High pressure humid air and thermodynamic tables

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the pressure to which humid air at 450 bar and 60% humidity can be expanded adiabatically to achieve a temperature just above freezing. The ideal gas law is deemed insufficient due to a significant compressibility factor of 1.4, necessitating the use of thermodynamic tables and diagrams instead. The expansion process is complicated by the presence of water vapor, which affects the polytropic nature of the expansion and the calculation of the polytropic exponent. The challenge lies in determining how the partial pressure of water vapor changes with pressure and its impact on the dew point. Ultimately, knowing the enthalpies at the start and end states would simplify the work calculation, which is linked to the concept of adiabatic cooling along a constant enthalpy line.
kandelabr
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Homework Statement


This is my problem: i have a container with humid (say psi = 60%) air at a pressure of 450 bar. i need to know to what preesure can this air be expanded (adiabatically) so that it reaches temperature just above freezing.
i also need to know how much work is extracted from this expansion.

Homework Equations


this would not be hard to calculate using ideal gas law and laws for gas mixtures, but at this pressure the compressibility factor is 1.4, that means a 40% error done with ideal gas law. this should be done using thermodynamic tables and diagrams.

The Attempt at a Solution


as air expands adiabatically, it cools down, but condensing water adds some heat so expansion of "the dry part" is actually polytropic. if i neglect partial pressure of water vapor, i can calculate polytropic exponent n, since i know how much heat the water gives out during condensation.
but i don't know how partial pressure of water vapor changes with pressure.
if dew point changes with pressure, the complication is even bigger.
if i knew enthalpies in start and end state, calculating work would be simple (w = |h2 - h1|).
 
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You need to use a psychrometric chart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychrometrics). Adiabatic cooling is a transition along a constant enthalpy line.

See also http://www.eitexam.com/Search2/ZMech/PsychroEq.asp?SB=1#Adiabatic%20Mixing

The answer should pop out.
 
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