does not come
into contact with the tubes or fins of the cooling coil and is therefore
not cooled to the Apparatus Dew Point temperature.
A mixing process therefore takes place as two air streams mix
downstream of the cooling coil as shown below.
Air that hit the tubes
Fins or fins and has
been cooled and
dehumidified and
becomes saturated.
tdb1 tdb3
Air entering cooling
coil
tdb2 Mixed air stream or
air-off-the-coil

tdb1
Tube
By-passed air
Air that passed
through without
hitting the tubes or
fins. It is neither
cooled nor
dehumidified
Refrigerant or
chilled water flow

A SECTION OF COOLING AND DEHUMIDIFYING COIL SHOWING AIR FLOWS

Apparatus Dew Point Temperature (ADPT) - The average

surface temperature of cooling coils (tdb3).

The ratio of the amount of air that hit the

tdb1 - tdb2 tubes and fins to the total amount of air
Contact Factor(CF) =
tdb1 - tdb3 passing through the cooling &
dehumidifying coils.
The ratio of the amount of air that did not •1 W1
tdb2 - tdb3 come into contact with the tubes and fins
By-Pass Factor(BPF) =
tdb1 - tdb3 to the total amount of air passing through
the cooling & dehumidifying coils, CDA.
•2 W2
CF + BPF = 1 •3

CF = 1 - BPF

tdb2 tdb1
Cooling Coil Efficiency(CCE) = CF x 100% tdb3 = ADPT
BPF= (h2-h3)/(h1-h3)
= (W2-W3)/(W1-W3)

Thus the bypass factor can be defined in terms of temperature or specific humidity or enthalpy of air.
 Air Conditioning 13

Example:

1. Moist air at 27OCdb and 19OCwb is cooled to 14OCdb and 80% RH

by passing it through a cooling & dehumidifying coils. The volume
flow rate of air is 200 Cfm. a) Find the heat transfer rate and the
amount of condensate removed.
b) What is the apparatus dew point, by-pass factor and the cooling
coil efficiency?

Given: Entering air: tdb1 = 27OC; twb1 = 19OC, V1 = 200 ft3/min

Leaving air: tdb2 = 14OC; RH2 = 80%
Q
Cooling
Coils
Supply Leaving Air
Entering Air
fan
1 m 2
• 3 •
tdb1 = 27OC tdb2 = 14OC
twb1 = 19OC RH2 = 80%
Condensate
V1 = 200 ft3/min removed
mw
 Air Conditioning 14

h1 = 54 kJ/kg

h2 = 34.3 kJ/kg
1 W1 = 0.0105 kgv/kga
•
2 W2 = 0.008 kgv/kga
3 •
•

tdb3 =Solution:
ADPT = 8.6OC V1 = 0.864 m3/kg

At point 1: h1 = 54 kJ/kg; W1 = 0.0105 kgv/kga; V1 = 0.864 m3/kg

At point 2: h2 = 34.4 kJ/kg; W2 = 0.008 kgv/kga

a)
Heat Transfer Rate, Q in kW
Q = m(h1 - h2)
1 m3
200 ft3/min x
35.288 ft3
m = V1/ V1 =
0.852 m3/kg

m = 6.652 kg/min
Q = 6.652 kg/min (54 kJ/kg – 34.4) kJ/kg
Q = 130.383 kJ/min
Q = 2.173 kW
 Air Conditioning 15

Amount of Condensate Removed, mw in kg/hr

mw = m(W1 – W2)
mw = 6.652 kg/min (0.0105 – 0.008) kgv/kga
mw = 0.0166 kg/min
mw = 1.0 kg/hr

b)
Apparatus Dew Point Temperature, ADPT in OC
From the Psychrometric Chart,
ADPT = 8.6OC

By-Pass Factor, BPF

tdb2 - tdb3 14 - 8.6

BPF = =
tdb1 - tdb3 27 - 8.6

BPF = 0.293

Cooling Coil Efficiency, CCE

CCE = CF x 100%
CF = Contact Factor = (1 – BPF) = (1 – 0.293) = 0.707
CCE = 0.707 x 100%
CCE = 70.7%

5. Cooling and Humidifying (Adiabatic Saturation)

Air can be simultaneously cooled and humidified. This action
takes place in an ordinary air washer in which the same water is
continuously recirculated, but is neither heated not cooled.

Outside
air Room air
m
h2’
h1
W2’
W1
Make-up
mw water
hw
Eliminator Plates
 Air Conditioning 16

h1 = h2
2
••
2’
1
•

Constant water circulation without heating or cooling

In the above figure, it shows the changes occurring in the dry

bulb and dew point temperatures of the air flowing through an air
washer in which the same water is constantly recirculated without
being either heated or cooled. In a perfect washer, the final dry bulb
and dew point temperatures of the air would be equal to each other,
and equal to initial wet bulb temperature of the air. The efficiency of
an air washer is defined as the ratio of the actual drop in dry bulb
temperature to the maximum theoretical drop in dry bulb temperature
could take place if the washer were 100 percent efficient, and the air
emerged saturated. In such a case, the final dry bulb temperature of
the air would be equal to its initial wet bulb temperature.
Air is made to pass through spray of circulating water, which is
neither cooled nor heated. Make-up water is added to condensate
with the droplets of water that has gone with the air

Air Washer Efficiency., AWE

tdb1 – tdb2’
AWE = x 100%
tdb1 - tdb2
 Air Conditioning 17

Amount of moisture added

mW1 + mw = mW2’

mw = m (W2’ - W1)

Examples:
a. How much moisture is added to 37 m3/min of air passing thru an
ordinary air washer from 33Cdb and 40% RH to 24Cdb temp?
b. What is the air washer efficiency?
Given: V1 = 37 m3/min
tdb1 = 33OC
RH1 = 40%
tdb2’ = 24OC

Outside
air Room air
m
tdb’ = 24OC
tdb1 = 33OC
RH1 = 40%
V1 = 37 m3/min
mw
Make-up
water
Eliminator Plates

2
• 2’
• W2’ = 0.0165 kgv/kga

1
• W1 = 0.0127 kgv/kga

tdb1 = 33OC
tdb2 = 22.3OC
v1 = 0.884 m3/kg
tdb2’ = 24OC
 Air Conditioning 18

Solution:
From Psychrometric Chart:
W1 = 0.0127 kgv/kga
V1 = 0.884 m3/kg
W2’ = 0.0165 kgv/kga
tdb2 = 22.3OC

Moisture Added, mw in kg/min

mw = m (W2’ - W1)

V1 37 m3/min
m = =
V1 0.884 m3/kg

m = 41.855 kg/min

mw = 41.855 kg/min (0.0165 – 0.127) kgv/kga

mw = 0.159 kg.min

Air Washer Efficiency, AWE in %

tdb1 – tdb2’
AWE = x 100%
tdb1 - tdb2

33 – 24
AWE = x 100%
33 – 22.3

AWE = 84.11%

6. Mixing air
When air at one condition is mixed with air at another condition, the
condition of the final mixture can be shown on the psychrometric chart
by a point on the line joining the points indicating the original
condition. The exact location of the final point will depend upon the
masses of the original air quantities.
h1

m1 1 W1
• Mixed air

2 3 m3
m2
• • h3
W2 W3
h2
 Air Conditioning 19

1. Mass balance of dry air

m1 + m2 = m3
2. Mass balance of water vapor
m1W1 + m2W2 = m3W3

h1
1
Mixed air • W1
3
• W3
h2

2
• W2

tdb2 tdb3 tdb1

By similar triangles, the following mixing equations also apply to

the mixture of two quantities of air:

m1tdb1 + m2tdb2 = m3tdb3 ------- based on dry bulb temp.

m1twb1 + m2twb2 = m3tdb3 ------ based on dry wet temp.
m1h1 m1h2 = m3h3 -------------------- based on dry enthalpy
 Air Conditioning 20

Example:
a. 28 m3/min of air at 43Cdb and 15% RH are mixed adiabatic ally with
14 m3/min of air at 18Cdb and 90% RH. Determine a) tdb3, b) W3, c) RH3,
d) V 3 and e) h3

Given: V1 = 28 m3/min
tdb1 = 43OC
RH1 = 15%
V2 = 14 m3/min
tdb2 = 18OC
RH2 = 90%

h3 = 58.3kJ/kg

2
•
3
• 1
W3 = 0.0094 kgv/kga
•
•

tdb3 = 34.25OC
V2 = 0.84 m3/kg V3 = 0.882 m3/kg V1 = 0.907 m /kg
3

From Psychrometric Chart:

V 1 = 0.907 m3/kg
V 2 = 0.84 m3/kg

Mass flow rates, m in kg/min:

V1 28 m3/min
m1 = =
V1 0.907 m3/kg

m1 = 30.871 kg/min
 Air Conditioning 21

V2 14 m3/min
m2 = =
V2 0.84 m3/kg

m2 = 16.667 kg/min

m3 = m1 + m2 = 30.871 + 16.667

m3 = 47.538 kg/min

By mixing equation based on dry bulb temperature,

(m1) (tdb1) + (m2) (tdb2) = (m3) (tdb3)

(m1) (tdb1) + (m2) (tdb2) (30.871)(43) + (16.667) (18)

tdb3 = =
m3 47.538

tdb3 = 34.25OC ----- Plot this in the psychrometric chart which must be along line 1-2

From point 3 on the psychrometric chart,

W3 = 0.0094 kgv/kga

RH3 = 27%

V 2 = 0.882 m3/kg

h3 = 58.3 kJ/kg
 Air Conditioning 22

Exercises:

Cooling and Dehumidifying

1. One and a half cubic meters per second of moist air at 28OCdb and 21OCwb flows
across a cooling coil and leaves at 12.5OCdb and 0.0083 kgv/kga. Determine a)
the apparatus dew point temperature, b) the contact factor, c) the by-pass factor
and d) the cooling load and c) the condensate removal.
2. One and a half cubic meters per second of moist air at a state of 28 OCdb, 21OCwb
and 101.325 kPa flows across a cooler coil and leaves at 12.5OCdb and 0.0083
kgv/kga. Determine (a) the apparatus dew point temperature, (b) the cooling
coil efficiency, (c) the by-pass factor and (d) the cooling load.

Adiabatic saturation
3. Air at 33OCdb 1nd 19OCwb is cooled and humidified by passing through an air
washer in which water is continuously circulated. The air leaves the air washer
at 23OCdb. Determine the moisture added per kg of dry air. What is the AWE?
4. One and a half cubic meters per second of moist air at 15 OCdb, 10OCwb
temperatures and 101.325 kPa barometric pressure enters the spray chamber of
an air washer. Humidifying efficiency of the washer is 90%, all the spray water is
recirculated, spray chamber is perfectly lagged, and a feed at 10OC from the
water board main is supplied to make up the losses due to evaporation.
Determine: (a) the state of air leaving the washer and (b) the rate of make-up
water from main.

Air mixing
5. A stream of outdoor air at 35OCdb and 25OCwb temperature is mixed with a
stream of return air at 24OC and 50% RH in an air conditioning system that
operated at standard barometric reading. The flow rate of outdoor air is 2.0
kg/sec and that of the return air is 3.0 kg/sec. Estimate:
a) The humidity ratio of the mixture and
b) The dry bulb temperature of the mixture.

If the barometric pressure is 98 kPa, solve the same requirements.

Prepared by: Reviewed by: Approved:

ABRAHAM P. APILADO MELCHOR A. MEANA HARRISON R. FLORES

Instructor/Professor Program Chair Dean/Director
August 3, 2020 August 10, 2020 August 10, 2020