Home
Back
Latent Heat of Fusion Formula:
| From: | To: |
Latent heat of fusion is the amount of heat energy required to change a substance from solid to liquid state at its melting point without changing its temperature. It's a fundamental property of materials that describes how much energy is needed for phase transition.
The calculator uses the latent heat of fusion formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates the energy required per unit mass to change a substance from solid to liquid phase at constant temperature.
Details: Calculating latent heat of fusion is crucial in various applications including material science, refrigeration systems, climate studies, cooking, and industrial processes involving phase changes.
Tips: Enter heat energy in joules (J) and mass in kilograms (kg). Both values must be positive numbers. The calculator will compute the latent heat of fusion in joules per kilogram (J/kg).
Q1: What's the difference between latent heat of fusion and vaporization?
A: Latent heat of fusion applies to solid-liquid transitions, while latent heat of vaporization applies to liquid-gas transitions. Vaporization typically requires much more energy.
Q2: Why is latent heat called "latent"?
A: The term "latent" means hidden, referring to the fact that this heat energy doesn't cause a temperature change but is instead used for the phase transition.
Q3: Does latent heat of fusion vary with pressure?
A: Yes, latent heat values can vary slightly with pressure, though for most practical applications at standard atmospheric pressure, it's considered constant for a given substance.
Q4: What are typical values for common materials?
A: Water has a latent heat of fusion of 334 kJ/kg, while metals like iron have much higher values (around 270 kJ/kg), and substances like mercury have lower values (11.4 kJ/kg).
Q5: Can this formula be used for all materials?
A: The basic formula applies to all materials, but the actual latent heat value is specific to each substance and must be determined experimentally.