NORTH EASTERN REGIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
ME-23005 : Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Tutorial 5 : Psychrometric Properties

1. The partial pressure of water vapour in the air is 21.06 mm Hg. on a day when the atmospheric
pressure is 760 mm Hg. Find the partial pressure of the dry air, dew point temperature and
specific humidity.
2. What is the wet bulb depression, relative humidity and specific humidity of air at 24˚ C dry
bulb temperature and 20˚ C wet bulb temperature? The partial pressure of water vapour is 18 mm
Hg.
3. A mixture of dry air and water vapour vaporizes at a temperature of 21˚ C under total pressure
of 736 mm Hg. The dew point temperature is 15˚ C. Find (i) partial pressure of water vapour, (ii)
relative humidity, (iii) specific humidity, (iv) enthalpy of air per kg of dry air, and (v) specific
volume of dry air.
4. Calculate, (i) relative humidity, (ii) humidity ratio, (iii) dew point temperature, (iv) enthalpy of
atmospheric air, when dry bulb temperature is 35˚ C, partial pressure of water vapour 12.79 mm
Hg and barometer reads 750 mm Hg.
5. Calculate, (i) relative humidity, (ii) humidity ratio, (iii) dew point temperature, (iv) density of
water vapour and dry air, and (v) enthalpy of atmospheric air, when dry bulb temperature is 35˚
C, wet bulb temperature is 23˚ C and barometer reads 750 mm Hg.
6. For a dry bulb of 25˚ C and a relative humidity of 50 %, calculate the following for air, when
the barometric pressure is is 740 mm Hg: (i) partial pressure of water vapour and dry air, (ii) dew
point temperature, (iii) specific humidity, (iv) specific volume, and (v) enthalpy.
7. A sample of moist air has a DBT of 43˚ C and a WBT of 29˚ C. Calculate the following:
(i) partial pressure of water vapour, (ii) relative humidity, (iii) specific humidity, (iv) dew point
temperature, (v) degree of saturation, (vi) enthalpy and (vii) dew point depression and wet bulb
depression.
8. A sample of moist air has a DBT of 33 ˚C and a WBT of 18 ˚C when the barometric pressure
is 750 mm Hg. Calculate the following:
(i) relative humidity and enthalpy
(ii) density of water vapour and dry air
(vi) dew point depression and wet bulb depression if the dew point temperature is 20 ˚C.
9. A sample of moist air has a DBT of 33 ˚C and a DPT of 16 ˚C when the barometric pressure
is 750 mm Hg. Calculate the following:
(i) relative humidity and enthalpy
(ii) dew point depression and wet bulb depression if the dry bulb temperature is 20 ˚C.

Solving Tips
❖ Dew point temperature (td) = tsat corresponding to partial pressure of
water vapour (Pv)
✓ Partial pressure of water vapour (Pv) = Psat corresponding to dew point
temperature (td)
✓ Partial pressure of water vapour Pv, can also be evaluated using Carrier
or Modified Apjohn or Modified Ferrel equation for a given DBT (t) and
WBT (t´)
❖ Saturation pressure of air = Ps = Psat corresponding to DBT
1 mmHg = 133 Pascal Ra = 287 J/kgK Rv = 461 J/kgK
P = Pa + Pv
 Table of Water Vapour Pressure
(1 mmHg = 133 Pa)

tsat Psat tsat Psat tsat Psat tsat Psat

0
( C) 0
(mm Hg) ( C) (mm Hg) 0
( C) (mm Hg) 0
( C) (mm Hg)
-50 0.02955 -5 3.011 30 31.82 65 187.5
-48 0.0378 -4 3.278 31 33.70 66 196.1
-46 0.0481 -3 3.567 32 35.66 67 205.0
-44 0.0609 -2 3.380 33 37.73 68 214.2
-42 0.0768 -1 4.217 34 39.90 69

-40 0.0966 0 4.579 35 42.18 70 233.7

-38 0.1209 1 5.29 36 44.56 71 243.9
-36 0.1507 2 4.93 37 47.07 72 254.6
-34 0.1873 3 5.69 38 49.69 73 265.7
-32 0.23188 4 6.10 39 52.44 74 277.2

-30 0.2859 5 6.54 40 55.32 75 289.1

-29 0.317 6 7.01 41 58.34 76 301.4
-28 0.351 7 7.51 42 61.50 77 314.1
-27 0.389 8 8.05 43 64.80 78 327.3
-26 0.430 9 8.61 44 68.26 79 341.0

-25 0.476 10 9.21 45 71.88 80 355.1

-24 0.526 11 9.84 46 75.65 81 396.7
-23 0.580 12 10.52 47 79.60 82 384.9
-22 0.640 13 11.23 48 83.71 83 400.6
-21 0.705 14 11.99 49 88.02 84 416.8

-20 0.747 15 12.79 50 92.51 85 433.6

-19 0.852 16 13.63 51 97.20 86 450.9
-18 0.037 17 14.53 52 102.1 87 468.7
-17 1.029 18 15.48 53 107.2 88 487.1
-16 1.130 19 16.48 54 112.5 89 506.1

-15 1.239 20 17.54 55 118.0 90 525.8

-14 1.359 21 18.65 56 123.8 91 546.1
-13 1.488 22 19.83 57 129.8 92 567.0
-12 1.629 23 21.06 58 136.1 93 588.6
-11 1.783 24 22.38 59 142.6 94 610.9

-10 1.948 25 23.76 60 149.4 95 633.9

-9 2.128 26 25.21 61 156.4 96 657.6
8 2.329 27 26.74 62 163.8 97 682.1
-7 2.535 28 28.35 63 171.4 98 707.3
-6 2.763 29 30.403 64 179.3 100 760.0
 Solved Problems
3. A mixture of dry air and water vapour vaporizes at a temperature of 21˚ C under total pressure
of 736 mm Hg. The dew point temperature is 15˚ C. Find
(i) partial pressure of water vapour,
(ii) partial pressure of dry air
(iii) relative humidity,
(iv) specific humidity,
(v) enthalpy of dry air, and
(vi) specific volume of dry air.

Solution
DBT = t = 21 0C P = 736 mm Hg = 736 133 Pa = 97888 Pa DPT = td = 15 0C
Now
Ps = Psat (t = 21 0C) = 18.65 mm Hg
Pv = Psat (td = 15 0C) = 12.79 mm Hg

(i) partial pressure of water vapour,

Pv = Psat (td = 15 0C) = 12.79 mm Hg

(ii) partial pressure of dry air

Pa = P − Pv = 736 − 12.79 = 726.21 mm Hg

(iii) relative humidity,

Pv 12.79
= 100 = 100 = 68.58%
Ps 18.65

(iv) specific humidity,

Pv P 12.79
 = 0.622 = 0.622 V = 0.622  = 0.011 kg of water vapour/kg of dry air
Pa P − Pv 726.21

(v) enthalpy of air per kg of dry air

h = 1.005t +  (2500 + 1.88t ) = 1.005  21 + 0.011(2500 + 1.88  21) = 21.105 + 27.934 = 49.039 kJ/kg

(vi) specific volume of dry air

RaTa 287  (t + 273) 287  (21 + 273) 287  294 84378

va = = = = = = 0.874 m3 /kg
Pa 726.21133 726.21133 726.21133 96585.93
5. Calculate:
(i) relative humidity, (ii) humidity ratio,
(iii) dew point temperature, (iv) density of water vapour and dry air, and
(v) enthalpy of atmospheric air, when dry bulb temperature is 35˚ C, wet bulb temperature is 23˚
C and barometer reads 750 mm Hg.

Solution
DBT = t = 35 0C WBT = t ' = 23 0C P = 750 mm Hg = 750 133 Pa = 99750 Pa

Now
Ps = Psat (t = 35 0C) = 42.18 mm Hg
Pv ' = Psat (t ' = 23 0C) = 21.06 mm Hg
Since WBT and DBT is given, the partial pressure of water vapour (Pv) can be determined using
either Modified Apjohn equation or Modified Ferrel equation or Carrier equation. Using the
Carrier equation
( P − Pv ' )(t − t ')(1.8) (750 − 21.06)(35 − 23)(1.8) 728.94 12 1.8
Pv = Pv ' − = 21.06 − = 21.06 −
2800 − 1.3(1.8t + 32) 2800 − 1.3(1.8  35 + 32) 2800 −123.5
728.94 12 1.8 15745.104
Pv = 21.06 − = 21.06 − = 15.18 mm Hg
2800 − 123.5 2676.5
Pv = 15.18 mm Hg
 Pa = P − Pv = 750 − 15.18 = 734.82 mm Hg

(i) relative humidity

Pv 15.18
RH = 100 = 100 = 35.99%
Ps 42.18

(ii) specific humidity

Pv 15.18
 = 0.622 = 0.622  = 0.0128 kg of water vapour/kg of dry air
Pa 734.82
(iii) dew point temperature
Since Pv = 15.18 mm Hg lies in between 14.53 mm Hg (tsat = 17 0C) and
15.48 mm Hg (tsat = 18 0C). Therefore, by interpolation
td = tsat ( Pv = 15.18 mm Hg) = 17.7 0C

(iv) density of water vapour and dry air

P 15.18 133 15.18 133 2018.94
Density of water vapour = v = v = = = = 0.0142 kg/m3
RvTv 461 (t + 273) 461 (35 + 273) 141988
P 734.82 133 734.82 133 97731.06
Density of dry air = a = a = = = = 1.106 kg/m3
RaTa 287  (t + 273) 287  (35 + 273) 88396

(v) enthalpy of atmospheric air

h = 1.005t +  (2500 + 1.88t ) = 1.005  35 + 0.0128(2500 + 1.88  35) = 35.175 + 32.842 = 68.017 kJ/kg