superheating
Past boiling point
Superheating is heating a liquid beyond its boiling point without it actually boiling, or heating steam beyond the temperature at which water would vaporize.
The first sense describes an unstable state—superheated water can flash violently into steam when disturbed.
The second is standard in power generation, where superheated steam drives turbines more efficiently: The plant uses superheated steam at 540 degrees Celsius.
Liquid vaporization temperature
- vaporizationConversion to gas
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- metastableStable but not permanently
- thermodynamicsScience of heat-energy relationships
enthalpy · calorimetry · conduction · convection · radiation · temperature · pressure · saturation
Liquefied by extreme heat
- castingShaping through liquid form
- pouringFlowing in volume
- fluidityState of flowing freely
- meltChange from solid
furnace · foundry · degassing · slag · ingot · ladle · alloy · steel
Free-flowing substance
Water-heating vessel
- turbineBlade-driven energy converter
- generatorElectricity-producing machine
- desalinationExtracting salt from seawater
- sterilizationComplete elimination of microbes
locomotive · autoclave · industrial · vapour · condensation · efficiency · thermal · engineering
boiling
Liquid vaporization temperature
- vaporizationConversion to gas
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- metastableStable but not permanently
thermodynamics · enthalpy · calorimetry · conduction · convection · radiation · temperature · pressure · saturation · equilibrium
molten
Liquefied by extreme heat
melt · furnace · foundry · degassing · slag · ingot · ladle · alloy · steel · iron
liquid
Free-flowing substance
boiler
Water-heating vessel
- turbineBlade-driven energy converter
- generatorElectricity-producing machine
- desalinationExtracting salt from seawater
sterilization · locomotive · autoclave · industrial · vapour · condensation · efficiency · thermal · engineering
droplet
Tiny liquid sphere
- insulationThermal transfer prevention
- surfaceOutermost boundary layer
- quenchingRapid cooling process
- chemistryatom, atoms, organic chemistry, molecule, chemistry
- refrigerationcompressor, refrigerator, refrigerant, condenser, refrigerants
- thermodynamicsentropy, enthalpy, free energy, second law, thermal equilibrium
- heat transferconduction, convection, conductors, insulators, radiation
- metastabilityunstable equilibrium, local minimum, energy barrier, supercooling, supersaturation
superheatingsupercooling
Liquid chilled below freezing
undercooling · subcooling · flash freezing · freezing · condensation
superheatingsupercooling
Liquid chilled below freezing
cooling · freezing · chilling · refrigeration · quenching
heat, heated, heating, heater, reheating, overheating, superheat, superheated, superheats