Humidification

Operation
Meika Syahbana Rusli

Outline

Karakteristik Sistem Campuran Udara-Uap Air

Psychrometric Chart
Adiabatic Humidification Process
Sensible Heating & Cooiling
Aplikasi Industri

Karakteristik Sistem Campuran

Udara-Uap Air
Composition of Dry Air
Dry air consits mainly of oxygen and nitrogen. The volumetric composition of
the standrad dry air is:

The average molecular mass of standard dry air is 28.97

Karakteristik Sistem Campuran

Udara-Uap Air

Percentage Saturation
Percentage saturation is defined as the ratio of the
specific humidity of air to the specific humidity of saturated air at
the same temperature.
Specific Humidity or Moisture Content of Air
Specific humidity or moisture content of air is the ratio of the mass
of water to the mass of dry air in a given volume of moist air.
Humidity Ratio or Relative Humidity
Humidity ratio or relative humidity is the ratio of the actual mass of
water vapor in the air to the mass of water vapor that would
saturate the air at the same temperature.
Enthalpy
Enthalpy of a system is defined as the mass of the system, m,
multiplied by the specific enthalpy of the system, h

Karakteristik Sistem Campuran

Udara-Uap Air

Dry-bulb Temperature
The dry-bulb temperature of air is measured by a thermometer which is freely
exposed to the air but is shielded from radiation and moisture.

Wet-bulb Temperature
The Wet-bulb Temperature of air is measured by a thermometer whose bulb is
covered by a muslin sleeve which is kept moist with distilled and clean water,
freely exposed to the air and free from radiation.

Latent Heat
Latent Heat is defined as the heat which flows to or from a material without a
change to temperature. The heat will only change the structure or phase of the
material. e.g. melting or boiling of pure materials.

Sensible Heat
Sensible Heat is defined as the heat energy stored in a substance as a result
of an increase in its temperature.

Wet-bulb Temperature

A useful concept in psychrometry is the wet-bulb temperature, as

compared with the ordinary temperature, which is called the drybulb temperature.

The wet-bulb temperature is the temperature reached by a water

surface, such as that registered by a thermometer bulb
surrounded by a wet wick, when exposed to air passing over it.
The wick and therefore the thermometer bulb decreases in
temperature below the dry-bulb temperature until the rate of heat
transfer from the warmer air to the wick is just equal to the rate
of heat transfer needed to provide for the evaporation of water
from the wick into the air stream.

Dew-Point Temperature

Dew-point temperature is the temperature at which air or other

gases are so saturated with vapor that condensation takes place. If
a vessel filled with humid air at original condition A, is cooled at
constant vapor pressure i.e. at constant moisture content, the
temperature will eventually reach saturation line and at this point
water vapor will begin to condense.
Source : www.taftan.com

Percentage Saturation
Percentage saturation is defined as the ratio of the
specific humidity of air to the specific humidity of
saturated air at the same temperature.

Source : www.taftan.com

Specific Volume
The specific volume, v, of a system is the volume occupied
by unit mass of the system. The relationship between the
specific volume and density is:

The SI unit of specific volume is m /kg (cubic meter per kilogram).

Source : www.taftan.com

Psychrometry

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.
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.

Psychrometric Chart
The psychrometric chart is a useful design tool for
study moist air properties. The chart presents a
number of properties of moist air:

dry-bulb temperature
sling wet-bulb temperature
moisture content
specific enthalpy
specific volume
percentage saturation
Source : www.taftan.com

Psychrometric Charts

Process Line for Air

Conditioned Space
The room process line, known also as room ratio line (RRL) is defined
by the condition of supplied air and the desired air condition in the
space. The RRL is dependent on both sensible and latent heat load.

Source : www.taftan.com

Adiabatic Humidification Process

In this process, air enters a duct (which is assumed to be perfectly insulated

in order to satisfy the condition for an adiabatic process) at dry-bulb
temperature T1 and moisture content g1 and leaves the duct at dry-bulb
temperature T2 and moisture content g2. The latent heat gained by the air is
equal to the sensible heat loss by the air. i.e.

here hfg is the latent heat of water. If the water tank is infinitely long, the air
at the outlet will be 100% saturated. The temperature at this condition is
known as adiabatic saturation temperature.

Adiabatic Humidifier with

Recirculation of Spray Water

In this system, the water is recirculated through the pipes to nozzles. That part of
water which is not evaporated into the air stream, returns to the tank for
recirculation. This process can be assumed as an adiabatic process with good
approximation. The required make-up water supplied to the tank is:

The humidifying efficiency is usually expressed by the contact factor.

Adiabatic Humidifiers without

Recirculation of Spray Water

In this system water is injected through nozzles into the air stream. The supplied
water is for humidification purposes and water which is not evaporated will be
drained from the bottom of the unit.

Contact Factor of Nozzles

The contact factor of nozzles is defined as the efficiency for humidification. A 100%
efficient nozzle system will bring the moisture content of air to the saturation
moisture content at the apparatus dew-point, gc. The contact factor of the nozzle
system can be defined by moisture content differences:

or by specific enthalpy differences:

The contact factor of a nozzle system depends on the design of nozzles, nozzle
arrangement and water pressure

Pan Steam Humidifier

A Pan Steam Humidifier uses a heating element inside a water tank. The tank is
mounted at the bottom of the air duct. The air flowing over the water surface will
cause some evaporative cooling which results in drop of air dry-bulb
temperature

Direct Steam Injection

Steam can be directly injected to air stream for air conditioning purposes. In this
process, all the latent heat necessary for evaporation of water is added outside
the air stream. The supply of water vapor increases the enthalpy of the air. The
temperature increase in this process is negligible and it can be assumed as an
isothermal process with good approximation

Spray Water with Recirculation and

Heating or Cooling
Spray-type humidifiers may use heating or cooling equipment to achieve the desired
air condition. The heat supplied to or gained from the system is:

In some cases the increase in moisture content is accompanied by sensible cooling and in
some others by sensible heating. When the heat is supplied to the system, the ADP
(Apparatus Dew-Point Temperature) will be higher than the adiabatic process. When the
heat is gained from the system, the ADP will be lower than the adiabatic process.

Sensible Heating & Cooling

Sensible Cooling Process at Constant Moisture Content

Sensible cooling process at constant moisture content is a process during which

the dry-bulb temperature of air is decreased. The air passes over a cooling coil
which uses chilled water or direct expansion of some refrigerant into the pipe coil.
The load on the cooling coil is:

Sensible Heating & Cooling

Sensible Heating Process

Sensible Heating Process is a process during which the dry-bulb temperature of air
is increased. The process occurs at constant moisture content. The air passes over
a hot and dry surface which might be pipe coil using steam or hot water, electrical
resistance or an air-to-air heat recovery unit. The load on the heater is:

Sensible Heating & Cooling

Sensible Cooling with Dehumidification

In this process the dry-bulb temperature and the moisture content of air are
decreased. The heat in the condensed water is normally very small relative to
the total cooling load therefore the load on the cooling coil can be approximated
as:
Dehumidification can only occur, if the coil surface temperature is blew the dewpoint temperature of the entering air stream.

Example 1
The

temperature and dew point of the air

entering a certain dryer are 104 and 680F (40
and 200C) respectively. What additional data
for this air can be read from the
humidity/psychrometric chart?

Example 2

For a certain process requiring air at controlled

temperature and humidity there is needed 15,000 kg) of
dry air per hour at 20 percent humidity and 45oC). This
air to be obtained by conditioning air at 20 percent
humidity and 200 C) by first heating, then humidifying
adiabatically to the desired humidity, and finally reheating
the humidified air to 450C). The humidifying step is to be
conducted in a spray chamber. Assuming the air leaving
the spray chamber is to be 4 0C warmer than adiabaticsaturation to what temperature should the air to be pre
heated, at what temperature should it leave the spray
chamber, how much heat will be required for pre- and
reheating ?

Example 3

Udara didinginkan dan di kurangi kelembabannya melalui kontak

berlawanan arah dgn air pada suatu packed tower. Tower tsb
dirancang dgn kondisi sbb :
Suhu bola kering udara masuk 28 C
Suhu bola basah udara masuk 25 C
Laju alir udara masuk 700 kg/h udara kering
Suhu air masuk 10 C
Suhu air keluar 18 C
Tentukan humidity, relatif humidity, dew point, enthalpy dari udara
masuk
Berapa laju air maksimum yg dapat digunakan sesuai dgn
rancangan tsb diatas dgn asumsi tower sangat tinggi

Aplikasi Industri
Cooling Tower

Aplikasi Industri
Humid Chamber