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Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Thermodynamics and Physical Properties

Heat capacity

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In chemical engineering, heat capacity means: The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a material by one degree. Per kilogram it is called specific heat capacity; water's is about 4.18 kJ/(kg·K).

In Turkish: ısı kapasitesi, öz ısı, özgül ısı

How it is used

Used in every sensible-heat calculation: Q = m·cp·ΔT. Engineers take values from data books or simulators and use cp for constant pressure. It is needed to size exchangers and estimate how fast a vessel heats up or cools down.

Example sentences

  1. Oil has about half the heat capacity of water, so you need twice the mass flow for the same duty.

  2. Check the heat capacity of the mixture, not just the pure solvent.

Common collocations

  • specific heat capacity
  • heat capacity at constant pressure
  • mean heat capacity
  • cp value
  • latent heatThe heat taken in or given out when a substance changes phase, for example from liquid to vapor, without any change in temperature.
  • enthalpyA measure of the heat content of a substance, used to calculate how much energy is needed to heat, cool, vaporize or react it at constant pressure. Usually given in kJ/kg or kJ/mol.
  • energy balanceA calculation that tracks all the energy entering and leaving a system as heat, work and the enthalpy of the streams, so that heating and cooling needs can be found.
  • heat dutyThe amount of heat that a heat exchanger, reboiler, condenser or furnace must transfer per unit time, usually given in kW or MW.

More terms: Thermodynamics and Physical Properties

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