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handbook of modern sensors

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394 13 Humidity and Moisture Sensors<br />

The term moisture generally refers to the water content <strong>of</strong> any material, but for<br />

practical reasons, it is applied only to liquids and solids, whereas the term humidity<br />

is reserved for the water vapor content in gases. The following are some useful<br />

definitions:<br />

Moisture: the amount <strong>of</strong> water contained in a liquid or solid by absorption or adsorption<br />

which can be removed without altering its chemical properties.<br />

Mixing ratio (humidity ratio) r: the mass <strong>of</strong> water vapor per unit mass <strong>of</strong> dry gas.<br />

Absolute humidity (mass concentration or density <strong>of</strong> water vapor): the mass m <strong>of</strong><br />

water vapor per unit volume v <strong>of</strong> wet gas: d w = m/v . In other words, absolute<br />

humidity is the density <strong>of</strong> the water vapor component. It can be measured, for<br />

example, by passing a measured quantity <strong>of</strong> air through a moisture-absorbing<br />

substance (such as silica gel) which is weighed before and after the absorption.<br />

Absolute humidity is expressed in grams per cubic meter, or in grains per cubic<br />

foot. Because this measure is also a function <strong>of</strong> atmospheric pressure, it is not<br />

generally useful in engineering practice.<br />

Relative humidity: the ratio <strong>of</strong> the actual vapor pressure <strong>of</strong> the air at any temperature<br />

to the maximum <strong>of</strong> saturation vapor pressure at the same temperature. Relative<br />

humidity in percent is defined as<br />

H = 100 P w<br />

P s<br />

, (13.1)<br />

where P w is the partial pressure <strong>of</strong> water vapor and P s is the pressure <strong>of</strong> saturated<br />

water vapor at a given temperature. The value <strong>of</strong> H expresses the vapor content<br />

as a percentage <strong>of</strong> the concentration required to cause the vapor saturation, [i.e.,<br />

the formation <strong>of</strong> water droplets (dew) at that temperature]. An alternative way<br />

to present RH is as a ratio <strong>of</strong> the mole fraction <strong>of</strong> water vapor in a space to the<br />

mole fraction <strong>of</strong> water vapor in the space at saturation. The value <strong>of</strong> P w together<br />

with partial pressure <strong>of</strong> dry air P a is equal to pressure in the enclosure, or to the<br />

atmospheric pressure P atm if the enclosure is open to the atmosphere:<br />

P w + P a = P atm . (13.2)<br />

At temperatures above the boiling point, water pressure could displace all other<br />

gases in the enclosure. The atmosphere would then consist entirely <strong>of</strong> superheated<br />

steam. In this case, P w = P atm . At temperatures above 100 ◦ C, RH is a<br />

misleading indicator <strong>of</strong> moisture content because at these temperatures P s is always<br />

more than P atm , and maximum RH can never reach 100%. Thus, at normal<br />

atmospheric pressure and a temperature <strong>of</strong> 100 ◦ C, the maximum RH is 100%,<br />

whereas at 200 ◦ C, it is only 6%. Above 374 ◦ C, saturation pressures are not thermodynamically<br />

specified.<br />

Dew-point temperature: the temperature at which the partial pressure <strong>of</strong> the water<br />

vapor present would be at its maximum, or saturated vapor condition, with respect<br />

to equilibrium with a plain surface <strong>of</strong> ice. It also is defined as the temperature<br />

to which the gas–water vapor mixture must be cooled isobarically (at constant

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