Lecture IX - Humidification and Water Cooling

 Humidification / dehumidification
-involve the transfer of material between a pure liquid
phase and a fixed gas that is insoluble in the liquid.
 Humidification
-operation to increase the amount of vapour present in a gas
stream
 Dehumidification
-operation to reduce the amount of vapour present in a gas
stream
 Humidification and Water Cooling
2

Vapour
-the gaseous form of the component that is also present as liquid

Gas
-the component present only in gaseous form
Humidification and Water Cooling
 Humidification and Water Cooling
4

In humidification, the vapour content can be increased

by passing the gas over a liquid which then evaporates
into the gas stream.
This transfer into the mainstream takes place by
diffusion, and at the interface, simultaneous transfer of
heat and mass takes place.
In the reverse operation, dehumidification partial
condensation must be effected and the condensed
vapour removed.
 Humidification and Water Cooling
5

Importance to a number of areas, in

particular,
-air conditioning for buildings

*comfort of the occupants

-industrial process cooling

*cooling of recycled water which

is used as a coolant
Cooling Towers
Water Cooling Towers
7
Water Cooling Towers
 Humidification and Water Cooling
9

Other areas:

-drying of wet solids

-drying of gas

*such as wet chlorine so that the gas can be handled

in steel equipment which would otherwise be
corroded
 Definitions
10

Humidity
-the mass of vapour carried by a unit mass of vapour-free gas
-depends only on the partial pressure of the vapour in the mixture when
the total pressure is fixed
Unit
for example: kg water vapor/kg of dry air
 Definitions
11

Humidity (cont’d)
-in the gas phase, where component A is the vapour and
component B is the fixed gas, humidity is:

M A pA
H
M B (P  pA )
where pA is the partial pressure of vapour in kPa, and
MA, MB are molecular weight of components A and B
respectively.
Partial pressure and vapor pressure

Pure Gas A
PA Gas mixture
pA
Pure liquid A Pure liquid A

Vapor pressure Partial pressure

 Definitions
13

Saturation
-the state at which the gas is holding the maximum amount of vapour
that it can contain
Saturated gas
-the gas in which the vapour is in equilibrium with the liquid at the gas
temperature
-the partial pressure of vapour in saturated gas equals the vapour
pressure of the liquid at the gas temperature

PA  p A
 Definitions
14

Saturated gas (cont’d)

-if HS is the saturation humidity and PA is the vapour pressure of the
liquid,

'
M AP
HS  '
A
M B ( P  PA )
 Definitions
15

Relative humidity
-the ratio of the partial pressure of the vapour to the vapour pressure of
the liquid at the gas temperature
-normally expressed as a percentage,

pA
H R  100 '
PA
 Definitions
16

Percentage humidity
-the ratio of the actual humidity, H, to the saturation humidity,
HS, at the gas temperature,

'
H p A /( P  p A ) PP
H A  100  100 ' '
 HR A
HS PA /( P  PA ) P  pA
at all humidities, other than 0 or 100 percent,
the percentage humidity is less than than the
relative humidity
 Definitions
17

Humid heat
-the heat energy necessary to increase the temperature of 1 g or
1 lb of gas plus whatever vapour it may contain by 1°C or
1°F. Thus, humid heat,

cS  c pB  c pAH
where cpB and cpA are the specific heats of gas and
vapour, respectively
 Definitions
18

Humid volume
-the total volume of a unit mass of vapour-free
gas plus whatever vapour it may contain at 1
atmosphere pressure and the gas temperature
-from gas laws, humid volume is related to
humidity and temperatures by the equation,
 Definitions
19

Humid volume (cont’d)

0.0224T 1 H
vH  (  )
273 MB MA

where vH is in cubic metres per gram and T is in

Kelvins
 Definitions
20

Humid volume (cont’d)

-for vapour free gas, H = 0, and vH is the specific volume of the fixed
gas

-for saturated gas, H = HS, and vH becomes the saturated volume

 Definitions
21

Dew point
-the temperature to which a vapour-free gas mixture must be
cooled (at constant humidity) to become saturated

-the dew point of a saturated gas phase equals the gas

temperature
 Definitions
22

Total enthalpy
-the enthalpy of a unit mass of gas plus whatever vapour it may
contain
-the total enthalpy is the sum of 3 items:

H y  sensible heat of the vapour +

latent heat of the liquid at T0 +
sensible heat of the vapour - free gas
 Definitions
23

Total enthalpy (cont’d)

H y  c pB (T  T0 )  H0  c pAH (T  T0 )
H y  cS (T  T0 )  H0

where T is the gas temperature, T0 is the datum

temperature and λ0 is the latent heat of the liquid at T0
 Equations for Chapter 9
M A pA
Humidity: H
M B (P  pA )

Saturation Humidity:
M A PA'
HS 
M B ( P  PA' )
pA
Relative humidity: H R  100
PA'
H p A /( P  p A ) P  PA'
Percentage humidity: H A  100  100 ' '
 HR
HS PA /( P  PA ) P  pA

Humid heat: cS  c pB  c pAH

0.0224T 1 H
Humid volume: vH  (  )
273 MB MA
H y  c pB (T  T0 )  H0  c pAH (T  T0 )
Total enthalpy:
H y  cS (T  T0 )  H0
 Example 8
25

In a vessel at 101.3 kPa and 300K, the percentage

relative humidity of the water vapour in the air is 25. If
the partial pressure of water vapour when air is
saturated with vapour at 300K, is 3.6 kPa, calculate:
a) the partial pressure of the water vapour in the
vessel
b) the humidity of the air
c) the humid volume
d) the percentage humidity
 Example 8-solution
P  101.31kPa, T  300 K ,
What we know: pA
HR   25 / 100, PA  3.6kPa.
PA

a) p A  H R PA  __________  ______ kPa.

b) M A pA
H  ___________  _________ kgH 2O / kg  air .
M B P  p A 
c)
 1
0.0224T H 
vH      ____________________
273 M
 B M A 

m3 m3
 _________________  __________ .
g  air kg  air

H p  P  PA 
d) HA 
HS
100  100 A    _________________  _______ .
PA  P  p A 
 Example 9
27

The air in a room has a humidity, H, of 0.021 kg

H2O/kg dry air at 32.2°C and 101.3 kPa.
Using the humidity chart and appropriate
equations, calculate:
a) the percentage humidity
b) the percentage relative humidity
c) dew point

Vapour pressure of H O at 32.2°C is 4.824 kPa

2
 Example 9-solution

What we know: H  0.021kg  H 2O / kg  dry  air , T  32.2C , P  101.3kPa .

PA  4.824kPa.
M A pA M A PA
H
a) M B P  p A  HS 
M B P  PA 
18 p A 18PA
0.021  , p A  3.316kPa.   ______________  ______ .
29101.3  p A  29101.3  PA 
H
H A  100  _________  _____ .
HS

b) pA
H R  100  ________  ______ .
PA

c) Dew point can be found from chart: ____________.

Adiabatic Saturation Temperature, TS
29

 Water is often sprayed into a stream of gas in a pipe or

spray chamber to bring the gas to saturation.
 The pipe or chamber is insulated so that the process is
adiabatic.
 The gas is cooled and humidified.
 If not all of the water evaporates and there is sufficient time
for the gas to come to equilibrium with the water, the exit
temperature of the gas is called the adiabatic saturation
temperature, TS.
 The remaining liquid is also at T and can be recirculated to
S
the spray nozzles.
 Adiabatic Saturation Temperature, TS
30

The value of TS depends on the temperature and initial

humidity of the gas and to a minor extent, the initial
water temperature. To simplify analysis, the water is
often assumed to enter at TS.
An enthalpy balance can be written over this process.
Taking TS as a datum, then the enthalpy of the make-up
liquid is zero.
Adiabatic Saturation Temperature, TS
31

Since the process is adiabatic, the total enthalpy of

the entering gas equals that of the leaving gas.

Enthalpy in = Enthalpy out

cS T  TS   HS  H S S
where lS is the latent heat of vaporisation at the
saturation temperature TS.
 Example 10
32

Air at 70°C and 20% relative humidity enters a spray

tower where it is adiabatically cooled to its saturation
temperature.
Determine the saturation temperature.
 Example 10 - Solution
33

Alternatively, solution to the problem can be read from

the humidity chart or psychrometric chart.

Saturation temperature TS = 41.5°C

34
 The Wet Bulb Temperature
35

The wet bulb temperature is a steady state, non-

equilibrium temperature reached by a small mass
of liquid immersed under adiabatic conditions in a
continuous stream of gas.
Assume that there is a large volume of air, so that
the evaporation of a small quantity of water does
not change the properties of the air and the effect
of the process is confined to the liquid.
-This is usually true for air-water system if the process is
carried out in a room or open space.
 The Wet Bulb Temperature
36

The method of measuring the wet bulb

temperature is as shown below:
 The Wet Bulb Temperature
37

A thermometer is covered by a wick, which is

saturated with pure liquid and immersed in a stream
of gas having a definite temperature T and humidity
H.
Assume that the liquid is initially at the same
temperature as the air.
Evaporation will begin immediately, lowering the
temperature of the liquid.
As the temperature of the liquid drops, a temperature
gradient between the gas and the liquid is established.
 The Wet Bulb Temperature
38

Heat will therefore flow from the gas into the liquid
because the liquid has become colder than the gas.
Eventually a point will be reached where the two
processes exactly balance: a dynamic steady state
where the energy flow rate of latent heat from the
evaporating liquid is exactly equal to the energy flow
rate of heat from the warm gas to the cool liquid.
The temperature of the liquid at this point is called the
wet bulb temperature.
 The Wet Bulb Temperature
39

Precautions:
-The wick of the wet bulb thermometer must be completely
wetted with no dry areas.
-The gas velocity must be large enough (> 5 m/s) that the
heat transfer due to radiation is negligible compared to
conduction and convection.
-Any makeup liquid must be supplied at the wet-bulb
temperature.
 The Wet Bulb Temperature
40

In the humidity chart for air-water system, the

same line may be used for both.
Therefore, although it resembles the adiabatic
saturation temperature Ts, the wet-bulb temperature
Tw is not the same thing.
For air-water systems only, T and T are nearly
w s
equal.
This is pure luck, as it gives us an easy way to
measure the humidity.
This is not true for other systems.
 The approach to wet bulb temperature

The cooling tower is

not 100% efficiency
The cooling
temperature is
normally a few degrees
away from the wet
bulb temperature
The difference between
the outlet water
temperature and the
wet bulb temperature is
called “the approach of
the cooling tower”.
 Measurement of Humidity
42

How can we measure the humidity?

-Psychometric methods
*measurement of the dry bulb and wet bulb
temperatures
-Direct measurement
-Dew-point methods
 Measurement of Humidity - Psychrometric
Method
43

The humidity of the air can be measured with a wet-

bulb thermometer and a dry-bulb thermometer.

Dry-bulb Wet-bulb
 Measurement of Humidity - Psychometric
Method
44

The wet-bulb temperature and the dry-bulb temperature

are measured simultaneously.
From these readings, the humidity can be found from
the humidity chart.
Examples….
 Measurement of Humidity -
Direct Measurements
45

The vapour content of a gas can be determined by

direct analysis in which a known volume of gas is
drawn through an appropriate analytical device
such as a gas chromatography.
Measurement of Humidity -Dew-Point Methods
46

If a cooled, polished disk is inserted into a gas of

unknown humidity and the temperature of the disk
is gradually lowered, the disk reaches a
temperature at which mist condenses on the
polished surface.
The temperature at which this mist just forms is
the temperature of equilibrium between the vapour
in the gas and the liquid phase. It is therefore the
dew point.
 Measurement of Humidity -Dew-Point Methods
47

A check on the reading obtained by slowly

increasing the disk temperature and noting the
temperature at which the mist just disappears.
From the average of the temperatures of mist
formation and disappearance, the humidity can be
read from a humidity chart.
Examples…
 Tutorial #9-Q1

The air in a room is at 32.2 °C and a total pressure of

101.3 kPa abs containing water vapor with a partial
pressure of pA =3.59 kPa. Calculate:
(a) Humidity
(b) Saturation humidity and percentage humidity
(c) Percentage relative humidity
 Vapour pressure of H2O at 32.2°C is 4.824 kPa
 Tutorial #9-Q1
T  32.2C , P  101.32kPa, p A  3.59kPa ,
What we know:
PA  4.824kPa.

M A pA
H  ___________________,
M B P  p A 
M A PA
HS   ___________________,
M B P  PA 
H
H p  100  _____________,
HS
pA
H R  100  __________________ .
PA
 Tutorial #9-Q2

In a process in which benzene is used as a solvent, it

is evaporated into dry nitrogen. At 297 K and 101.3
kPa, the resulting mixture has a percentage relative
humidity of 60. Find the humidity of the gas.

Benzene molecular weight is 78.1 g/mol and that for

nitrogen is 28 g/mol.
 Tutorial #9-Q2-solution

What we know: M A  78.1, M B  28, T  297 K , P  101.3kPa, H R  60.

At T = 297K, for benzene, the Antoine eqn constants are: A=15.9008,
B=2788.51, C=-52.36. Using Antoine equation to find the vapor
pressure of benzene at 297K.
B
ln PA   A   ______________
C T
PA  exp(_____)  ______ mmHg  ________ kPa.

pA
H R  100  ________, M A pA
PA H  ______________
M B P  p A 
60  PA kg  Ben
pA   ________ kPa.  _________
100 kg.N 2
 Tutorial #9-Q3

Air enters a cooling tower at 120°F and a wet bulb

temperature of 80°F, and exits the cooling tower at
95°F and 90°F wet bulb temperature. What is the
rate of make-up water required in lb/h if the air flow
rate entering the cooling tower is 8.3 x 106 ft3/h?
 Tutorial #9-Q3-Solution
B
TA  120 F  48.9C , TS , A  80 F  26.7C ,
What we know:
TB  90 F  35C , TS , B  90 F  32.2C

6 0.3048m 
3
6ft 3 5 m
3
Qa , A  8.3 10  8.3  10  2.35 10 mw
h h h
From the humidity chart, we can find:

kg  H 2O m3 kg  H 2O
H A  _______ , vH  _______ , H B  ______ .
kg  dry  air kg  dry  air kg  dry  air

Qa , A
m a   ________  _______ kg  dry  air  / h A
vH , A

m w m a H B  H A   ________________________
kg 2.2 Ib Ib
 ________  _________  _______ .
h h h
 Assignment #9-Q1

The weather report usually gives humidity as relative

humidity. If the relative humidity is 90% and the
temperature is 30°C, what is the percentage
humidity? What is the humidity?

At 30ºC, vapor pressure of water is 4.246 kPa.

 Assignment #9-Q1-solution

What we know: T  30C , H R  90, PA  4.246kPa,

pA
H R  100 , Find pA.
PA
kg  H 2O
H  _________  ___________  ______ .
kg  dry  air

kg  H 2O
H S  _________  ____________  ______ .
kg  dry  air

H A  ________  _____________  _____ .

 Assignment #9-Q2

Calculate the following properties of moist air at 1

atm:
a) the humidity of saturated air at 50°C
b) the humid volume of saturated air at 50°C
 Assignment #9-Q2-solution

According to the humidity chart:

Hs=________kg/kg
vH=________m3/kg

PA  12.349kPa,
At 50ºC,
kg  H 2O
H S  __________  ________________  ______ .
kg  dry  air

vH  __________________
 _______________________
m3 m3
 ____________  _______
g  dry  air kg  dry  air
 Assignment #9-Q3

Air at 48.9oC and 1 atmosphere, has a moisture

content of 0.040 kg/kg dry air. It is contacted with
water at the adiabatic saturation temperature and is
thereby humidified and cooled.
Find the final temperature and humidity of the air, if
the air
a) has a relative humidity of 80%
b) is saturated
 Assignment #9-Q3-Solution
What we know: T  48.9C , P  1atm , H  0.04 kg  H 2O .
kg  dry  air

Find the T and H when the air is cooled adiabatically to

a) 80% HR

b) saturation.