What type of heat exchanger is designed to cool steam back into its liquid form?

A condenser is specifically engineered to cool steam back into its liquid form, which is a critical process in many industrial applications. When steam enters the condenser, it comes into contact with a cooling medium, such as water or air. As the steam loses heat to the cooling medium, it undergoes a phase change from vapor to liquid. This process is essential for efficiently recycling condensate in thermal cycles, such as in power generation or refrigeration systems.

The design and operation of a condenser allow it to effectively remove heat from the steam, facilitating its conversion back to a liquid state. This forms part of a larger thermodynamic cycle, enabling continuous operation and improving thermal efficiency. By contrast, options such as evaporators, heat exchangers, and reboilers serve different functions, so they do not specifically carry out the task of cooling steam to condense it into liquid.