Difference Between Latent Heat And Sensible Heat

     Sensible heat is the heat provided to a fluid that changes (increases) it's temperature, but does not effects the phase. 

     

     Let's take and example of water. If you start heating water at atmospheric pressure (1 atm) and at 25 degree C, the temperature of water starts increasing, but the water will remain in liquid phase upto 100 degree C. This heat supplied would be called as sensible heat.

     Latent Heat is the heat provided to the fluid that changes it's phase and it does not changes the temperature of the substance. It is worth to note that phases change always take place at "constant" temperature.

     Let's take same example as above. Now, water is at 100 degree C and at 1 atm pressure and you continue to heat it. At that instant, after absorbing some heat the water changes from liquid phase (at 100 C) to vapor phase (at 100 C). Look, the temperature does not change for a phase change. This "some heat" provided is the latent heat for water.

     Every substance has it's own value of latent and sensible heat.