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heat of condensation
The amount of heat liberated by a unit mass of gas at its boiling point as it condenses into a liquid. It is equal in quantity to the heat of vaporization.
Heat of condensation is an important concept in understanding how a refrigerator works. Once the the refrigerant passes through the coil, and through the inside of the refrigerator, it returns to the compressor. The compressor converts the refrigerant back into a liquid. When a gas condenses to form a liquid, it gives off heat – the heat of condensation. In this way, the refrigerant gets rid of the heat it absorbed from the inside of the refrigerator, which is why the coil at the back of a refrigerator feels warm. Thus rid of this heat, the refrigerant is ready to cycle through the coil again and remove more heat from the inside of the refrigerator.
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