Condenser

A condenser is a device or component that condenses a vapor into a liquid by removing heat. In thermodynamics and mechanical engineering, condensers enable the completion of vapor–liquid phase change, which is essential in power plants, refrigeration cycles, and distillation. By rejecting latent heat to a cooling medium, condensers maintain low vapor pressures and help sustain continuous operation of cycles such as Rankine and refrigeration cycles.

Typical condensers are heat exchangers. Common configurations include shell-and-tube and plate designs, which may be cooled by water or by air. Water-cooled condensers use cooling water circulated through tubes; air-cooled condensers rely on ambient air. In steam power plants and gas-turbine systems, the condenser condenses exhaust steam to recover condensate and to keep the turbine exhaust at a low pressure. In air conditioning, the condenser rejects heat from the indoor to the surrounding environment.

Performance depends on fluid properties, cooling medium availability, fouling, and pressure drop. Materials must resist corrosion and scaling. Maintenance includes cleaning, monitoring for leaks, and ensuring proper flow. In refrigeration, condenser efficiency is linked to approach temperature and condenser outlet conditions.

Historically, condenser is also an archaic term for capacitor, a device that stores electrical energy in an electric field. In this sense, a condenser microphone uses a movable diaphragm forming a capacitor to convert sound into an electrical signal. Modern electronics typically uses the term capacitor, but "condenser" persists in some contexts for electrolytic, film, and ceramic capacitors, and in microphone technology.