Psychrometrics can work for you - or against you!
Lyle M. Carter · 1988
In several previous presentations I have referred to psychrometric charts to help explain a particular problem or solution to a problem in the dry kiln. Psychrometrics refers to the interdependent relationship of the properties of an air-water-vapor mixture. These interdependent properties (D.B. TEMPERATURE, W.B. TEMPERATURE, SPECIFIC HUMIDITY, RELATIVE HUMIDITY, SPECIFIC VOLUME, DEW POINT ENTHALPY) are well suited for graphical representation, and the graph or chart of these properties is called a psychrometric chart. Everything that happens in the dry kiln relating to air and water vapor can be found, tracked, and analyzed on the psychrometric chart. The psychrometric chart is an important tool to anyone dealing with air and water-vapor. The more a person understands about the psychrometric chart, the more he will understand the drying process he is using, and the more he will be able to avoid problems relating to drying uniformity, quality, energy conservation, and corrosion of the kiln. Today we are going to spend a few minutes getting reacquainted with these charts and then work through a couple of real kiln problems using the chart as a tool to analyze the problem.