TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

AYALA BLVD., ERMITA, MANILA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

ME 5L
EXPERIMENT NO. 1
DETERMINING AIR PROPERTIES
USING SLING PSYCHROMETER

SUBMITTED BY:
DATANGEL, HENRY JOSHUA C.
BSME-4B

SUBMITTED TO:
ENGR. MANUEL L. EUROPEO
Instructor

DATE PERFORMED: July 12, 2018

DATE SUBMITTED: July 16, 2018
 I. Objectives
a) To differentiate the properties of air in different locations.
b) To develop a basic understanding on the compositions and properties of air using a
sling psychrometer at different places at given conditions.
c) To classify the difference between alcohol and mercury psychrometric sling.
d) To plot the different parameters in the psychometric chart in terms of the experimental
values gathered.

II. Intended Learning Outcome (ILO)

a) To be able to use and read the mercury and alcohol psychrometric sling.
b) To determine the variables and factors that affects the value of the temperature of the
wet bulb and dry bulb under different conditions.
c) To know the effect of different locations to the different parameters of air.
d) To gain knowledge and understanding about the importance of relative humidity in our
environment

III. Materials
 Alcohol Psychrometric Sling

 Mercury Psychrometric Sling

  Psychrometric chart

IV. Discussion
Psychrometer
- A psychrometer measures the relative humidity in the atmosphere through the use of two
thermometers.
- psychrometer (sīkrŏm´Ĭtər), one of many instruments used for measuring the water vapor
content or relative humidity of the atmosphere. It consists of two identical
thermometers—the wet-bulb thermometer, so called because its bulb is covered with a
jacket of tight-fitting muslin cloth that can be saturated with distilled water; and the dry-
bulb thermometer. When the cloth is soaked and the thermometers are properly
ventilated, the wet-bulb temperature will be lower than the dry-bulb temperature (actual
air temperature) because of cooling due to the evaporation of water from the cloth. The
drier the air is, the greater the evaporation and thus the more the wet-bulb temperature
is depressed. Psychrometric tables list various humidity variables, such as relative
humidity, according to dry-bulb temperature and wet-bulb depression at equilibrium.
Ventilation is provided by whirling the thermometers at the end of a chain (sling
psychrometer) or by a suction fan (aspiration psychrometer). Newer psychrometers use
special electronic sensors.
Types of Psychrometer

 SLING PSYCHROMETER
- A sling psychrometer consists of two thermometers mounted together with a handle
attached on a chain. One thermometer is ordinary. The other has a cloth wick over its
bulb and is called a wet-bulb thermometer.

- When a reading is to be taken, the wick is first dipped in water and then the instrument is
whirled around. During the whirling, the water evaporates from the wick, cooling the wet-
bulb thermometer. Then the temperatures of both thermometers are read.

 Assman Psyschrometer
- It consists of two thermometers exposed side by side in a steady airflow produced by
an attached aspirator. One of the thermometers serves as a dry bulb while the other,
with its bulb kept moist with wet sleeve acts as a wet bulb. As water evaporates, the
temperature of wet bulb is lowered to an equilibrium point. This depression of W.B.
temperature along with the ambient D.B. temperature is a measure of moistness or
humidity of the ambient air which can be readily obtained from a computed table or
slide rule specially made to express in units of relative humidity, dew point
temperature or vapour pressure

 Electrical hygrometers
- These hygrometers use resistance or capacitance to measure the amount of humidity in
the air. Electrical hygrometers can either be capacitive or resistive. Capacitive
hygrometers have two metals plates that have air between them; the moister the air is,
the more it affects the plates’ ability to store a static electric charge. The amount of
humidity is indicated by the metal plates’ ability to store the electric charge. Resistive
hygrometers, electricity passes through a piece of ceramic substance which is exposed to
the air. The higher the humidity, the more water vapour condenses inside the ceramic,
leading to a change in resistance.
 Psychrometers
- This type of hygrometer comprises two thermometers: one that has a dry bulb, and one
that has a wet bulb. When evaporation occurs in the wet bulb, the temperature drops to a
lower level than that of the dry bulb. This difference in temperature is caused by the
humidity in the air.Psychrometers are ideal for measuring outdoor humidity and areas
which need dry storage conditions.

 Dew point hygrometers

- Dew point hygrometers are used to measure the saturation of moist air in a gas. These
hygrometers are used in areas where the smallest amounts of moisture need to be found.
These devices are the most precise of all the hygrometers.

Psychrometric 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.
Definition of the parameters in Psychrometric Chart

 Dry-bulb temperature
- Dry-bulb temperature (DBT) is that of an air sample, as determined by an ordinary
thermometer. It is typically plotted as the abscissa (horizontal axis) of the graph. The
SI units for temperature are kelvins or degrees Celsius; other units are degrees
Fahrenheit and degrees Rankine.

 Wet-bulb temperature
- It is lso known as air temperature, the reading of an unwetted bulb in a thermometer.
Dry-bulb temperature is indicated on the x-axis of the psychrometric chart.
- Wet-bulb temperature (WBT) is that of an air sample after it has passed through a
constant-pressure, ideal, adiabatic saturation process, that is, after the air has passed
over a large surface of liquid water in an insulated channel. In practice this is the
reading of a thermometer whose sensing bulb is covered with a wet sock evaporating
into a rapid stream of the sample air (see Hygrometer). When the air sample is
saturated with water, the WBT will read the same as the DBT. The slope of the line of
constant WBT reflects the heat of vaporization of the water required to saturate the
air of a given relative humidity.

 Dew point temperature

- Dew point temperature (DPT) is the temperature at which a moist air sample at the
same pressure would reach water vapor "saturation." At this point further removal of
heat would result in water vapor condensing into liquid water fog or, if below freezing
point, solid hoarfrost. The dew point temperature is measured easily and provides
useful information, but is normally not considered an independent property of the air
sample as it duplicates information available via other humidity properties and the
saturation curve.
 Relative Humidity (Rh)
- Relative humidity (RH) is the ratio of the mole fraction of water vapor to the mole
fraction of saturated moist air at the same temperature and pressure. RH is
dimensionless, and is usually expressed as a percentage. Lines of constant RH reflect
the physics of air and water: they are determined via experimental measurement. The
concept that air "holds" moisture, or that moisture "dissolves" in dry air and saturates
the solution at some proportion, is erroneous (albeit widespread); see relative
humidity for further details.

 Humidity Ratio
- Humidity ratio is the proportion of mass of water vapor per unit mass of dry air at the
given conditions (DBT, WBT, DPT, RH, etc.). It is also known as the moisture content or
mixing ratio. It is typically plotted as the ordinate (vertical axis) of the graph. For a
given DBT there will be a particular humidity ratio for which the air sample is at 100%
relative humidity: the relationship reflects the physics of water and air and must be
determined by measurement. The dimensionless humidity ratio is typically expressed
as grams of water per kilogram of dry air, or grains of water per pound of air (7000
grains equal 1 pound).

 Specific Enthalpy
- Specific enthalpy, symbolized by h, is the sum of the internal (heat) energy of the
moist air in question, including the heat of the air and water vapor within. Also called
heat content per unit mass. In the approximation of ideal gases, lines of constant
enthalpy are parallel to lines of constant WBT. Enthalpy is given in (SI) joules per
kilogram of air, or BTU per pound of dry air.

 Specific Volume
- Specific volume is the volume of the mixture (dry air plus the water vapor) containing
one unit of mass of "dry air". The SI units are cubic meters per kilogram of dry air;
other units are cubic feet per pound of dry air. The inverse of specific volume is usually
confused as the density of the mixture (see "Applying the Psychrometric
 Relationships" CIBSE, August 2009). However, to obtain the actual mixture density one
must multiply the inverse of the specific volume by unity plus the humidity ratio value
at the point of interest (see ASHRAE Fundamentals 1989 6.6, equation 9).

Locating parameters in chart

 Dry bulb temperature: These lines are drawn straight, not always parallel to each other,
and slightly inclined from the vertical position. This is the t–axis, the abscissa (horizontal)
axis. Each line represents a constant temperature.

 Dew point temperature: From the state point follow the horizontal line of constant
humidity ratio to the intercept of 100% RH, also known as the saturation curve. The dew
point temperature is equal to the fully saturated dry bulb or wet bulb temperatures.

 Wet bulb temperature: These lines are oblique lines that differ slightly from the enthalpy
lines. They are identically straight but are not exactly parallel to each other. These intersect
the saturation curve at DBT point.

 Relative humidity: These hyperbolic lines are shown in intervals of 10%. The saturation
curve is at 100% RH, while dry air is at 0% RH

 Humidity ratio: These are the horizontal lines on the chart. Humidity ratio is usually
expressed as mass of moisture per mass of dry air (pounds or kilograms of moisture per
pound or kilogram of dry air, respectively). The range is from 0 for dry air up to 0.03
(lbmw/lbma) on the right hand ω-axis, the ordinate or vertical axis of the chart.

 Specific enthalpy: These are oblique lines drawn diagonally downward from left to right
across the chart that are parallel to each other. These are not parallel to wet bulb
temperature lines.
  Specific volume: These are a family of equally spaced straight lines that are nearly parallel.

 The region above the saturation curve is a two-phase region that represents a mixture of
saturated moist air and liquid water, in thermal equilibrium.

 The protractor on the upper left of the chart has two scales. The inner scale represents
sensible-total heat ratio (SHF). The outer scale gives the ratio of enthalpy difference to
humidity difference. This is used to establish the slope of a condition line between two
processes. The horizontal component of the condition line is the change in sensible heat
while the vertical component is the change in latent heat.

V. Procedure
1. Prepare the materials and the laboratory equipments needed for the experiment.
2. Make a checklist for the 10 location where the experiment will be perform
3. Make sure that the piece of cloth in tight with the wet- bulb thermometer
4. Before starting to spin, record the description of the location and set a 2 minutes time for
each spins
5. Immediately, measure the temperature at the wet- bulb and the dry- bulb separately at
each location
6. Repeat the steps from 3 to 5, until you’re able to gather data from ten different locations.
7. Plot the data and locate all the parameters in the chart and compare it to the values
coming from the cell phone application
VI. Results

Location Time Conditions

1. Behind COE 12:35 PM - direct sunlight

-6 people
- windy

2. COE 12:39 PM - direct sunlight

- windy (but not almost)
-slightly elevated

3. IRTC Shed 12:43 PM - shaded

- its not windy
- 6 people

4. CIT Building 12:47 PM - windy and 6 people

- shaded (under the tree)

5. CLA Lobby 12:53 PM - 6 people

- two lights

6. COS Second floor 12:58 PM - closed

- no light
- 4 people

7. CIE second floor 1:04 PM - 4 people

- ventilated

8. CAFA Bridge (3rd floor 1:08 PM - shaded

- 5 people
- windy

9. COE 13 1:16 PM - crowded

- electric fan(2)
- 3 lights

10. COE 13 1:20 PM - air-conditioned

- 4 people
 USING ALCOHOL PSYCHROMETRIC SLING

LOCATION EX. VALUES tdp (°C) v (m3/kg SH (kg/kg RH (%) h (kJ/kg

of per of d.a.) of d.a.)
d.a.)
Tdb twb Chart App Chart App Chart App Chart App Chart App

(°C) (°C)
34 28
1

33.5 28
2

36 28
3

33.5 26
4

32.4 26
5

30.3 26.5
6

33 26.2
7

33.6 27
8

32 27
9

28 23
10
 USING MERCURY PSYCHROMETRIC SLING

LOCATION EX. VALUES tdp (°C) v (m3/kg SH (kg/kg RH (%) h (kJ/kg

of per of d.a.) of d.a.)
d.a.)
Tdb twb Chart App Chart App Chart App Chart App Chart App

(°C) (°C)
32 27.5
1

35 27
2

33.5 27.5
3

31 26.5
4

30.5 26.3
5

32.1 26
6

31 26.5
7

31.5 26
8

30 26.5
9

26 23.3
10
 Average tdp (°C) v (m3/kg of SH (kg/kg of RH (%) h (kJ/kg of
per d.a.) d.a.) d.a.)
Locati tdb twb Cha App Char App Chart App Cha App Cha App
on (°C) (°C) rt t rt rt
1 33 27.7 26.06 0.896 0.021 67.05 88.07
5 3 4
2 34.2 27.5 25.27 0.898 0.020 59.66 86.78
5 5 4
3 34.7 27.7 25.47 0.900 0.020 58.7 87.93
5 5 3 7
4 32.2 26.2 24.14 0.890 0.019 62.38 81.18
5 5 8 1
5 31.4 26.1 24.29 0.888 0.019 65.86 80.80
5 5 7 2
6 31.2 26.2 24.53 0.888 0.019 67.76 81.26
5 4 5
7 31.9 26.3 24.40 0.890 0.019 64.44 81.65
5 5 3 4
8 32.5 26.5 24.40 0.892 0.019 62.30 82.28
5 1 4
9 31 26.7 25.32 0.889 0.020 71.85 83.55
5 1 5
10 27 23.1 21.58 0.871 0.016 72.26 68.55
5 6 2
VII. Observations
In performing the experiment, I notice that temperature varies in different types of locations.
Also, I observe that the temperature reading in the alcohol psychrometric sling is somehow
different at the mercury psychrometric sling.

VIII. Analysis
In analysing the experiment, it is true that the temperature varies at different location due to
some factors affecting it. Humidity tells you the moisture content of the atmosphere, or how
much water vapor there is in the air. When the humidity is high it feels oppressive outside
because sweat doesn't evaporate and provide cooling. When the humidity is low you feel
cooler, but your skin dries out and you get dehydrated more easily because more moisture is
being evaporated from your body. The same thing applies to crops in high and low humidity.

IX. Conclusions
Based on our analysis and the results of the experiment, temperature varies at different
locations and the factors affecting it are:
- Elevation of the area
- Number of people surrounding the area
- Weather condition
- Ventilation and air conditioning
- Air pressure

Also, with different temperatures, properties of air vary.

X. Recommendation
For more accurate experiment, make sure to wet the piece of cloth properly to assure that
the bulb is wet. Also, more high tech psychrometers give more precise results.
XI. References

 https://kestrelmeters.com/blogs/news/6638286-what-is-a-psychrometer

 https://www.brighthubengineering.com/hvac/41262-what-is-psychrometric-chart-components-of-
psychrometric-chart/

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_volume

 Engineering ToolBox (2004). Humidity Ratio of Air. Retrieved from

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/humidity-ratio-air-d_686.html

 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-causes-humidity/

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychrometrics