What is saturated steam?

Saturated steam is defined as steam that exists at the same temperature as its boiling water and is in a state of equilibrium. This means that the temperature and pressure conditions are such that the steam can coexist with liquid water without changing state. In this condition, both the liquid and vapor phases are present at the boiling point for that specific pressure.

When water reaches its boiling point, it begins to produce steam, and once the water is completely converted to steam at that temperature and pressure, it is considered saturated steam. This balance allows for a consistent energy transfer process, which is essential in various engineering applications, especially in systems involving heat transfer and power generation.

In contrast, steam released from a pressurized system or steam that is superheated above the boiling temperature operates under different thermodynamic principles and does not maintain this equilibrium with water at the boiling point. Similarly, steam formed under vacuum conditions represents a different state of steam that does not correspond to the definition of saturated steam.