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Adiabatic mixing of two air streams

Short answer

From volumetric flows and specific volumes, dry air mass flows are 0.4604 kg/s and 1.4570 kg/s. Mass-weighted averages give humidity 0.0115 kg/kg, enthalpy 57.7 kJ/kg; solving for temperature yields 28.1 °C, with relative humidity about 48%.

1500 m³/h of fresh air at 38 °C and 40% relative humidity is mixed with 4500 m³/h of recirculated room air at 25 °C and 50% relative humidity. Calculate the dry bulb temperature, specific humidity, enthalpy and relative humidity of the mixture. Take p=101.325p = 101.325 kPa; saturation pressures are 6.624 kPa at 38 °C and 3.169 kPa at 25 °C.

State of each stream

Streamtt (°C)ϕ\phiω\omega (kg/kg)vv (m³/kg)hh (kJ/kg)
Fresh (f)380.400.016700.905081.15
Recirculated (r)250.500.009880.857950.30

(using ω=0.622 pv/(p−pv)\omega = 0.622\,p_v/(p-p_v), v=0.287 T(1+1.608ω)/pv = 0.287\,T(1 + 1.608\omega)/p and h=1.005t+ω(2501+1.88t)h = 1.005t + \omega(2501 + 1.88t).)

Mass flow of dry air

m˙f=15000.9050×3600=0.4604 kg/sm˙r=45000.8579×3600=1.4570 kg/sm˙m=1.9174 kg/s\begin{aligned} \dot m_f &= \frac{1500}{0.9050 \times 3600} = 0.4604\ \text{kg/s}\\ \dot m_r &= \frac{4500}{0.8579 \times 3600} = 1.4570\ \text{kg/s}\\ \dot m_m &= 1.9174\ \text{kg/s} \end{aligned}

Mixture (mass and energy balances)

ωm=m˙fωf+m˙rωrm˙m=0.01152 kg/kg\omega_m = \frac{\dot m_f\omega_f + \dot m_r\omega_r}{\dot m_m} = 0.01152\ \text{kg/kg} hm=m˙fhf+m˙rhrm˙m=57.71 kJ/kgh_m = \frac{\dot m_f h_f + \dot m_r h_r}{\dot m_m} = 57.71\ \text{kJ/kg}

Dry bulb temperature from hm=1.005 tm+ωm(2501+1.88 tm)h_m = 1.005\,t_m + \omega_m(2501 + 1.88\,t_m):

tm=57.71−0.01152×25011.005+1.88×0.01152=28.1 ∘Ct_m = \frac{57.71 - 0.01152 \times 2501}{1.005 + 1.88 \times 0.01152} = 28.1\ ^\circ\text{C}

(The mass-weighted average temperature, 28.1 °C, agrees closely.) The vapour pressure is pv,m=ωmp/(0.622+ωm)=1.842p_{v,m} = \omega_m p/(0.622 + \omega_m) = 1.842 kPa and the saturation pressure at tmt_m is about 3.80 kPa, so ϕm=0.48\phi_m = 0.48.

Answer: tm≈28.1t_m \approx 28.1 °C; ωm≈0.0115\omega_m \approx 0.0115 kg/kg; hm≈57.7h_m \approx 57.7 kJ/kg; RH about 48 %.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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