Condensation

Condensation
Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from

the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the reverse of
vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle.[1] It
can also be defined as the change in the state of water vapor to
liquid water when in contact with a liquid or solid surface or cloud
condensation nuclei within the atmosphere. When the transition
happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the
change is called deposition.
Condensation forming in the low

Contents pressure zone above the wing of an
aircraft due to adiabatic expansion
Initiation
Reversibility scenarios
Most common scenarios
Measurement
Applications of condensation
Biological adaptation
Condensation in building construction
Table
See also
References
Initiation
Condensation is initiated by the formation of atomic/molecular clusters of that species within its gaseous
volume—like rain drop or snow flake formation within clouds—or at the contact between such gaseous
phase and a liquid or solid surface. In clouds, this can be catalyzed by water-nucleating proteins, produced
by atmospheric microbes, which are capable of binding gaseous or liquid water molecules. [2]
Reversibility scenarios
A few distinct reversibility scenarios emerge here with respect to the nature of the surface.
absorption into the surface of a liquid (either of the same substance or one of its solvents)—
is reversible as evaporation.[1]
adsorption (as dew droplets) onto solid surface at pressures and temperatures higher than
the species' triple point—also reversible as evaporation.
adsorption onto solid surface (as supplemental layers of solid) at pressures and
temperatures lower than the species' triple point—is reversible as sublimation.
Most common scenarios
Condensation commonly occurs when a vapor is cooled and/or compressed to its saturation limit when the
molecular density in the gas phase reaches its maximal threshold. Vapor cooling and compressing
equipment that collects condensed liquids is called a "condenser".
Measurement
Psychrometry measures the rates of condensation through
evaporation into the air moisture at various atmospheric pressures
and temperatures. Water is the product of its vapor condensation—
condensation is the process of such phase conversion.
Applications of condensation
Condensation on a window on a cold
Condensation is a crucial component of distillation, an important day.
laboratory and industrial chemistry application.
Because condensation is a naturally occurring phenomenon, it can

often be used to generate water in large quantities for human use.
Many structures are made solely for the purpose of collecting
water from condensation, such as air wells and fog fences. Such
systems can often be used to retain soil moisture in areas where
active desertification is occurring—so much so that some
organizations educate people living in affected areas about water
condensers to help them deal effectively with the situation.[3]
In cloud chambers a liquid
It is also a crucial process in forming particle tracks in a cloud (sometimes water, but usually
chamber. In this case, ions produced by an incident particle act as isopropanol) condenses upon contact
nucleation centers for the condensation of the vapor producing the with a particle of radiation thus
visible "cloud" trails. producing an effect similar to
contrails
Commercial applications of condensation, by consumers as well as
industry, include power generation, water desalination,[4] thermal
management,[5] refrigeration,[6] and air conditioning.[7]
Biological adaptation
Numerous living beings use water made accessible by condensation. A few examples of these are the
Australian thorny devil, the darkling beetles of the Namibian coast, and the coast redwoods of the West
Coast of the United States.
Condensation in building construction

Condensation in building construction is an unwanted phenomenon as it may cause dampness, mold health
issues, wood rot, corrosion, weakening of mortar and masonry walls, and energy penalties due to increased
heat transfer. To alleviate these issues, the indoor air humidity needs to be lowered, or air ventilation in the
building needs to be improved. This can be done in a number of ways, for example opening windows,
turning on extractor fans, using dehumidifiers, drying clothes outside and covering pots and pans whilst
cooking. Air conditioning or ventilation systems can be installed
that help remove moisture from the air, and move air throughout a
building.[8] The amount of water vapor that can be stored in the air
can be increased simply by increasing the temperature.[8]
However, this can be a double edged sword as most condensation
in the home occurs when warm, moisture heavy air comes into
contact with a cool surface. As the air is cooled, it can no longer
hold as much water vapor. This leads to deposition of water on the
cool surface. This is very apparent when central heating is used in
combination with single glazed windows in winter. Condensation on a window during a
rain shower.
Interstructure condensation may be caused by thermal bridges,
insufficient or lacking insulation, damp proofing or insulated
glazing.[9]
Table
Phase transitions of matter ()
To Solid Liquid Gas Plasma
From
Solid Melting Sublimation
Liquid Freezing Vaporization
Gas Deposition Condensation Ionization
Plasma Recombination
See also
Air well (condenser)
Bose–Einstein condensate
Cloud physics
DNA condensation
Groasis Waterboxx
Kelvin equation
Liquefaction of gases
Phase diagram
Phase transition
Retrograde condensation
Surface condenser
References
1. IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online
corrected version: (2006–) "condensation in atmospheric chemistry (https://goldbook.iupac.
org/C01235.html)". doi:10.1351/goldbook.C01235 (https://doi.org/10.1351%2Fgoldbook.C01
235)
2. Schiermeier, Quirin (2008-02-28). " 'Rain-making' bacteria found around the world" (https://w
ww.nature.com/news/2008/080228/full/news.2008.632.html). Nature. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
3. FogQuest - Fog Collection / Water Harvesting Projects - Welcome (http://www.fogquest.org/)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20090223071843/http://www.fogquest.org/) 2009-02-
23 at the Wayback Machine
4. Warsinger, David M.; Mistry, Karan H.; Nayar, Kishor G.; Chung, Hyung Won; Lienhard V.,
John H. (2015). "Entropy Generation of Desalination Powered by Variable Temperature
Waste Heat" (https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fe17117530). Entropy. 17 (11): 7530–7566.
Bibcode:2015Entrp..17.7530W (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015Entrp..17.7530W).
doi:10.3390/e17117530 (https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fe17117530).
5. White, F.M. ‘Heat and Mass Transfer’ © 1988 Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. pp. 602–604
6. Q&A: Microchannel air-cooled condenser; Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration; April 2011;
"Archived copy" (http://www.heatcraftrpd.com/landing/2011/air-cooled-condenser/res/pdfs/H-
ACCMCX-QA.pdf) (PDF). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120417093034/http://ww
w.heatcraftrpd.com/landing/2011/air-cooled-condenser/res/pdfs/H-ACCMCX-QA.pdf) (PDF)
from the original on 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
7. Enright, Ryan (23 Jul 2014). "Dropwise Condensation on Micro- and Nanostructured
Surfaces" (https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/85005/1/Dropwise%20Condensation%2
0on%20Micro-%20and%20Nanostructured%20Surfaces.pdf) (PDF). Nanoscale and
Microscale Thermophysical Engineering. 18 (3): 223–250. Bibcode:2014NMTE...18..223E
(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014NMTE...18..223E).
doi:10.1080/15567265.2013.862889 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F15567265.2013.862889).
hdl:1721.1/85005 (https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1%2F85005). S2CID 97855214 (https://api.se
manticscholar.org/CorpusID:97855214).
8. "Condensation" (https://web.archive.org/web/20131213114908/http://propertyhive.org/conde
nsation/). Property Hive. Archived from the original (http://www.wisepropertycare.com/conde
nsation) on 2013-12-13.
9. "Condensation around the house - what causes condensation" (http://www.diydata.com/prob
lem/condensation/condensation.php). diydata.com. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
080113064649/http://www.diydata.com/problem/condensation/condensation.php) from the
original on 2008-01-13.
Sources
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Condensation

Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from

Condensation forming in the low

Because condensation is a naturally occurring phenomenon, it can

Condensation in building construction

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Condensation&oldid=1038981320"

This page was last edited on 15 August 2021, at 23:51 (UTC).

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