Humidity and its role

Humidity and its role
Humidity and its role
Anonim

Humidity is divided into two categories: relative and absolute. The first of these is the ratio between the available amount of water vapor and the volume that can be contained in the air at a certain temperature. This parameter is expressed as a percentage. Absolute air humidity is the part of water vapor that is part of one meter of cubic air. Its unit of measurement is grams. The stronger its concentration, the greater are the elasticity and weight of the air. In other words, an increase in the amount of steam leads to an increase in the absolute indicator.

air humidity
air humidity

The role of air humidity in nature

Normal air humidity is between forty and sixty percent. If you change the temperature, at the same concentration of water vapor, the relative humidity will also change. In the event that the temperature of saturated air decreases, or water vapor is additionally introduced into its composition, the excess of the latter will exceed the required amount. This, in turn, will lead to the fact that they will begin to pass into a liquid state (if the temperatures are very low, then into a solid state). A similar phenomenon explains the formation of clouds and fogs. Their appearance is typical for those places where the relative humidity of the air increases. In other words, regardless of the volume of the air mass, the formation of fogs or clouds will occur only if the temperature drops. When it increases, the reverse process occurs. It is a well-known fact that during the downward movement the air heats up, and during the upward movement it cools. This means that the formation of fogs and clouds occurs only in the second case.

normal air humidity
normal air humidity

Condensation

Multiple studies confirm that water vapor passes into a solid or liquid state only if there are so-called condensation nuclei. Their role can be played by all kinds of dust particles, s alts, combustion products of hygroscopic particles, and so on. Without them, the process of condensation of water vapor will not occur even when the relative humidity of the air is one hundred percent. A large number of such nuclei are located at an altitude of up to seven kilometers. In the layers located above, the air is close to maximum saturation, but the elements necessary for condensation are absent. A large number of nuclei are introduced by the combustion products of aircraft engines. This may explain the characteristic trace in the sky, which is visible behind flying airplanes.

absolute air humidity
absolute air humidity

Influence of air humidity on aviation

Humidity greatly affects aviation. In this case, we are talking primarily about the material part, or rather, about its state. The fact is that it is the main cause of corrosion on the metal external parts of aircraft, as well as on the insulation of the winding of electrical wires. In addition, under conditions of humidity close to one hundred percent, the operation of the units that are responsible for igniting engines is disrupted. Among other things, many types of aircraft components and equipment that are stored in warehouses require certain conditions regarding humidity, and changing them can lead to property damage.

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