Saturated and Superheated Vapors - Thermodynamics

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Saturated and Superheated Vapors

If a substance exists entirely as vapor at saturation temperature, it is called saturated vapor. Sometimes the term dry saturated vapor is used to emphasize that the quality is 100%. When the vapor is at a temperature greater than the saturation temperature, it is said to exist as superheated vapor. The pressure and temperature of superheated vapor are independent properties, since the temperature may increase while the pressure remains constant. Actually, the substances we call gases are highly superheated vapors.