Density of air

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The density of air, ρ (Greek: rho) (air density), is the mass per unit volume of Earth's
atmosphere, and is a useful value in aeronautics. As does air pressure, air density decreases
with increasing altitude and temperature. At sea level and at 20 °C, dry air has a density of
approximately 1.2 kg/m3 (0.002377 slug/ft3).

The density of water, which is about 1000 kg/m3 (1 g/cm³), is about 800 times more than the
density of air.

Contents
[hide]
 1 Effects of temperature and pressure
 2 Effect of water vapor
 3 Effects of altitude
 4 Importance of temperature
 5 See also
 6 References

 7 External links

[edit] Effects of temperature and pressure

The formula for the density of dry air is given by:

where ρ is the air density, p is pressure, R is the specific gas constant, and T is temperature in
kelvins.

The specific gas constant R for dry air is:

Therefore:

 At standard temperature and pressure (0 °C and 101.325 kPa), dry air has a density of
ρSTP = 1.292 kg/m3.
 At standard ambient temperature and pressure (25 °C and 100 kPa), dry air has a
density of ρSATP = 1.168 kg/m3.
  At standard ambient temperature and pressure (70 °F and 14.696 psia), dry air has a
density of ρSATP = 0.075 lbm/ft3 ~ 1.2 kg/m3.

[edit] Effect of water vapor

The addition of water vapor to air (making the air humid) reduces the density of the air, which
may at first appear contrary to logic.

This occurs because the molecular mass of water (18) is less than the molecular mass of air
(around 29). For any gas, at a given temperature and pressure, the number of molecules
present is constant for a particular volume. So when water molecules (vapor) are introduced to
the air, the number of air molecules must reduce by the same number in a given volume,
without the pressure or temperature increasing. Hence the mass per unit volume of the gas (its
density) decreases.

The density of humid air may be calculated as a mixture of ideal gases. In this case, the partial
pressure of water vapor is known as the vapor pressure. Using this method, error in the
density calculation is less than 0.2% in the range of −10 °C to 50 °C. The density of humid air
is found by:

[1]

Where:

Density of the humid air (kg/m³)

pd = Partial pressure of dry air (Pa)
Rd = Specific gas constant for dry air, 287.05 J/(kg·K)
T = Temperature (K)
pv = Vapor pressure of water (Pa)
Rv = Specific gas constant for water vapor, 461.495 J/(kg·K)

The vapor pressure of water may be calculated from the saturation vapor pressure and relative
humidity. It is found by:

Where:

pv = Vapor pressure of water

Relative humidity
psat = Saturation vapor pressure

The saturation vapor pressure of water at any given temperature is the vapor pressure when
relative humidity is 100%. A simplification of the regression [1] used to find this, can be
formulated as:
IMPORTANT:

 This will give a result in mb, 1 mb=100 Pa

 pd is found considering partial pressure, resulting in:

pd = p − pv

Where p simply notes the absolute pressure in the observed system.

[edit] Effects of altitude

To calculate the density of air as a function of altitude, one requires additional parameters.
They are listed below, along with their values according to the International Standard
Atmosphere, using the universal gas constant instead of the specific one:

 sea level standard atmospheric pressure p0 = 101325 Pa

 sea level standard temperature T0 = 288.15 K
 Earth-surface gravitational acceleration g = 9.80665 m/s2.
 temperature lapse rate L = −0.0065 K/m
 universal gas constant R = 8.31447 J/(mol·K)
 molar mass of dry air M = 28.9644 g/mol = (0.0289644 kg/mol)

Temperature at altitude h meters above sea level is given by the following formula (only valid
inside the troposphere):

The pressure at altitude h is given by:

Density can then be calculated according to a molar form of the original formula:

[edit] Importance of temperature

The below table demonstrates that the properties of air change significantly with temperature.

Table — speed of sound in air c, density of air ρ, acoustic impedance Z vs. temperature
°C

Effect of temperature
°C c in m/s ρ in kg/m³ Z in Pa·s/m

−10 325.2 1.342 436.1

−5 328.3 1.317 432.0

0 331.3 1.292 428.4

+5 334.3 1.269 424.3

+10 337.3 1.247 420.6

+15 340.3 1.225 416.8

+20 343.2 1.204 413.2

+25 346.1 1.184 409.8

+30 349.0 1.165 406.3

[edit] See also

 International Standard Atmosphere
 U.S. Standard Atmosphere
 NRLMSISE-00

[edit] References
1. ^ a b [1]

[edit] External links

 Conversions of density units ρ
 Air density and density altitude calculations
 Thermal Properties of Air at 1 atm

la
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Density_of_air"

Categories: Atmospheric thermodynamics | Density

Views

 Article
 Discussion
 Edit this page
 History

Personal tools

 Sign in / create account

Navigation

 Main Page
 Contents
 Featured content
 Current events
 Random article

Interaction

 About Wikipedia
 Community portal
 Recent changes
 Contact Wikipedia
 Donate to Wikipedia
 Help

Search

Go Search
 

Toolbox

 What links here

 Related changes
 Upload file
 Special pages
 Printable version
 Permanent link
 Cite this page

Languages

 Deutsch
  Français
 Norsk (bokmål)
 Norsk (nynorsk)
 Polski

 This page was last modified 11:06, 24 January 2008.

 All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See
Copyrights for details.)
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S.
registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.
 Privacy policy
 About Wikipedia
 Disclaimers

Air Density and Density Altitude

Calculations
updated: Jul 2, 2007

Density Altitude On-Line Calculators:

 - using English Units

 - using Metric Units
 - with selectable Units
 - using relative humidity 
 

What is density altitude?

The density altitude is the altitude at which the density of the International Standard
Atmosphere (ISA) is the same as the density of the air being evaluated. (The Standard
Atmosphere is simply a mathematical model of the atmosphere which is standardized so that
predictable calculations can be made.)

So, the basic idea of calculating density altitude is to calculate the actual density of the air,
and then find the altitude at which that same air density occurs in the Standard Atmosphere.
In the following paragraphs, we'll go step by step through the process of calculating the actual
density of the air, and then determining the corresponding density altitude.

And finally, at the very end of this article, we'll compare the accurate density altitude
calculations with the results of a greatly simplified equation that ignores the effects due to
water vapor in the air.

Some different meanings of the word "altitude":

An aircraft altimeter measures only air pressure... nothing else. If the air pressure changes,
due to temperature or humidity, then an aircraft altimeter will of course change to indicate the
actual air pressure. Nonetheless, the aircraft altimeter is simply measuring air pressure.

As odd as it may seem, an aircraft altimeter does not actually measure altitude, it only
measures pressure. Hence, the name "pressure altitude" is properly applied to any aircraft
altimeter reading.

For pilots, it is very important to understand that an aircraft altimeter only measures air
pressure (not altitude). This point is especially important to understand with the advent and
use of GPS. An aircraft flying at a specific pressure altitude (as indicated by an altimeter) may
note some other altitude displayed on the GPS (which measures actual distance above mean
sea level). In some cases this difference is small... but in some cases it could be enough to
cause a mid-air collision if a pilot was flying on a GPS altitude rather than pressure altitude.
(To solve that problem, some GPS units do include an air pressure sensor so that they can
indicate pressure altitude.)

Therefore, it is crucial to always verify what is meant by "altitude", and differentiate a

pressure-based measurement of "pressure altitude"  from a distance-based measurement of 
actual altitude.

Density altitude is a concept based on solely on air density, and is neither "pressure altitude"
nor "mean sea-level altitude", but is strictly "density altitude".

Now... on to Density Altitude.....

Density and Density Altitude:

Although the concept of density altitude is commonly used to help express the effects of
aircraft performance, the really underlying property of interest is actually the air density.

For example, the lift of an aircraft wing, the aerodynamic drag and the thrust of a propeller
blade are all directly proportional to the air density.  The downforce of a racecar spoiler is
also directly proportional to the air density. Similarly,  the horsepower output of an internal
combustion engine is related to the air density. The correct size of a carburetor jet is related to
the air density, and the pulse width command to an electronic fuel injection nozzle is also
related to the air density.

Density altitude has been a convenient yardstick for pilots to compare the performance of
aircraft at various altitudes, but it is in fact the air density that is the fundamentally important
quantity, and density altitude is simply one way to express the air density.

(Note:  If you're just hunting for a simple, but not very accurate, approximation for density
altitude, be sure to study the "Simpler Methods of Calculation" section near the end of this
article.)

Units:

The 1976 International Standard Atmosphere is mostly described in metric SI units, and I
have chosen to use those same units (in general). See ref 8 and ref 9 for conversion factors to
your favorite units.

Air Density Calculations:

To begin to understand the calculation of air density,  consider the ideal gas law:

(1)      P*V = n*R*T

where:  P = pressure
            V = volume
            n = number of moles
            R = gas constant
            T = temperature
 

Density is simply the number of molecules of the ideal gas in a certain volume, in this case a
molar volume, which may be mathematically expressed as:

(2)      D = n / V

where:  D = density
             n = number of molecules
            V = volume
           

Then, by combining the previous two equations, the expression for the density becomes:

(3)      

where:   D = density, kg/m3 

             P = pressure, Pascals ( multiply mb by 100 to get Pascals)
             R = gas constant , J/(kg*degK) = 287.05 for dry air
             T = temperature, degK = deg C + 273.15

As an example, using the ISA standard sea level conditions of P = 101325 Pa and T = 15 deg
C,  the air density at sea level, may be calculated as:

            D = (101325) / (287.05 * (15 + 273.15)) = 1.2250 kg/m3

This example has been derived for the dry air of the standard conditions. However, for real-
world situations, it is necessary to understand how the density is affected by the moisture in
the air.

The density of a mixture of dry air molecules and water vapor molecules may be expressed
as:

(4)       

where:  D = density, kg/m3 

            Pd = pressure of dry air, Pascals
            Pv= pressure of water vapor, Pascals
            Rd = gas constant for dry air, J/(kg*degK) = 287.05
            Rv = gas constant for water vapor, J/(kg*degK) = 461.495
            T = temperature, degK = deg C + 273.15

To determine the density of the air, it is necessary to know is the actual air pressure (also
known as absolute pressure, total air pressure, or station pressure), the water vapor pressure,
and the temperature.

It is possible to obtain a rough approximation of the absolute pressure by adjusting an

altimeter to read zero altitude and reading the value in the Kollsman window as the actual air
pressure, but this method only gives the correct reading if the ambient air temperature
happens to be the same as standard temperature at your elevation. Near the end of this page
I'll discuss how to use the altimeter reading to accurately determine the actual pressure.

Alternatively, there are many little electronic gadgets that can measure the actual air pressure
directly, and quite accurately. The water vapor pressure can be determined from the dew point
or from the relative humidity, and the ambient temperature can be measured in a well
ventilated place out of the direct sunlight.

In the following section, we'll calculate the portion of the total air pressure (also called actual
air pressure, absolute pressure, or station pressure) that is due to the water vapor in the air that
is being measuring.
 

Vapor Pressure:

A very accurate, albeit quite odd looking, formula for determining the saturation vapor
pressure is a polynomial developed by Herman Wobus (see ref 2 ) :

(5)      Es = eso /  p8

         where:  Es = saturation pressure of water vapor, mb

                    eso=6.1078
                    p = (c0+T*(c1+T*(c2+T*(c3+T*(c4+T*(c5+T*(c6+T*(c7+T*(c8+T*(c9))))))))))
                    T = temperature, deg C
                    c0 = 0.99999683
                    c1 = -0.90826951*10-2
                    c2 = 0.78736169*10-4
                    c3 = -0.61117958*10-6
                    c4 = 0.43884187*10-8
                    c5 = -0.29883885*10-10
                    c6 = 0.21874425*10-12
                    c7 = -0.17892321*10-14
                    c8 = 0.11112018*10-16
                    c9 = -0.30994571*10-19

For situations where a slightly less accurate formula is acceptable, the following equation
offers good results, especially at the higher ambient air temperatures where the saturation
pressure becomes significant for the density altitude calculations.

(6)     

where:  Es = saturation pressure of water vapor, mb

            Tc = temperature, deg C
            c0 = 6.1078
            c1 = 7.5
            c2 = 237.3       

See ref 2 and ref 11 for additional vapor pressure formulas.

Here's a calculator that evaluates the saturation vapor pressure using equations 5 and 6 as
given above:

 Saturated Vapor Press Calculator

Air Temperature degrees C

Reset

Sat vapor press from Eqn 5 mb

Sat vapor press from Eqn 6 mb

  by Richard Shelquist

The Smithsonian reference tables (see ref 1) give the following values of saturated vapor
pressure values at specified temperatures. Entering these known temperatures into the
calculator will allow you to evaluate the accuracy of the calculated results.  

Deg C Es, mb
30   42.430
20   23.373
10   12.272
0   6.1078
-10   2.8627
-30   0.5088

Armed with the vapor pressure equations, the next step is to determine the actual value of
vapor pressure.

When calculating the vapor pressure, it is often more accurate to use the dew point
temperature rather than the relative humidity. Although relative humidity can be used to
determine the vapor pressure, the value of relative humidity is strongly affected by the
ambient temperature, and is therefore constantly changing during the day as the air is heated
and cooled.

In contrast, the value of the dew point is much more stable and is often nearly constant for a
given air mass regardless of the normal daily temperature changes. Therefore, using the dew
point as the measure of humidity allows for more stable and therefore potentially more
accurate results.

Actual Vapor Pressure from the Dew Point:

To determine the actual vapor pressure, simply use the dew point as the value of T in equation
5 or 6. That is, at the dew point,  Es = Pv.

(7)      Es = Pv      at the dew point

Actual Vapor Pressure from Relative Humidity:

Relative humidity is defined as the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of the actual vapor
pressure to the saturation vapor pressure at a given temperature.

To find the actual vapor pressure, simply multiply the saturation vapor pressure by the
percentage and the result is the actual vapor pressure. For example, if the relative humidity is
40% and the temperature is 30 deg C, then  the saturation vapor pressure is 42.43 mb and the
actual vapor pressure is 40% of 42.43 mb, which is 16.97 mb.

Density Calculations:

Now that the actual vapor pressure is known, we can calculate the density of the combination
of dry air and water vapor as described in equation 4.

The total measured atmospheric pressure is the sum of the pressure of the dry air and the
vapor pressure:

(8)      P = Pd + Pv

where:  P = total pressure

            Pd = pressure due to dry air
            Pv = pressure due to water vapor

So, rearranging that equation, we see that Pd = P-Pv. Now we have all of the information that
is required to calculate the air density.

Calculate the air density:

Now armed with those equations and the actual air pressure, the vapor pressure and the
temperature,  the density of the air can be calculated..

Here's a calculator that determines the air density from the actual pressure, dew point and air
temperature using equations 4, 6, 7 and 8 as defined above:

Air Density Calculator

Air Temperature degrees C
Actual Air Pressure mb
Dew Point degrees C

Reset

Air Density kg/m3

  by Richard Shelquist

Moist Air is Less Dense...

 As you may have noticed, moist air is less dense than dry air. It may seem reasonable to try
to argue against that simple fact based on the observation that water is denser than dry air...
which is certainly true, but irrelevant.

Solids, liquids and gasses each have their own unique laws, so it is not possible to equate the
behavior of liquid water with the behavior of water vapor.

The ideal gas law  says that a certain volume of air at a certain pressure has a certain number
of molecules. That's just the way this world works, and that simple fact is expressed as the
ideal gas law, which was shown above in equation 1.
 
Note that this is the gas law... not a liquid law, nor a solid law, but a gas law. Hence
comparisons to a liquid are of little help in understanding what is going on in the air, and may
simply result in more confusion.
 
According to the ideal gas law, a cubic meter of air around you, wherever you are right now,
has a certain number of molecules in it, and each of those molecules has a certain weight.
 
Most of the air is made up of nitrogen molecules N2 with a somewhat lesser amount of
oxygen O2 molecules, and then other molecules such as water vapor.
 
Since density is weight divided by volume, we need to consider the weight of each of the
molecules in the air. Nitrogen has an atomic weight of 14, so an N2 molecule has a weight of
28. For oxygen, the atomic weight is 16, so an O2 molecule has a weight of 32.
 
Now along comes a water molecule, H2O. Hydrogen has an atomic weight of 1. So the
molecule H20 has a weight of 18. Notice that a water molecule is lighter weight than either a
nitrogen molecule or an oxygen molecule.
 
Therefore, when a given volume of air, which contains only a certain number of molecules,
has some water molecules in it (which are very light weight), it will weight less than the same
volume of air without any water molecules.

Some examples of calculations using air density:

Example 1) The lift of an aircraft wing may be described mathematically (see ref 8) as:

L = c1 * d * v2/2 * a

where:    L = lift
             c1 = lift coefficient
              d = air density
              v = velocity
              a = wing area

From the lift equation, we see that the lift of a wing is directly proportional to the air density.
So if a certain wing can lift, for example, 3000 pounds at sea level standard conditions where
the density is 1.2250 kg/m3, then how much can the wing lift on a warm summer day in
Denver when the air temperature is 95 deg (35 deg C), the actual pressure is 24.45 in-Hg (828
mb) and the dew point is 67 deg F (19.4 deg C)? The answer is about 2268 pounds.

Example 2) The engine manufacturer Rotax (see ref 6 ) advises that their carburetor main jet
diameter should be adjusted according to the air density . Specifically, if the engine is jetted
properly at air density d1, then for operation at air density d2 the new jet diameter j2 is given
mathematically as:

               j2 = j1 * (d2/d1) (1/4)

               where:   j2 = diameter of new jet

                            j1  = diameter of jet that was proper at density d1
                           d1 = density at which the original jet j1 was correct
                           d2 = the new air density

That is, Rotax says that the correct jet diameter should be sized according to the fourth root of
the ratio of the air densities (i.e. take the square root twice).

For example, if the correct jet at sea level standard conditions is a number 160 and the jet
number is a measure of the jet diameter, then what jet should be used for operations on the
warm summer day in Denver described in example 1 above? The ideal answer is a jet number
149, and in practice the closest available jet size is then selected.
 

Example 3) In the same service bulletin mentioned above, Rotax says that their engine
horsepower will decrease in proportion to the air density.

hp2 = hp1 * (d2/d1)

where:   hp2 = the new horsepower at density d2

             hp1 = the old horsepower at density d1

If a Rotax engine was rated at 38 horsepower at sea level standard conditions, what is the
available horsepower according to that formula when the engine is operated at a temperature
of 30 deg C, a pressure of 925 mb and a dew point of 25 deg C? The answer is approximately
32 horsepower. (See also details on the SAE method of correcting horsepower.)

Back on the trail of Density Altitude...

The definition of density altitude is the altitude at which the density of the 1976 International
Standard Atmosphere is the same as the density of the air being evaluated. So, now that we
know how to determine the air density, we can solve for the altitude in the International
Standard Atmosphere that has the same value of density.

The International Standard Atmosphere is a mathematical description of a theoretical column

of air. To get the proper results, it is necessary to use the following constants that are specified
in the 1976 International Standard Atmosphere document:
 

Po = 101325   sea level standard pressure, Pa

To = 288.15   sea level standard temperature, deg K
g = 9.80665    gravitational constant, m/sec2
L =  6.5    temperature lapse rate, deg K/km
R = 8.31432    gas constant, J/ mol*deg K
M = 28.9644    molecular weight of dry air, gm/mol
 

In the ISA, the lowest region is the troposphere which extends from sea level up to 11 km
(about 36,000 ft). The model that will be developed here is only valid in the troposphere. The
equations that define the air in the troposphere are:

(9)         

(10)     

(11)      
 

where:    T =  ISA temperature in deg K

              P = ISA pressure in Pa
              D = ISA density in kg/m3
              H = ISA geopotential altitude in km

One way to determine the altitude at which a certain density occurs is to rewrite the equations
and solve for the variable H, which is the geopotential altitude.

So, it is now necessary to rewrite equations 9, 10, and 11 in a manner that expresses altitude H
as a function of density D. After a bit of gnashing of teeth and general turmoil, the exact
solution for H as a function of D,  may be written as:
 

(12)     

Using the numerical values of the ISA constants, that expression may be evaluated as:

                      

 where   H = geopotential altitude, km

              D = air density, kg/m3
           

Now that  H is known as a function of D, it is easy to solve for the Density Altitude of any
specified air density.

It is interesting to note that equations 9, 10 and 11 could also be evaluated to find H as a

function of P as follows:

            

 where   H = geopotential altitude, km

              P = actual air pressure, Pascals

Now that we can determine the altitude for a given density, it may be useful to consider some
of the definitions of altitude.
 

Different Flavors of Altitude:

There are three commonly used varieties of altitude (see ref 4). They are: Geometric altitude,
Geopotential altitude and Pressure altitude.

Geometric altitude is what you would measure with a tape measure, while the Geopotential
altitude is a mathematical description based on the potential energy of an object in the earth's
gravity. Pressure altitude is what an altimeter displays when set to 29.92.

The ISA equations use geopotential altitude, because that makes the equations much simpler
and more manageable. To convert the result from the geopotential altitude H to the geometric
altitude Z, the following formula may be used:

(13)      

     where E = 6356  km, the radius of the earth (for 1976 ISA)
               H = geopotential altitude, km
               Z = geometric altitude, km

Density Altitude Calculator:

The following calculator uses equation 12 to convert an input value of air density to the
corresponding altitude in the 1976 International Standard Atmosphere. Then,  the results are
displayed as both geopotential altitude and geometric altitude, which are very nearly identical
at lower altitudes.

Note that since these equations are designed to model the troposphere, this calculator will give
an error message if the calculated value of altitude is beyond the bounds of  the troposphere,
which extends from sea level up to a geopotential altitude of 11 km.

Density Altitude Calculator 1

Air Density kg/m3

Reset

Geopotential altitude H m
Geometric altitude Z m

 by  Richard Shelquist

Here's a calculator that uses the actual pressure, air temperature and dew point to calculate the
air density as well as the corresponding density altitude:

Density Altitude Calculator 2

 

Air Temperature degrees C

Actual Air Pressure mb
Dew Point degrees C

Reset

Air Density kg/m3

Geopotential altitude H m
Geometric altitude Z m

 by Richard Shelquist

Density Altitude calculations using Virtual Temperature:

As an alternative to the use of equations which describe an atmosphere made up up the

combination of air and water vapor, it is possible to define a virtual temperature and then
consider the atmosphere to be only dry air.

The virtual temperature is the temperature that dry air would have if its pressure and specific
volume were equal to those of a given sample of moist air. It's often easier to use virtual
temperature in place of the actual temperature to account for the effect of water vapor while
continuing to use the gas constant for dry air.

The results should be exactly the same as in the previous method, this is just an alternative
method.

There are two steps in this scheme: first calculate the virtual temperature and then use that
temperature in the corresponding altitude equation.

The equation for virtual temperature may be derived by manipulation of the density equation
that was presented earlier as equation 4:

         

Recalling that P = Pd + Pv, which means that Pd = P - Pv, the equation may be rewritten as

        

Finally, a new temperature Tv, the virtual temperature, is defined such that

                   

By evaluating the numerical values of the constants, setting Pv = E, noting that Rd =

R*1000/Md and that Rv=R*1000/Mv, then the virtual temperature may be expressed as:

(14)    

where  Tv = virtual temperature, deg K

            T = ambient temperature, deg K
            c1 = ( 1 - (Mv / Md ) ) = 0.37800
            E = vapor pressure, mb
  
          P = actual (station) pressure, mb

                       where Md is molecular weight of dry air = 28.9644

                                 Mv is molecular weight of water = 18.016

(Note that for convenience, the units in Equation 14 are not purely SI units, but rather are US
customary units for the vapor pressure and station pressure.)

The following calculator uses equation 6 to find the vapor pressure, then calculates the virtual
temperature using equation 14:

Virtual Temperature Calculator

 
Air Temperature degrees C
Actual Air Pressure mb
Dew Point degrees C

Reset

Virtual Temperature degrees C

 by Richard Shelquist

The virtual temperature Tv may used in the following formula to calculate the density altitude.
This formula is simply a rearrangement of equations 9, 10 and 11:

(15)    

Using the numerical values of the ISA constants, equation 15 may be rewritten using the
virtual temperature as:

             

            where   H = geopotential density altitude, km

                        Tv = virtual temperature, deg K
                        P = actual (station) pressure, Pascals
 

Using the Altimeter Setting:

When the actual pressure  is not known, the altimeter reading may be used to determine the
actual pressure.

The altimeter setting is the value in the Kollsman window of an altimeter when the altimeter
is adjusted to read the correct altitude. The altimeter setting is generally included in National
Weather Service reports, and can be used to determine the actual pressure using the following
equations:

According to NWS ASOS documentation, the actual pressure Pa is related to the altimeter
setting AS by the following equation:
 

(16)    

By numerically evaluating the constants and converting to customary units of altitude and
pressure, the equation may be written as:

            Pa = [ASk1 -  ( k2 * H ) ]1/k1 

   where  Pa = actual (station) pressure, mb

               AS = altimeter setting, mb
               H = geopotential station elevation, m
               k1 = 0.190263
               k2 = 8.417286*10-5

When converted to English units, this is the relationship between station pressure and
altimeter setting that is used by the National Weather Service ASOS weather stations (see ref
10 ) as:

           Pa = [AS0.1903 - (1.313 x 10-5) x H]5.255

            where   Pa = actual (station) pressure, inches Hg

                        AS = altimeter setting, inches Hg
                         H = station elevation, feet

(Note: several other equations for converting actual pressure to altimeter setting are given in
ref 12.)

Using these equations, the altimeter setting may be readily converted to actual pressure, then
by using the actual pressure along with the temperature and dew point, the local air density
may be calculated, and finally the density may be used to determine the corresponding density
altitude.

 
Given the values of the altimeter setting (the value in the Kollsman window) and the altimeter
reading (the geometric altitude), the following calculator will convert the altitude to
geopotential altitude, and solve equation 16 for the actual pressure at that altitude.

  Altimeter Setting to Actual Pressure

Altimeter Setting hPa (mb)

Geometric Altitude meters

Reset

Geopotential Altitude meters

Actual Pressure hPa (mb)

 by  Richard Shelquist

Using National Weather Service Barometric Pressure:

Now you're probably wondering about converting sea-level corrected barometric pressure, as
commonly reported by the National Weather Service, to actual air pressure for use in
calculating density altitude. Well the good news is that yes, sea level barometric pressure can
be converted to actual air pressure. The bad news is that the result may not be very accurate.

If you want accurate density or density altitude calculations, you really need to know the
actual air pressure.

In order to compare surface pressures from various parts of the country, the National Weather
Service converts the actual air pressure reading into a sea level corrected barometric pressure.
In that way, the common reference to sea level pressure readings allows surface features such
as pressure changes to be more easily understood.

But, unfortunately, there really is no fool-proof way to convert the actual air pressure to a sea
level corrected value. There are a number of such algorithms currently in use, but they all
suffer from various problems that can occasionally cause inaccurate results (see ref 7).  

It has been estimated that the errors in the sea level pressure reading (in mb) may be on the
order of 1.5 times the temperature error for a station like Denver at 1640 meters. So, if the
temperature error was 10 deg C, then the sea level pressure conversion might occasionally be
in error by 15 mb. At  the very highest airports such as Leadville, Colorado at an elevation of
3026 meters (9927 ft), perhaps the error might be on the order of 30 mb.

And further complicating matters, without knowing the details of the algorithm that was used
to calculate the sea level pressure, it is likely that there will be some additional error
introduced in the process of converting the sea level pressure back to the desired actual station
pressure.

These error estimates are probably on the extreme side, but it seems reasonable to say that the
density altitude calculations made using the National Weather Service sea level pressure
calculations may have an uncertainty of ±10% or more.

When using pressure data from the National Weather Service, be certain to find out if the
pressure is the altimeter setting or the sea-level corrected pressure. They may be quite
different in some situations.
 

Density Altitude Algorithm...

Here is a list of the steps performed by my Density Altitude Calculator :

1. convert ambient temperature to deg C,

2. convert geometric (survey) altitude to geopotential altitude in meters,
3. convert dew point to deg C,
4. convert altimeter setting to mb.
5. calculate the saturation vapor pressure, given the ambient temperature
6. calculate the actual vapor pressure given the dew point temperature
7. use geopotential altitude and altimeter setting to calculate the absolute pressure in mb,
8. use absolute pressure, vapor pressure and temp to calculate air density in kg/m3,
9. use the density to find the ISA altitude in meters which has that same density,
10. convert the ISA geopotential altitude to geometric altitude in meters,
11. convert the geometric altitude into the desired units and display the results.
 

My On-Line Density Altitude Calculators:

Click here for Density Altitude Calculator with English units only.

Click here for Density Altitude Calculator with Metric units only.

Click here for Density Altitude Calculator using relative humidity rather than dew point.

Click here for Density Altitude Calculator with both English and Metric units.

Click here for new Engine Tuner's Calculator that includes relative horsepower, air density,
density altitude, virtual temperature, absolute pressure, vapor pressure, relative humidity and
dyno correction factor!

Simpler Methods of Calculation...

If you really want to know the actual density altitude, it will need to be calculated in the
general manner that has been described above.
However, there are many forms of simpler approximations and generalizations that have been
developed over the years, but please note that they are not really the density altitude, they are
just numbers that approximate the density altitude.

In some situations, the density altitude approximations can be fairly accurate, but in some real
life situations with high moisture content in the air, the approximations can sometimes be
quite inaccurate. The simpler form of the approximations is obtained by simply ignoring the
actual moisture content in the air.

Nonetheless, for those who really want a simpler equation, here is an equation used by the
National Weather Service (see ref 13) to calculate the approximate density altitude without
any need to know the humidity, dew point or vapor pressure:

where:  DA  = density altitude, feet

              Pa = actual pressure (station pressure), inches Hg
              Tr = temperature, deg R (deg F + 459.67)

This simplified equation is, basically, just equation (12) above rewritten in US customary
units with no pressure contribution due to water vapor pressure.

The following calculator can be used to compare the results of the accurate calculations (in
geometric altitude, as described earlier on this web page) with the results from the preceding
simplified equation: 
 

Comparison of Actual versus Simplified

Density Altitude
 
12
Air Temperature degrees F
18
Actual Air Pressure inches-Hg
60
Dew Point degrees F

Reset

78
Air Density kg/m3
299
Actual Density Altitude feet
45
Simplified Density Altitude feet
  by Richard Shelquist

The results for dry air (very low dew point) are nearly identical, while the greatest errors in
the simplified equation are when there is a lot of water vapor in the air, i.e. high temperature
accompanied by a high dew point.

For example, on a hot, rainy summer afternoon here in Colorado, 95 deg F with a dew point
of 95 deg, at an altitude of 5050 feet and an altimeter setting of of 29.45 , the actual pressure
is 24.445 in-Hg and the actual Density Altitude is 9753 feet, while the simplified equation
gives a result of 8933 feet.... an error of 820 feet.

So, if you don't mind errors approaching 10% when the air is saturated with a lot of water
vapor (that is, on a hot day with the dew point approaching the ambient temperature), then the
simplified equation, which is much easier to calculate, may suit your needs. But if really want
the utmost accuracy, then you'll have to deal with the gory details of vapor pressure.

enjoy....

Richard Shelquist
Longmont, Colorado

References:

1. List, R.J. (editor), 1958, Smithsonian Meteorological Tables, Smithsonian Institute,

Washington, D.C. 

2.  Thermodynamic subroutines by Schlatter and Baker   .... lots of Fortran algorithms and
excellent references

3.  El Paso National Weather Service ... equations in perl cgi scripts by Tim Brice

4.  http://mtp.jpl.nasa.gov/notes/altitude/altitude.html ... different flavors of altitude explained

6.   http://wahiduddin.net/calc/refs/8UL87.pdf  ... Rotax Service Bulletin

7.  http://www.crh.noaa.gov/unr/?n=mslp ... clearing confusion over sea level pressure

analysis

8.  http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/index.htm ... conversion factors

9.  http://physics.nist.gov/Pubs/SP811/appenB8.html ... SI conversion factors from NIST

10.  http://www.nwstc.noaa.gov/DATAACQ/d.ALGOR/d.PRES/PRESalgoProcess.html   ...

see step 8... (or see The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) Algorithm Tutorial ).

11. http://atmos.nmsu.edu/education_and_outreach/encyclopedia/sat_vapor_pressure.htm  ...

NASA vapor pressure

12.  There are some additional altimeter setting algorithms at 

http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/www/IMOP/publications/IOM-19-Synoptic-AWS.pdf  and
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/elp/wxclc/formulas/altimeterSetting.html    Also see
http://www.softwx.com/weather/uwxutils.html for weather equations, including additional
methods for converting station pressure to altimeter setting.

13. Precision Digital Barometer Spec .. PDF file... National Weather Service document that
includes equations for altimeter setting, and a simple approximation for density altitude.

Some related web links:

http://www.luizmonteiro.com ... a large collection of aviation related calculators

http://atmos.nmsu.edu/education_and_outreach/encyclopedia/humidity.htm ... humidity

equations

http://www.digitaldutch.com/atmoscalc/ ... ISA calculator on-line

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/short.html ... index of education materials

from NASA

El Paso NWS - calculators ... atmospheric calculators using Tim Brice's cgi scripts

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/foil2.html  ... NASA airfoil simulator... this is

fantastic

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wdenalt.htm ... lots of pages of weather related info and

formulas

http://www.natmus.dk/cons/tp/atmcalc/atmoclc1.htm ... moisture calculations

http://hurri.kean.edu/~yoh/calculations/satvap/satvap.html ... saturation equations plus

calculator

http://hurri.kean.edu/~yoh/calculations/moisture/Equations/moist.html ... moisture

calculations

http://www.weathergraphics.com/ ... low-cost software for personal weather analysis

 
http://wahiduddin.net/calc
----- Shelquist Engineering -- Richard Shelquist -- Longmont, Colorado -----