The condition of a gas that leaves a system at a higher temperature than its saturation temperature is called what?

• A. Condensation
• B. Saturation
• C. Superheating
• D. Subcooling

Answer: (C)

Superheating occurs when a vapor is hotter than its saturation temperature for the given pressure. If a gas leaves the system at a higher temperature than the saturation point, it remains a vapor with extra energy above the phase-change threshold, not condensing. That’s exactly what superheated means: the vapor is not in equilibrium with liquid at that pressure, but is above the temperature where condensation would begin.

For contrast, condensation would mean the gas cooled to its condensation point and turned into a liquid; subcooling refers to a liquid kept below its saturation temperature; simply being at saturation would imply it’s at the equilibrium point between liquid and vapor.