Humidity, Ventilation And Air Conditioning

Systems (HVAC)
Course: 305 Pharmaceutical Engineering

Most. Afia Akhtar

Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy
Faculty of Science
Rajshahi University, Bangladesh
E-mail: [email protected]
 7. Humidity, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems
(HVAC)
➢ Basic concepts and ➢ Theory and calculation of
functions of HVAC
system humidification process
➢ HVAC requirements ➢ Humidity control
➢ Factors consideration ➢ Application of humidity
for efficacy of HVAC
system design ➢ Equipment for humidification
➢ Design of HVAC and dehumidification
system in operations
pharmaceutical facility
➢ Measurement of ➢ Type of refrigeration cycles
humidity ➢ Air conditioning and its
➢ Psychometric chart application in pharmacy
 HVAC

Heating
Ventilation and
Air Conditioning
 HAVC System
An HVAC system is Heating, Ventilation and Air
Conditioning system. This system is used in
conditioning air in a big area where a usual air
conditioner cannot be used. It contains a boiler, a
chiller, cooling tower and air handling unit.
This system is used to control the temperature of a
designated space with the control of moisture in
the air, supply the area with fresh air by controlling
the carbon dioxide and oxygen level. It also controls
the contamination of airborne particles by
regulating the movement of air.
 HVAC system

The goal of HVAC system is to provide thermal

comfort and acceptable indoor air quality by
1. Maintaining internal air quality.

2. Regulating internal temperature. and

3. Regulating internal humidity.

 HAVC System
The HVAC system can effectively control the air
conditions of a given parameter through heating
by adding the thermal energy in an area to
increase the temperature; the cooling is done
through decreasing the thermal energy in an
area to decrease the temperature; humidifying
is done by adding steaming and water vapor in
an area to increase the relative humidity while
dehumidifying is done through getting rid of the
humidity or water vapor in an area.
The basic components or equipment of an HVAC system
that delivers conditioned air to satisfy thermal comfort of
space and occupants and to achieve the indoor air quality
are listed below_

• Mixed-air plenum and • Self-contained heating or

outdoor air control cooling unit
• Air filter • Cooling tower
• Supply fan
• Exhaust or relief fans and • Boiler or furnace
an air outlet • Control
• Outdoor air intake • Water chiller
• Ducts/ ductwork • Humidification and
• Terminal devices dehumidification
• Return air system equipment
• Heating and cooling coils
Some of the basic components of an HVAC
system are discussed below
Furnace: This is the largest and the main component of the
commercial HVAC system. It heats the air that is supplied to
the system. Heating can be obtained by heat pump, solar
energy or by burning the natural gasses. Inside the furnace
there is a heat exchanger which helps to switch on when the
furnace is activated. It pulls the cold air and heats and
circulate the air out through the vents.

Thermostat: The thermostat can either be set manually or

programmed in advance to the desired temperature. It is an
easily visible and accessible part of the system. The
thermostat can trigger the heat exchanger or evaporator coil
condensing unit to circulate a space with cold and warmed
air.
Evaporator coil: This helps to cool the heated
air. It is connected to the condensing unit which
is filled with refrigerant gas. The unit is usually
installed outside the room. It pumps the
condensed liquid to the evaporator coil which is
evaporated to gas again.
Refrigerant line: This unit carries the refrigerant
substance to the condensing unit for
vaporization and returns it to the evaporator in
liquid form. They are narrow tubes usually
resistant to heating and cooling.
Ductwork: This unit transports the cooled or
heated air across the room. The ducts are made
of lightweight aluminum. The ductwork is
connected with the vent that transfer cooled or
heated air to individual rooms. They are usually
located near the ceiling and are fronted with
angled slats. They can be manually controlled to
regulate the heating and cooling of space that
they are directed.
Design of HAVC System in Pharmaceutical facility
 Classification of HAVC system
The major classification of HVAC systems is
central system and decentralized or local
system. Types of a system depend on addressing
the primary equipment location to be
centralized as conditioning entire building as a
whole unit or decentralized as separately
conditioning a specific zone as part of a building.
Therefore, the air and water distribution system
should be designed based on system
classification and the location of primary
equipment.
 Central HVAC System
A central HVAC system may serve one or more thermal
zones, and its major equipment is located outside of
the served zone(s) in a suitable central location
whether inside, on top, or adjacent to the building.
Central systems must condition zones with their
equivalent thermal load. Central HVAC systems will
have several control points such as thermostats for
each zone.
Central HVAC system has combined devices in an air
handling unit, which contains supply and return air
fans, humidifier, reheat coil, cooling coil, preheat coil,
mixing box, filter and outdoor air.
Figure: Equipment arrangement for central HVAC system.
 Local HVAC System
Some buildings may have a single zone which needs
equipment located inside the zone itself, such as
small houses and residential apartments. This type of
system is considered as local HVAC systems since
each equipment serving its zone without crossing
boundaries to other adjacent zones (e.g., using an air
conditioner to cool down a bedroom, or using an
electrical heater for the living room). Therefore, a
single zone requires only one-point control point
connected to a thermostat to activate the local HVAC
system. There are many types of local HVAC systems
as shown in Figure .
 HVAC system requirements
Four requirements are the bases for any HVAC systems. They need
primary equipment, space requirement, air distribution and piping as
shown in the following figure
 Functions or Importance of HVAC system

HVAC system maintains the proper environment in

a cost-effective manner. A proper environment is
described with four variables: temperature,
humidity, pressure and ventilation.

Temperature- The comfort zone for temperature is

between 68°F (20°C) and 75°F (25°C). Temperatures
less than 68°F (20°C) may cause some people to
feel too cool. Temperatures greater than 78°F
(25°C) may cause some people to feel too warm.
These values vary between people, regions and
countries.
Humidity - The comfort zone for humidity is
between 20% relative humidity (RH) and 60% RH.
Humidity less than 20% RH causes the room to be
too dry, which has an adverse effect on health,
computers, printers, and many other things
including pharmaceuticals. Humidity greater than
60% RH causes the room to be damp and
increases the likelihood of mildew problems.
Pressure- The rooms and buildings typically have
a slightly positive pressure to reduce outside air
infiltration. This helps in keeping the building
clean.
Ventilation- Rooms typically have several
complete air changes per hour. Indoor Air
Quality (IAQ) is an important issue. The
distribution pattern of the air entering room
must keep people comfortable without feeling
any dirt.
Factors Affecting HVAC Designing and Heat Load
Calculations
Heat is generated inside the room from various
sources. Some of these include heat gained by the
walls, heat entering from the windows, heat
generated by the people, electrical equipment etc.
The heat is generated in the air-conditioned space
from various sources. To maintain the comfort
conditions inside the room the total heat generated
inside the room per hour should be removed
completely.
Heat sources that affect HVAC designing and heat
load calculations are-
1. Heat gained by the walls: The walls of the room
gain heat from the sun by way of conduction. The
amount of heat depends on the wall material and
its alignment with respect to sun. If the wall of the
room is exposed to the west direction, it will gain
maximum heat while the heat gained by the wall
facing north direction is the least. The heat gained
by the walls in day-time gets stored in them, and it
is released into the rooms at the night time thus
causing excessive heating of the room. If the walls
of the room are insulated the amount of heat
gained by them reduces drastically.
2. Heat gained by the roof and partitions: If the roof is
exposed directly to the sun, it absorbs maximum heat. If
there is other room above the air-conditioned room, then
the amount of heat gained by the roof reduces. The heat
gained by the partitions of the room depends upon the
type of partition.
3. Heat gained by the windows: Windows of the room are
exposed directly to the surrounding and the heat from the
sun enters the room by radiation. As in the case of the
walls, the heat gained by the rooms through windows
depends on their alignment. If there are sufficient curtains
on the windows and the external awning (sunshed), the
amount of heat gained by radiation reduces. The type of
glass doors on the windows also affects the amount of
heat gained through the windows by radiation.
4. Heat generated by the people: The people inside
the room generate lots of heat. The heat dissipated
by working people is more than from sitting people.
5. Heat generated by the electrical appliances: Heat
is generated by electrical appliances like lights,
motors, coffeemakers, electronic equipment, etc. and
should also be considered for heat load calculations,
which is also called cooling load calculations.
6. Heat gain from outside air: Outside air is normally
at a greater temperature than the room temperature.
When this air comes inside the room, it brings certain
amount of heat along with it.
A good HVAC designer will thoroughly consider all
the sources of heat inside the room and find out the
total amount of heat generated inside the room per
hour. Based on these heat load calculations, they
can suggest the air-conditioning system of proper
capacity for the room in a pharmaceutical facility.
Humidity & Psychrometry

Theory and calculation of

humidification process
 Humidity
The amount of water vapor present in the air varies
widely from place to place and time to time. Humidity
refers to the amount of water vapor present in the air.
Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. Air at
room temperature (20 °C) can hold about three times as
much water vapor as air at 0 °C.
• Absolute Humidity – Absolute humidity is the total
mass of water vapor present in a given volume of air. It
is expressed as grams of water vapor per kilogram of
air (g/kg). Absolute humidity is a measure of the
quantity of water in the atmosphere that can be
extracted as precipitation.
In atmosphere absolute humidity ranges from near zero
to roughly 30 grams per cubic meter when the air is
saturated at 30 °C (86 °F)
 Cont…
• Relative Humidity (RH) - This measure compares
the amount of water vapor present in air to the
maximum amount that the air can hold at a specific
temperature. It is expressed as a percentage (%).
(𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡)
RH = (𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟)
X 100

A change in relative humidity of the atmosphere can

happen in one of two ways, through direct gain or loss
of water vapor or through a change of temperature.
Relative humidity is measured with a sling
psychrometer.
Cont…
Dry Bulb Temperature (DBT): It is the temperature
of the air measured using an ordinary thermometer.
This temperature is not affected by the water vapor
present in the air.
Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT): It is the temperature
measured by ordinary thermometer when its bulb
is covered with wet cloth and exposed to air. It is
always less than DBT.
Dew Point Temperature (DPT): The temperature at
which the water vapor in the air begins to condense
when the temperature of the air is continuously
reduced.
 Psychrometry
Psychrometry is the study of the properties of mixtures
of air and water vapor. Whereas, any instrument
capable of measuring the psychrometric state of air is
called a psychrometer.
Atmospheric air is a mixture of many gases plus water
vapor and a number of pollutants. The amount of
water vapor and pollutants vary from place to place.
The concentration of water vapor and pollutants
decrease with altitude, and above an altitude of about
10 km, atmospheric air consists of only dry air.
The pollutants have to be filtered out before processing
the air. Hence, a mixture of various gases that
constitute air and water vapor is essentially processed.
This mixture is known as moist air.
Figure: Atmospheric air
 Psychometric Chart
A Psychrometric chart graphically represents the
thermodynamic properties of moist air. Standard
psychrometric charts are bounded by the dry-bulb
temperature line (abscissa/horizontal line) and the
vapor pressure or humidity ratio (ordinate/vertical
line). The left hand side of the psychrometric chart
is bounded by the saturation line. The next figure
shows the schematic of a psychrometric chart.
Psychrometric charts are readily available for
standard barometric pressure of 101.325 kPa
(kilopascal) at sea level and for normal
temperatures (0-50 °C).
Psychometric Chart
Dry bulb temperature lines on a psychrometric chart
Wet bulb temperature lines on a psychrometric chart
Relative humidity lines on a psychrometric chart
 Cont…
Saturation humidity is the absolute humidity at which
the partial pressure of water vapor in the air is equal
to the vapor pressure of free water at the same
temperature. Under these conditions, the air is
completely saturated with moisture and does not
change when contact with liquid at the same
temperature. At point C, the air is saturated with water
vapor, and its temperature, 60 °F (or 15.5 °C) referred
to as dew point.
If the temperature is increased to 81 °F (point A), the
air is not completely saturated (RH 50%) and can
accept more water vapor.
 Measurement of Humidity
Humidity can be measured using different
techniques like
1. psychrometric chart
2. gravimetric method and
3. by using hygrometer
Measurement of humidity from psychrometric chart

The humidity of the air is determined by

measuring two temperatures, wet-bulb and dry-
bulb temperatures. The psychrometric chart is
entered at the wet-bulb temperature, and the
coordinate is followed vertically upward until it
intersects the saturation or 100% relative humidity
curve. Then the constant wet-bulb temperature
line is followed until it intersects the dry-bulb
temperature coordinate. Now the absolute
humidity can be read directly, and the relative
humidity can be found by interpolation between
the curves for constant relative humidity.
Cont…
For example, let us assume a wet-bulb
temperature of 54 °F and a dry-bulb
temperature of 60 °C and 54 °F.
The 54 °F line is followed until it intersects the
saturation humidity (100%) curve at an absolute
humidity of 62 grains water/pound dry air. Then,
the 54 °F wet-bulb temperature line is followed
until it intersects the 60 °F dry-bulb temperature
line at an absolute humidity of 53 grains
water/pound dry air. The relative humidity is
found to be 70%.
 Sample Calculation from Psycrometric Chart

1. Calculate RH when DBT is 77 °F and WBT is 63 °F.

2. Calculate DBT when RH is 40% and WBT is 67 °F.
3. Calculate RH when DBT is 67 °F and WBT is 54 °F.
4. Calculate RH when DBT is 54 °F and WBT is 54 °F.
5. Calculate RH when DBT is 60 °F and WBT is 63 °F.
 Measurement of humidity by Gravimetric
method

The most accurate means of measuring

humidity is the gravimetric method. In this
procedure, a known amount of air is passed
over a previously weighed moisture-absorbing
chemical such as phosphorous pentoxide, and
the resultant increase in weight of the chemical
is measured.
Humidity measurement by hygrometer
This instrument utilizes certain materials whose
properties change on contact with air of
different relative humidity. The mechanical
hygrometer uses such materials as hair, wood
fiber or plastics, which expand or shrink with
changes in humidity. The moisture-sensitive
element is connected to a pointer in such a
fashion that a change in length causes the
pointer to move across a dial calibrated in
humidity units. Electric hygrometers measure
the change in electrical resistance of moisture
absorbing materials with humidity.
 Cont…
Hair tension
hygrometers
These devices use a
human or animal hair
under tension. The hair
is hygroscopic; its length
changes with humidity,
and the length change
may be magnified by a
mechanism and
indicated on a dial or
scale
 Humidifier and Dehumidifier

Relative humidity of 30 to 50% is recommended

for good health. This is challenging in extreme
conditions such as dry heat or too much
moisture. A humidifier is used to increase the
level of humidity in the air and
a dehumidifier reduces the humidity level of the
air. A hygrometer can be used to measure the
humidity of a particular area to decide whether
a humidifier or dehumidifier is required.
 Types of Dehumidifiers
Eco-friendly air dehumidifier designed for
dehumidifying small to medium-sized spaces are-

Mechanical/Refrigerative dehumidifier: This most

common type of dehumidifier works by using a
small fan to pull moist air over a refrigerated coil.
These dehumidifiers work best when air
temperature is above 65 °F (about 19 °C) and
relative humidity is above 45%.
Cont…
Absorption/Desiccant dehumidifier: Desiccants
are materials that absorb moisture easily from
the air. In this type of dehumidifier, the
desiccant is rotated through the area, usually on
a belt, with one end of the system heated to
draw the moisture out of the material. These
dehumidifiers work well in areas with high
humidity and low temperatures. This type can
reduce humidity levels well under 35%, making
them useful for industrial processes.
Cont…
Electronic dehumidifier: This type of
dehumidifier uses a *Peltier heat pump (cooler)
to create a cool surface where condensation can
extract water vapor from the air. Although this
type is quiet (it lacks moving parts), it also has a
low efficiency rating. The electronic type is best
for small appliances and restricted areas (under
300 cubic feet).
*[Peltier: the production or absorption of heat
at the junction of two metals on the passage of
a current.]
Cont…
Ionic membrane dehumidifier : At a molecular
level, water molecules can be removed from the
environment, whether liquid or gas. Specialized
ionic membranes can help "pump" water
molecules out of (dehumidifying) or into
(humidifying) a sealed environment, although
no water might be visibly produced. This type of
dehumidifier is used for chemical engineering,
fuel cells and water filtering.
 Types of Humidifiers
Warm Mist Humidifiers
• Steam humidifier: This common type simply boils water,
releasing steam into the room. Substances such as
medical inhalants can be added to the water, along with
aromatic or antibacterial compounds.
Cool Mist Humidifiers
• Wick/Evaporative humidifier: This type uses a wick,
usually a type of cloth, that absorbs water from a
storage container. A fan then blows over the surface
area of the wick, evaporating the water. If the water is
cold, it can also serve to lower ambient (surrounding)
temperature more quickly, essentially a makeshift
(temporary) air conditioner.

[Wick meaning -absorb or draw off (liquid) by capillary action.]

 Cont…
• Impeller humidifier: Large area misters (foggers)
are most often of this type, creating a fine foggy
mist by using a rotating disc to throw water onto a
diffuser. The diffusing element smashes the water
into tiny droplets and sprays them into the air.
• Ultrasound humidifier: These humidifiers use a
diaphragm, membranous or solid, vibrating at
ultrasonic range, to break down water into tiny
droplets. A fan then blows the mist out as a fog.
The ultrasonic vibrations are outside the range of
human hearing, so this type of humidifier is
essentially quiet.
 Application of Humidity

Humidity, that is the amount of water

vapor in the air plays a vital role in making
life stable on planet earth. Humidity plays
important function in food processing,
pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical
and health monitoring, human comfort,
agriculture, aerospace, fuel, building
construction etc.
Cont…
Food processing
and preservation

Pharmaceutical Medical and

manufacturing health monitoring

Building and
construction Humidity Human comfort

Agriculture Aerospace

Fuel
Cont…
Food processing and preservation: The relative humidity
of the ambient air, influences various physical, chemical
and biological properties of a broad variety of food
products. Moisture in inappropriate amounts is very
damaging to the useful life of food. Because of this, much
effort is put into reducing the water content of dry foods
in order to prolong their shelf lives.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing: Humidity can affect the
quality and safety of pharmaceutical products. varying
humidity levels can have more serious consequences on
lifesaving drugs. While there are a lot of moving parts
that go into producing medications, maintaining safety
and potency through humidity control is a responsibility
that lies within the pharmaceutical industry.
Cont…
Medical and health monitoring: The most
important impact that humidity has in hospitals and
medical facilities is the protection of patients from
microbial attacks. Humidity affects the airborne
survival of viruses, bacteria and fungi. Humidity can
also affect other medical facilities like medical
machineries, storage of medicine or
pharmaceuticals and overall comfort of all people.
Thus humidity control and maintenance are
important for medical and health monitoring.
Cont…
Human comfort: Humidity plays an important
role for surface life. For animal life dependent
on perspiration to regulate internal body
temperature, high humidity impairs heat
exchange efficiency by reducing the rate of
moisture evaporation from skin surfaces.
Humans can be comfortable within a wide range
of humidity (depending on the temperature)
from 40–60%. In general, higher temperature
will require lower humidity to achieve thermal
comfort compared to lower temperature.
 Cont…
Agriculture: Humidity directly influences the water
relations of plant and indirectly affects leaf growth,
photosynthesis, pollination, occurrence of diseases
and finally economic yield.
Most plants prefer a relative humidity range of 40 to
65%; High humidity in the air lowers the intensity and
the quality of solar radiation. Low intensity and poor
quality of solar radiation in turn reduces
photosynthesis in crop plants. Reduced photosynthesis
leads to low crop yields. High air humidity favors many
plant diseases and insect pests. It increases the growth
of shoots and leaves at the expense of yield of crops.
Refrigeration
 Refrigeration
Refrigeration or cooling process, is the removal
of unwanted heat from a selected object,
substance or space and its transfer to another
object, substance or space. Removal of heat
lowers the temperature and may be
accomplished by use of ice, snow, chilled water
or mechanical refrigeration. Refrigeration is
used in manufacturing ice, for preserving
perishable food materials, for cooling water as
well as for preserving of blood, tissues and
medicines etc.
Refrigerants & Mechanical refrigeration
Refrigerants are chemical compounds that are
alternately compressed and condensed into a liquid
and then permitted to expand into a vapor or gas as
they are pumped through the mechanical
refrigeration system to cycle. Commonly used
refrigerants are fluorinated gases, chlorinated
gases, chlorofluorocarbons etc.
Whereas mechanical refrigeration, is the utilization
of mechanical components arranged in a
"refrigeration system" for the purpose of
transferring heat.
 Substance BP ( °C)
Ammonia - 33.2 °C
Hydrogen chloride - 84.9 °C
Freon refrigerant R-12 - 29.8 °C

Freon refrigerant R-22 - 41.2 °C

Working principle of Refrigeration system

The refrigeration cycle is based on the long

known physical principle that a liquid expanding
into a gas extracts heat from the surrounding
substance or area.
Refrigerants evaporate or "boil" at much lower
temperatures than water, which permits them
to extract heat at a more rapid rate than the
water.
• The job of the refrigeration cycle is to remove
unwanted heat from one place and discharge it into
another. To accomplish this, the refrigerant is pumped
through a closed refrigeration system. In this closed
system, the same refrigerant is used over and over
again, as it passes through the cycle removing some
heat and discharging it. The closed cycle serves other
purposes as well, for example, it keeps the refrigerant
from becoming contaminated and controls its flow.
• Two different pressures exist in the cycle - the
evaporating or low pressure in the "low side," and the
condensing, or high pressure, in the "high side." These
pressure areas are separated by two dividing points:
one is the metering device where the refrigerant flow
is controlled and the other is at the compressor, where
vapor is compressed.
• The metering device is a point where the trip
through the cycle starts. This may be a thermal
expansion valve, a capillary tube, or any other device
to control the flow of refrigerant into the
evaporator, or cooling coil, as a low-pressure, low-
temperature refrigerant. The expanding refrigerant
evaporates (changes state) as it goes through the
evaporator, where it removes the heat from the
substance or space in which the evaporator is
located.
• Heat travels from the warmer substance to the
evaporator and is cooled by the evaporation of the
refrigerant within the system, causing the refrigerant
to "boil" and evaporate, changing it to a vapor.
• Now this low-pressure, low-temperature
vapor is drawn to the compressor where it is
compressed into a high-temperature, high-
pressure vapor. The compressor discharges it
to the condenser, so that it can give up the
heat that it picked up in the evaporator. The
refrigerant vapor is at a higher temperature
than the air passing across the condenser. In
this process, as heat is removed from the
vapor, a change of state takes place and the
vapor is condensed back into a liquid.
• The liquid refrigerant travels now to the metering device
and passes through a small opening or orifice where a
drop in pressure and temperature occurs, and then it
enters into the evaporator or cooling coil. As the
refrigerant makes its way into the large opening of the
evaporator tubing or coil, it vaporizes, ready to start
another cycle through the system.
• The refrigeration system requires some means of
connecting the basic major components - evaporator,
compressor, condenser, and metering device - just as
roads connect communities. Tubing or "lines" make the
system complete so that the refrigerant will not leak out
into the atmosphere. The suction line connects the
evaporator or cooling coil to the compressor, the hot gas
or discharge line connects the compressor to the
condenser, and the liquid line is the connecting tubing
between the condenser and the metering device (thermal
expansion valve).
Figure: Simple Refrigeration System.
The mechanical refrigeration system described
above is essentially the same whether the
system be a domestic refrigerator, a low-
temperature freezer, comfort air conditioning
system, industrial chiller, or commercial cooling
equipment. Refrigerants will be different and
size of the equipment will vary greatly, but the
principle of operation and the refrigeration cycle
remains the same.
Air Conditioning and its
Application in Pharmacy
 Air Conditioning
Air conditioning is the process of altering the
condition of air by removing heat and humidity to
achieve a more comfortable interior environments,
typically with the aim of distributing the
conditioned air to an occupied space such as a
building or a vehicle to improve thermal
comfort and indoor air quality.
An air conditioning system consists of an air
conditioning plant and thermal distribution system.
Air, water or refrigerant are used as media for
transferring energy from the air conditioning plant
to the conditioned space.
 Working Principle of an Air Conditioning System

It consists of dampers (valve that regulates flow of

air), air filter, cooling coil, spray type humidifier,
heating coil and a fan. Atmospheric air flows through
the dampers. Air then passes through the air filter
that removes dirt, dust and other impurities. The air
now passes over a cooling coil. So when air is cooled
below its dew point temperature, the water vapor is
removed from the air in the form of water droplets.
The surface temperature of the cooling coil has to be
maintained below the dew-point temperature of the
atmospheric air to accomplish dehumidification.
Cont…

Figure: Schematic diagram of a air conditioning system.

 Cont…
The quantity of water removed from air is collected in
the sump and is drained. The temperature of air
leaving the cooling coil is lower than the ambient
temperature for comfort. During the dry weather the
spray type humidifier is used to increase the humidity
of the conditioned air. During wet weather condition
the relative humidity of the air is high and is controlled
by the heating coil. For the comfort condition required
DBT is around 23 °C and relative humidity 60%. So the
air is to be cooled and humidified to the comfort
condition. Now the conditioned air is supplied to the
conditioned space by a fan and ducts.
 Types of Air Conditioning System

o Window air conditioning system

o Split air conditioning system
o Packaged air conditioning system
o Central air conditioning system
o Chilled water AC unit
o Cooling tower AC unit
Window air conditioning Split air conditioning
Packaged air
system system
conditioning system

Cooling tower
Central air conditioning system AC unit
Chilled water AC unit
 Human Comfort
Inevitably 'comfort' is a very subjective matter.
Most people (90%) are comfortable when the air
temperature is between 18-23 °C and the RH (%
saturation) is between 40-65%. This zone can be
shown on the psychrometric chart, and is known as
the comfort zone. Outside air is quite likely to be at
a different condition from the required comfort
zone condition. In order to bring its condition to
within the comfort zone we may need to do one or
more of the following : heat it; cool it; dehumidify
it; humidify it; or mix it.
Cont…
Importance of comfort zone:
• Comfort zone is necessary for personnel comfort which
is directly related to the efficiency of work or
production.
• For the preservation of pharmaceuticals strict control
of temperature and humidity is necessary. Too much
temperature or humidity may degrade the product
quality. Presence of excess moisture may also destroy
the packaging materials.
• The working area is highly sensitive to airborne
particles. Comfort zone strictly maintain the air quality
and protect from contamination.
• Over heating may destroy the equipment and
machineries during tablet manufacturing and
compression which can be protected by setting
comfort zone.
 Application of air conditioning
o Promoting human comfort
o Maintenance of proper conditions for
manufacturing, processing and preservation of
material and equipment.
o Maintenance of environmental test chamber
o Maintenance of animal and equipment