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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

Specific heat

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In mechanical engineering, specific heat means: The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a material by 1 °C (1 K). Water has a high value, about 4.18 kJ/(kg·K).

In Turkish: özgül ısı, özısı, özgül ısı kapasitesi

How it is used

Used in heat balance, HVAC and process calculations, and usually written c or cp. Engineers use Q = m · c · ΔT to find the heat needed to warm or cool a fluid. The full name is specific heat capacity.

Example sentences

  1. Because water has a high specific heat, it is a good fluid for carrying heat in heating systems.

  2. Use the specific heat of the oil, not of water, in this calculation.

Common collocations

  • specific heat capacity
  • specific heat of water
  • cp value
  • heat balance
  • heat transferThe movement of thermal energy from a hotter place to a colder one. It happens in three ways: conduction, convection and radiation.
  • thermodynamicsThe branch of physics and engineering that studies heat, work and energy and how they change from one form to another, for example in engines, turbines and refrigerators.
  • thermal conductivityA material property that shows how easily heat passes through a material by conduction, measured in W/(m·K). Copper conducts heat very well; insulation foam does not.
  • cooling loadThe amount of heat that must be removed from a space to keep it at the design temperature and humidity. It comes from the sun, people, lights, equipment and outdoor air.

More terms: Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

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