Meaning & use
superheater
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A part of a boiler or power plant that heats steam above the temperature at which it formed, making it dry and more powerful.
Grammar: A countable noun: install a superheater.
Patterns
- the superheater in something
The superheater raises steam temperature in the boiler.
Engineers replaced a damaged superheater in the power plant.
A superheater helped the old locomotive run more efficiently.
nouncountablerare
In general use, any device that heats a liquid or gas to a very high temperature.
Grammar: Rare and general; usually the steam sense is meant.
Patterns
- a superheater for something
The lab built a superheater to test materials.
A superheater was needed for the experiment.
The factory installed a superheater to dry the vapor.
Word forms
| plural | superheaters |
|---|
Common combinations
- install a superheater
- They installed a superheater to boost efficiency.
- superheater tubes
- The superheater tubes carry hot steam.
- steam superheater
- A steam superheater dries the steam.
- superheater coil
- The superheater coil needed cleaning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reheater
- A reheater heats steam again after it has run through a turbine, while a superheater heats it before use.
- boiler
- A boiler makes steam, whereas a superheater raises its temperature further.
- heat exchanger
- Heat exchanger is the general category that includes superheaters.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: superheater or supercharger?
superheater vs supercharger
A supercharger forces extra air into an engine; a superheater adds heat to steam.
Practice
Which device raises steam to a much higher temperature so it is dry?
Choose one answer.
A superheater heats steam beyond its boiling point. A condenser does the opposite by turning steam to water.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “superheater”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.