HUMIDIFICATION: AN APPROACH TO THE PROCESS

A. CASTILLO
Department of Chemical Engineering, Antioquia University, Medellin,
Colombia
April 6th, 2014

ABSTRACT
There is a wide variety of unit operations used in a chemical process and that
are studied separately, since the physical and chemical principles that govern
each are similar, facilitating their understanding to allow better use of them on
a given process. In this paper some aspects of the humidifying operation,
process description, advantages and disadvantages of it and some important
applications of this unit operation will be discussed.
Keywords: unit operations, chemical process, humidification.

1. Introduction
2.
The
humidification
and
dehumidification
operations
involving mass transfer between a
pure liquid phase and a permanent
gas is almost insoluble in the
liquid.
These
operations
are
somewhat
simpler
than
the
absorption and desorption, since
the liquid contains only one
component and no concentration
gradients or resistance to mass
transfer in the liquid phase. [1].
3. Process Description
4.
Humidification is an operation
that is to increase the amount of
steam present in a gas stream;

may increase vapor by passing the

gas through a liquid which
evaporates into the gas. This
transfer into the gas stream takes
place by diffusion at the interface
and there is simultaneously heat
transfer and mass.
5.
The processes taking place in
the humidifying operation are:
6.
1. A stream of hot water is
contacted with dry air (or low
moisture content).
7.
2.
Part
of
the
water
evaporates and cools the interface.

8.
3. The body of liquid then
transfers heat to the interface, and
thus cools.
9.
4. In turn, the evaporated
water is transferred to the air
interface, so that humidified [2]

concrete towers natural draft,

used primarily in conjunction
with power plants, packaging
occupies only the section of the
base; the rest of the tower acts
as a chimney to create air flow.
[1]

10.

16. b. Adiabatic saturator

11.

17.It is a device with two inlets and

one outlet, with a negligible
heat
transfer
with
the
surroundings. In this device
enters an air mixture with a
temperature T and a pressure
P (both are known), but with
unknown specific humidity
and water at a temperature Tas
which is adding on the same
amount as it evaporates so that
the
amount
of
water
is
constant.
18.
19.When the air mixture passes
through the device, has contact
with the surface of water so
that this mixture, if not
saturated, increase its water
vapor content. The energy
needed to evaporate water in
the saturator comes from the
air mixture, resulting in a drop
in temperature of the air
mixture
entering.
With
a
sufficiently
long
length
saturator, the mixture will leave
the device in its saturation
point
at
a
saturation
temperature
Tas,
known
pressure P and a specific
humidity '. [1]
20.
21. c. Psychrometric chart

12. Applications
13.There is a wide number of
applications for this process. It
will remember three important
uses of it:
14. a. Cooling tower:
15.When a hot liquid is contacted
with an unsaturated gas, part of
the liquid evaporates and the
temperature thereof drops. The
most important application of
this principle is found in the use
of cooling towers to reduce the
temperature of recycled water
used by condensers and heat
exchangers in chemical plants,
power
plants
and
air
conditioning
units.
Cooling
towers are a large diameter
columns with types of special
packaging designed to provide
good liquid-gas contact with a
low pressure drop. The hot
water is distributed to the
packing by means of spray
nozzles or a grid notched pipes
or troughs. The air passes
through the packing by fans or
induced draft forced, or in
certain designs is driven by
natural convection. In the huge

22.A psychrometric chart presents

physical and thermal properties
of moist air in a graphical form.
It can be very helpful in
troubleshooting greenhouse or
livestock
building
environmental problems and in
determining
solutions.
An
important use for this chart is
the analysis of cooling and
dehumidification of air for
human
comfort
(commonly
called air conditioning). This is
not entirely correct, for the
term Air Conditioning refers to
any and all phases of cooling,
heating, ventilating, filtering,
distribution, etc. of air to meet
the
requirements
of
the
conditioned space. The cooling
and dehumidification of air is
the phase of air conditioning
which
concerns
the
refrigeration service engineer,
for it normally requires the use
of
mechanical
refrigeration
equipment. In order to produce
the
required
cooling
and
dehumidification
for
the
conditioned
space,
the
refrigeration equipment must
be working properly and have
the correct capacity for the
application. [4]

23. Advantages
Disadvantages

30.

34.

31.

35.

32.

36.

33.

37.

and

24.The main advantage of a

humidification process is the
cost. If it is compared to
another process, is cheaper,
because no require a great
amount of energy (low energy
consumption). Other advantage
is the cost of maintenance,
because is a process that is
non-reactive. For this reason,
the corrosion (an important
problem in process devices) is
less compared to a reactive
process.
25. Reference
26.[1]
Mc.Cabe.
Operaciones
Unitarias en Ingeniera Qumica.
Sptima Edicin, pp 647-664
27.[2]
http://ocw.unican.es/ensenanza
s-tecnicas/operaciones-y
procesos/materiales/BLOQUE2OyP.pdf
28.[3] M. Moran, H. Shapiro,
Fundamentals of engineering
thermodynamics.
Segunda
edicin, pp. 573-574
29.[4]http://www.rses.org/assets/se
rviceapplicationmanual/63016.pdf

38.

47.

39.

48.

40.

49.

41.

50.

42.

51.

43.

52.

44.

53.

45.

54.

46.
55.
56.
57.
58.