Saturationstemperatur

Saturationstemperatur, often translated as saturation temperature, is a fundamental concept in thermodynamics, particularly relevant to phase transitions of pure substances. It refers to the temperature at which a pure substance can coexist in equilibrium between two phases at a given pressure. For example, at a specific pressure, the saturation temperature is the temperature at which water boils and becomes steam, or the temperature at which steam condenses back into water.

This temperature is not a fixed value but depends directly on the pressure of the system. As pressure increases, the saturation temperature also increases. Conversely, a decrease in pressure leads to a lower saturation temperature. This relationship is often depicted on phase diagrams, where it forms a boundary line between different phases.

Understanding saturation temperature is crucial in various engineering applications, including refrigeration cycles, power generation in steam turbines, and distillation processes. It allows engineers to predict and control phase changes by manipulating pressure and temperature. For a pure substance, there is only one saturation temperature at any given pressure.