CHAPTER ONE
ATMOSPHERIC AIR & PARAMETERS
Composition of Atmospheric Air
Gas Proportion
% by Volume % by weight
Nitrogen 78.09 75.55
Oxygen 20.95 23.13
Carbon Dioxide 0.03 0.05
Argon & others 0.93 1.27
Composition of Atmospheric Air (Extensive)
Major
Trace
Composition of Atmospheric Air
Trace
Composition of Atmospheric Air
• Normal air is a mixture of dry air and water vapour
• Vair = Air with water vapour > 1% (psychrometric studies)
• Psychrometric studies = is the field of engineering concerned with the
physical and thermodynamic properties of gas-vapour mixtures.
AIR PARAMETERS
• Several air parameters may be used to characterise air :
Density or specific weight ( or w )
Specific Gravity (Sg or S)
Specific Volume (Vp or v)
Pressure (p)
Temperature (t)
Air PARAMETERS …..cont’d
• Parameters used in characterising air …… cont’d
Humidity
Enthalpy (I or h)
Entropy (s)
Viscosity
Mass Density (ρ )
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Density or Specific Weight ( or w)
• The specific weight of air is the weight (G) of a unit volume (V) of air.
• NB: G = mg
• [N/m3 ]
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
MASS DENSITY (ρ)
• The mass (m) per unit volume (V) of air
• * [kg/ m3]
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
SPECIFIC GRAVITY (Sg or S)
• The ratio of the density of a gas to that of air
• NB: Reference is made with dry air = 1.29 g L-1
• Sg of dry air = 1 why?
• Question
•CO2 has a density of 1.98 g L-1 . What is its Sg?
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Pressure (P)
• Force exerted per unit area, and it is measured in N/m2 or
Pa
• Pressure may be absolute or Gauge
(Atm or Barometric pressure) (Pressure Difference)
BAROMETER MANOMETER
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Pressure (P)
(Pressure Difference)
(Atm or Barometric pressure) MANOMETER
BAROMETER
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Pressure (P)
• Atm Pressure,
• Where Pa is the Partial Pressure of air
• Pv is the Partial pressure of water vapour
• Study of air Flow
• Total Pressure, Pt =Ps +Pv
• Where Ps is static P, Pv is velocity P
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Temperature (t)
• Temperature measurement can:
• Absolute or Relative
1. Celsius (C)
1. Kelvin (K) 2. Fahrenheit (F)
2. Rankine (R)
Absolute zero: 0 K or -273.15 oC or -459.67 oF
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Temperature (t)
Useful relationships
• Kelvin, K = t [oC ] + 273
• Rankine, R = t [oF] + 459
• + 32
Class Trials
• The average surface temperature on Mars is -63 . What is the
temperature in oF ?
• Oxygen has a boiling point of 90.19 K. What is the temperature in
o
F?
• Which temperature is hotter: 17 or 58 oF
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Temperature (t)
Dry Bulb Temperature (DBT)
• This is the temperature measured by a conventional thermometer. It
measures the sensible heat content of air.
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Temperature (t)
Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT) (tw)
• The temperature at which water - evaporating into air - can bring the air to
saturation, adiabatically, at that temperature.
• Measures the evaporating capacity of air
• Instrument: thermometer with a wetted wick
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Temperature (t)
Globe Temperature (tg)
• Temperature indicated on a globe thermometer.
• It is a measure of radiation temperature
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Temperature (t)
Dew Point Temperature
• The temperature at which condensation of water vapour occurs.
• It is a measure of saturation temperature.
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Humidity
• It is the amount of water vapour in the air
• Three types:
• Absolute humidity
• Relative Humidity
• Specific Humidity
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Humidity
Absolute Humidity
• The quantity of water vapour expressed in kg or g per m 3 of air
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Humidity
Relative Humidity ():
• The ratio of vapour pressures of air (Pv) at a given condition and at
saturation (Psat).
• or %
• w& W are the weights of water vapour and water vapoursat
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Humidity
Specific Humidity (x or w):
• It is the weight (in kg or g) of water vapour per unit weight of dry air.
• It can be shown that:
•X
•X
Atmospheric pressure (P), vapour pressures of air (Pv), at a given condition, &
at saturation (Ps).
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
Humidity
• Degree of Saturation (μ):
• It is the ratio between the specific humidity at a given condition and
the specific humidity at saturated conditions, at the same temperature
and pressure.
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
ENTHALPY & SPECIFIC ENTHALPY (H or h)
• It is the total heat content of air, measured in kJ/kg or Kcal/kg.
• it is the sum of the enthalpies of dry air plus that of water vapour.
•h
ha & hv = enthalpies of dry air & water vapour resp’ly; x =humidity ratio (mv/ma)
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
ENTROPY(S)
• It is the ratio of heat added to air to the absolute temperature
at which it is added, and it is measured in J/kg K] or kJ/kg
ºC].
PARAMETERS FOR AIR CHARACTERISATION
VISCOSITY(S)
Two (2) types of viscosities are known,:
• Absolute or Dynamic Viscosity (µ)
• the property of air to oppose any resistance to its flow due to friction
in the air, or the drag or shearing resistance of air to motion
• Kinematic Viscosity (ν).
• the ratio between the absolute viscosity and the mass density of air.
•V
