Condensation is the change in matter of a substance to a denser phase, such as a gas (or vapor) to a liquid. Condensation commonly occurs when a vapor is cooled to a liquid, but can also occur if a vapor is compressed (i.e., pressure on it increased) into a liquid, or undergoes a combination of cooling and compression. Liquid which has been condensed from a vapor is called condensate. A device or unit used to condense vapors into liquid is called a condenser. Condensers are typically coolers or heat exchangers which are used for various purposes, have various designs, and come in many sizes ranging from rather small (hand-held) to very large.
Condensation of vapor into liquid is the opposite of evaporation or boiling and is an exothermic process, meaning it releases heat. The water seen on the outside of a cold glass on a hot day is condensation.
Water vapor from air which naturally condenses on cold surfaces into liquid water is called dew. Water vapour will only condense onto another surface when that surface is cooler than the temperature of the water vapor, or when the water vapor equilibrium in air, i. e. saturation humidity, has been exceeded. When water vapor condenses onto a surface, a net warming occurs on that surface.
The water molecule brings a parcel of heat with it. In turn, the temperature of the atmosphere drops very slightly. In the atmosphere, condensation of water vapour is what produces clouds. The dew point of an air parcel is the temperature to which it must cool before condensation in the air begins to form.
Also, a net condensation of water vapor occurs on surfaces when the temperature of the surface is at or below the dew point temperature of the atmosphere. Deposition is a type of condensation. Frost and snow are examples of deposition (or sublimation). Deposition is the direct formation of ice from water vapor.
Because condensation is a naturally occuring phenomenon, it can often be used to generate water in large quantities for human use. In fact, there are many structures that are made solely for the purpose of collecting water from condensation, such as fog fences, air wells, and dew ponds.
Such systems can often be used to retain soil moisture in areas where active desertification is occuring. In fact, certain organizations use education about water condensers in efforts to effectively aid such areas.
click here:http://www.ces.purdue.edu/pork/images/jones/condense.jpg
http://www.rexresearch.com/airwells/airwells.htm
2006-11-13 05:20:17
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Condensation is the change in matter of a substance to a denser phase, such as a gas (or vapor) to a liquid. Condensation commonly occurs when a vapor is cooled to a liquid, but can also occur if a vapor is compressed (i.e., pressure on it increased) into a liquid, or undergoes a combination of cooling and compression. Liquid which has been condensed from a vapor is called condensate. A device or unit used to condense vapors into liquid is called a condenser. Condensers are typically coolers or heat exchangers which are used for various purposes, have various designs, and come in many sizes ranging from rather small (hand-held) to very large.
Condensation of vapor into liquid is the opposite of evaporation or boiling and is an exothermic process, meaning it releases heat. The water seen on the outside of a cold glass on a hot day is condensation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensation
2006-11-13 05:19:39
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answer #2
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answered by DarkChoco 4
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The term "condensation" is also used to describe chemical reactions which remove water from between two reactants and put the two remaining parts together. So, for example, when two sugars are joined together to form a disaccharide, water is removed from between them, and that's a condensation reaction...There are a lot of these kinds of reactions in biochemistry.
2006-11-13 05:37:48
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answer #3
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answered by hcbiochem 7
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when water turns from a vapor to a liquid.. for exaple when your iced drink "sweats." That water on the outside of the glass is condensation.
2006-11-13 05:20:32
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answer #4
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answered by ? 3
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you know when you get a glass of ice water and the glass starts to have little water droplets on the outside?? thats condensation....i think
2006-11-13 05:19:55
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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Look it up on the net, better information than any1 can give to u
2006-11-13 05:30:07
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answer #6
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answered by the one and only 2
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