![]() A complex dynamic: the psychrometric chart to the rescue In fact, the relationship between the different properties of the air is far from being trivial. A reduction of 10.6☌ is sufficient for the formation of condensation since the dew point here is 9.4☌.Ĭonclusion: For the same level of relative humidity, the difference between room temperature and dew point is not constant. Tricky question: in a room still at 50% relative humidity but with the room temperature this time at 20☌, how much can the air be cooled before condensation begins to form? Is the difference still 12.3☌? In this room, the air can cool by 12.3☌ (from 40☌ to 27.7☌) before condensation begins to form. ![]() ![]() The dew point of the air in a room where the ambient temperature is 40☌ and the relative humidity is 50% is about 27.7☌. Temperature, dew point and relative humidity: an example Condensation occurs when the temperature of the air surrounding these colder objects is at or below the dew point. The air very close to these colder objects or surfaces becomes colder itself and therefore has a lower capacity to hold water vapor. This explains why condensation occurs on cold objects or surfaces in an environment where the relative humidity seems to be stable. Below this temperature, the excess water vapor in the air begins to condense. The colder the air, the less water vapor it can hold.Īll other things being equal, if the ambiant air is gradually cooled, the dew point is the temperature at which the air reaches 100% relative humidity. The dew point is a temperatureĪs we discussed in our relative humidity article, there is a limit to the ability of air to hold water vapor, and that limit is determined by, among other things, its temperature. Because, after all, that's what the dew point is: the temperature at which water vapor in the air begins to condense. It must be said that if dew point had instead been called "dew temperature," or better yet, "condensation temperature," it would have helped to associate a more intuitive meaning to the concept. What Is the Dew Point and Why Is It Important?įor many, the dew point is still an uncertain concept.
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