Meaning & use
non-condensable
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Describing a gas that cannot be turned into liquid by cooling or pressure under normal conditions.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'non-condensable gas'; it is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- non-condensable gas
- non-condensable gases
The engineer explained that non-condensable gases like nitrogen can build up in the system and reduce efficiency.
Before the steam can be reused, any non-condensable gas must be removed from the condenser.
They installed a vent to release non-condensable gases from the tank.
Common combinations
- non-condensable gas
- Air is a non-condensable gas that can cause problems in a steam heating system.
- non-condensable gases
- The lab tested for non-condensable gases in the sealed container.
- remove non-condensable gases
- The technician used a vacuum pump to remove non-condensable gases.
- build-up of non-condensable gas
- A build-up of non-condensable gas lowered the pressure in the pipe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- incondensable
- Incondensable is a rarer synonym with the same technical meaning; non-condensable is more common in modern writing.
Opposites
Word family
- condense verb
- To change from a gas to a liquid, or to make something shorter.
- condensation noun
- The process of a gas turning into a liquid, or the liquid that forms.
- condenser noun
- A device that cools a gas until it becomes liquid.
Commonly confused: non-condensable or incompressible?
non-condensable vs incompressible
Incompressible means 'cannot be squeezed into a smaller volume', while non-condensable means 'cannot be turned into liquid'. A gas can be non-condensable but still compressible.
Practice
In a chemistry context, what does 'non-condensable' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Non-condensable' describes a gas that stays a gas even when cooled or compressed, so it cannot be liquefied under normal conditions. 'Cannot be compressed' describes incompressible, which is a different property.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-condensable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.