non-condensable gases

Meaning

1. 1nounpluraltechnical

   Gases such as air or nitrogen that stay in gas form at the temperatures and pressures inside a system, instead of turning into liquid like the working fluid.

   Grammar: Normally plural: non-condensable gases build up in the condenser.

   Patterns

   • non-condensable gases in something
   • remove non-condensable gases

   Non-condensable gases collected at the top of the condenser and made it less efficient.

   The technician purged the non-condensable gases from the refrigeration line.

   Air leaking into a steam plant adds non-condensable gases that reduce heat transfer.

Common combinations

purge non-condensable gases

Operators purge non-condensable gases to restore the vacuum.

build-up of non-condensable gases

A build-up of non-condensable gases can raise the head pressure.

remove non-condensable gases

A vacuum pump can remove non-condensable gases before the system is charged.

presence of non-condensable gases

The presence of non-condensable gases was shown by the high condenser pressure.

Synonyms and how they differ

incondensable gases

Incondensable gases is a rarer variant, found mostly in older or European engineering texts.

permanent gases

Permanent gases is a broader, older term for gases such as oxygen and nitrogen that were once thought impossible to liquefy, and it is less system-specific.

Opposites

Word family

condense verb

to change from gas to liquid

condensation noun

the process of a gas turning into liquid

condenser noun

a device that cools vapor into liquid

condensable adjective

able to be turned into liquid

Commonly confused: non-condensable gases or noncombustible?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “non-condensable gases”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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