Introduction to Psychometry

SEJUTI ZAMAN
Lecturer, IEE, DUET 1
 What is Psychometry?

 Psychrometry is a specialized area of thermodynamics but obviously has application in air conditioning.
 Psychrometry is the science of studying thermodynamic properties of moist air and the use of these to
analyze conditions and processes involving moist air.
 Air conditioning processes can be determined by using Psychrometric Charts.
 Psychrometry is the study of atmospheric air and its associated water vapor.
 It also includes the study of behavior of dry air and water vapor mixture under various sets of conditions.
 Though the earth’s atmosphere is a mixture of gases including nitrogen (N 2), oxygen (02), argon (Ar) and
carbon dioxide (C02), yet for the purpose of psychrometry, it is considered to be a mixture of dry air and
water vapor only.

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Important Terms of
Psychometry

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Dry Air

The pure dry air is a mixture of a number of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, hydrogen, argon, neon, helium etc. But the nitrogen(78%) and oxygen(21%)
have the major portion of the combination.

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Moist Air

It is a mixture of dry air and water vapor. The amount of water vapor, present in the
air, depends upon the absolute pressure and temperature of the mixture.

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Saturated Air

It is a mixture of dry air and water vapour, when the air has diffused the maximum
amount of water vapour into it. The water vapours, usually, occur in the form of
superheated steam as an invisible gas. However, when the saturated air is cooled, the
water vapour in the air starts condensing, and the same may be visible in the form of
moist, fog or condensation on cold surfaces.

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Saturated Vapor Pressure

 When temperature increases there is an increase molecular activity so more water

escape from liquid to gas as water vapour.
 At this increased temperature the air will become fully saturated with water
vapour and without increase of temperature no more water can evaporate. The
pressure produced by this water vapour in this fully saturated condition is known
as Saturated vapour pressure.

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Degree of Saturation

The degree of saturation is the ratio of an actual mass of water vapor in a unit mass
of dry air to a mass of water vapor in the same mass of dry air when it is saturated at
the same temperature.

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Humidity

It is the mass of water vapour present in 1 kg of dry air, and is generally expressed in
terms of gram per kg of dry air (g / kg of dry air). It is also called specific humidity
or humidity ratio.

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Specific volume of humid air

 The specific volume is the volume of unit mass of dry air at a given temperature
 Normally expressed as m3 /kg

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Absolute Humidity

It is the mass of water vapour present in 1 m3 of dry air, and is generally expressed
in terms of gram per cubic-meter of dry air (g/m3 of dry air).

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Relative Humidity

It is the ratio of actual mass of water vapour in a given volume of moist air to the
mass of water vapour in the same volume of saturated air at the same temperature
and pressure. It is briefly written as RH.

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Dry Bulb Temperature

 The temperature of moist air as measured by ordinary thermometer when

placed in air is called dry bulb temperature.
 The dry bulb temperature (briefly written as DBT) is generally denoted by t d or

tdb.

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 Wet Bulb Temperature

 It is the temperature recorded by a thermometer whose bulb is covered with a wick or cloth
saturated with water and is exposed to a current of moving air.
 The wet bulb temperature (briefly written as WBT) is generally denoted by t w or twb.
 When air is passed over the wet wick, moisture contained in the wick evaporates and cooling
effect is produced at the bulb. Hence WBT is always less than DBT for unsaturated air and is
equal to DBT for saturated air.
 WBT value is affected by moisture content of air.

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 Wet Bulb Depression

 It is the difference between dry bulb temperature and wet bulb temperature at any
point.
 The wet bulb depression indicates relative humidity of the air

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 Dew Point Temperature

 It is the temperature of air recorded by a thermometer, when the moisture (water

vapour) present in it begins to condense.
 It is, usually, denoted by tdp.

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Dew Point Depression

 It is the difference between the dry bulb temperature and dew point temperature of air.

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Latent Heat

Sensible Heat

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 Latent Heat

 Latent heat is defined as the heat or energy that is absorbed or released during a phase
change of a substance. It could either be from a gas to a liquid or liquid to a solid and
vice versa.
 Latent Heat of Fusion
 Latent Heat of Vaporization

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 Sensible Heat

When an object is heated, its temperature rises as heat is added. The increase in heat is
called sensible heat. Similarly, when heat is removed from an object and its temperature
falls, the heat removed is also called sensible heat. Heat that causes a change in
temperature in an object is called sensible heat.

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Figure: Latent Heat and Sensible Heat
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 Enthalpy

Enthalpy, the sum of the internal energy and the product of the pressure and volume of a
thermodynamic system. Enthalpy is an energy-like property or state function—it has the
dimensions of energy (and is thus measured in units of joules or ergs), and its value is
determined entirely by the temperature, pressure, and composition of the system and not
by its history. In symbols, the enthalpy, H, equals the sum of the internal energy, E, and
the product of the pressure, P, and volume, V, of the system: H = E + PV

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Psychometric Chart

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 What is Psychometric Chart?

Psychrometric charts are graphic representations of the psychrometric properties of air. By using
psychrometric charts HVAC engineers can graphically analyze different types of psychrometric processes and
find solution to many practical problems without having to carry out long and tedious mathematical
calculations.

The psychrometric chart looks complicated with vast numbers of lines and curves in it, but is very easy to
understand if you know the basic properties of air. You will also understand its worth when you actually use it
considering the fact that you won’t have to use any formulae to find the properties of air in different
conditions, all you will have to know is two parameters of air and the rest are easily found on the chart.
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Figure: Psychometric chart
Various Curves and
Lines in Psychometric
Chart

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Enthalpy

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Comfort Zone

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Design Strategies and
the Psychrometric Chart

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After understanding how your climate reads on a psychrometric chart,
you can use it to understand what sustainable design strategies can be
best used to improve occupant comfort.

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When data points fall to the right of the comfort zone,
you will want to reduce the air temperature. An example
strategy to achieve this would be to increase air flow
with natural ventilation.

When data points fall to the left of the comfort zone,

you will want to increase the air temperature. A common
strategy to do this passively is to incorporate solar heat
gains with high thermal mass materials.

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When relative humidity is too low it can be increased
with evaporative cooling. And when it is too high it
can be decreased with the use of desiccants.

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THANK YOU

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