utladningen

Utladningen, or the discharge, is a Swedish term used to denote the act or process of releasing, emitting, or emptying a system's contents or its stored energy. It is used across disciplines to describe transitions from a higher to a lower state, or the outflow of material or energy.

Etymology: The word is formed from ut- meaning out and laddning meaning charging or load, and the definite form utladningen refers to a specific discharge event.

In science and engineering:

- Electrical discharge refers to the movement of electric charge from one conductor to another or to ground, often producing light, heat, or a spark. It can occur in capacitors, insulators, or air gaps and is a central concept in safety engineering and high-voltage design.

- Hydrological discharge denotes the volumetric flow rate of water through a channel, river, or reservoir, typically measured in cubic meters per second (m3/s). It is a key parameter in flood forecasting and water resources management.

- Battery and electrochemical discharge describes the conversion of stored chemical energy into electrical energy as a load draws current; discharge curves illustrate voltage and capacity over time.

Other uses include unloading or discharging cargo from ships, trucks, or storage facilities, where utladningen describes the process of removing goods from transportation or storage.

See also: discharge, unloading, battery discharge, hydraulic discharge.