Evaporative Cooling
Definition
The cooling of a bulk liquid that occurs when its most energetic surface molecules escape into vapor, carrying their energy away and lowering the average kinetic energy of the molecules left behind.
It is the same underlying mechanism as boiling but paid for differently, with the remaining liquid covering the latent heat cost by cooling down rather than fuel supplying it. The escaping molecule takes molecular motion and stored potential energy upward, so the Hydrogen-Bond Network loses configuration energy and the liquid temperature drops. This is the basis for cooling towers, where the water vapor leaving is energy carried away from where it causes problems to the atmosphere.
Related concepts
Latent Heat of Vaporization · Wet-bulb temperature · Chiller Circuit
Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🔥 thermodynamics