Mass Transfer - Engineering

Q1:

Steady state temperature reached by a small amount of liquid evaporating into a large amount of unsaturated vapour-gas mixture is called the __________ temperature.

A dry-bulb

B wet-bulb

C dew point

D adiabatic saturation

ANS:B - wet-bulb

The steady state temperature reached by a small amount of liquid evaporating into a large amount of unsaturated vapor-gas mixture is called the wet-bulb temperature. The wet-bulb temperature is measured using a thermometer with its bulb covered by a wetted wick or cloth. As water evaporates from the wick, it cools the thermometer bulb, and the temperature reading is influenced by the rate of evaporation, the temperature, and humidity of the surrounding air. The wet-bulb temperature is typically lower than the dry-bulb temperature because of the cooling effect of evaporation. The dew point temperature is the temperature at which the air becomes saturated with moisture and condensation begins to form. The adiabatic saturation temperature is the temperature reached by a gas when it is brought into contact with a wet surface with no heat exchange with the surroundings. Therefore, these are not appropriate answers for the scenario described.