Compressed fluid
A compressed fluid is a fluid under mechanical or thermodynamic conditions that force it to be a liquid.
At a given pressure, a fluid is a compressed fluid if it is at a temperature lower than the saturation temperature. This is the case, for example, for liquid water at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. In a plot that compares pressure and specific volume, compressed fluid is the state to the left of the saturation curve.
Conditions that cause a fluid to be compressed include:
- Specific volume and enthalpy inferior to that of a saturated liquid;
- Temperature below the saturation temperature;
- Pressure above the saturation pressure.