Three Energy Reservoirs in Water

Definition

The three ways water stores energy: kinetic energy as sensible heat, potential energy as hydrogen-bond deformation, and phase-change energy as latent heat.

All materials store energy in these ways to some degree. Water stands apart because all three reservoirs are large, accessible, and useful across the temperatures where industry, climate, and life operate. This combination is the engineering reason water is called the hero of heat transfer.

Related concepts

Specific Heat Capacity · Sensible Heat · Latent Heat

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🔥 thermodynamics