Supercritical may refer to:
Physics and technology
Condensed matter physics
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Critical temperature, T
C, a temperature above which distinct liquid and gas phases do not exist for a given material
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Supercritical drying
Supercritical drying, also known as critical point drying, is a process to remove liquid in a precise and controlled way. It is useful in the production of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), the drying of spices, the production of aerogel, t ...
, a process used to remove liquid in a precisely controlled way, similar to freeze drying
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Supercritical fluid, a substance at a temperature and pressure above its thermodynamic critical point:
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Supercritical carbon dioxide:
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Supercritical fluid chromatography, a form of liquid chromatography using supercritical carbon dioxide as the mobile phase
***Supercritical water:
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Supercritical steam generator
A supercritical steam generator is a type of boiler that operates at supercritical pressure, frequently used in the production of electric power.
In contrast to a subcritical boiler in which bubbles can form, a supercritical steam generator op ...
, a steam generator operating above the critical point of water, hence having no water–steam separation
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Supercritical water oxidation or SCWO, a process that occurs in water at temperatures and pressures above a mixture's thermodynamic critical point
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Supercritical water reactor (SCWR), a Generation IV nuclear reactor concept that uses supercritical water as the working fluid
Flows
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Supercritical flow
A supercritical flow is a flow whose velocity is larger than the wave velocity. The analogous condition in gas dynamics is supersonic speed.
According to the website Civil Engineering Terms, supercritical flow is defined as follows:
The flow a ...
, where flow velocity is larger than wave velocity
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Supercritical airfoil
A supercritical airfoil (supercritical aerofoil in British English) is an airfoil designed primarily to delay the onset of wave drag in the transonic speed range.
Supercritical airfoils are characterized by their flattened upper surface, highly ...
, an airfoil designed to delay the onset of wave drag in the transonic speed regime
Nuclear physics
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Supercritical mass
In nuclear engineering, a critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (specifically, its nuclear fissio ...
, an amount of fissile material that will undergo a sustained nuclear chain reaction at an increasing rate
Mathematics
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Hopf bifurcation
In the bifurcation theory, mathematical theory of bifurcations, a Hopf bifurcation is a Critical point (mathematics), critical point where a system's stability switches and a Periodic function, periodic solution arises. More accurately, it is a lo ...
, in mathematics, a local bifurcation; when the first Lyapunov coefficient is negative, the bifurcation is called supercritical
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Pitchfork bifurcation
In bifurcation theory, a field within mathematics, a pitchfork bifurcation is a particular type of local bifurcation where the system transitions from one fixed point to three fixed points. Pitchfork bifurcations, like Hopf bifurcations, have two ...
, in mathematics, similar to Hopf bifurcation
Other uses
* ''
Super Critical'', an album by British pop/rock group The Ting Tings
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