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Tempratech Self-Cooling Can
r.future writes "I saw on Gizmodo that a company called Tempratech has created an 100% safe and environmentally friendly aluminum can that uses a self-chilling process involving a cooling gel, desiccant, and heat sinks, to chill itself. The self-contained I.C. Can is the approximate size of a 500 mL beverage can. This includes the beverage container itself, and the integral self-chilling device, and according to Tempratech the can is 'proven to lower beverage temp by a minimum of 30 degrees Fahrenheit in only three minutes.'"
For those of us in the US:
Google has the conversion.
500 ml = 16.9070113 US fluid ounces
$ whois tempratech.com ... ...
d s/1ACV01/04.mp3
Tempra Technology Inc.
6140 15th Street East
Bradenton, FL 34203
US
Quick, someone in Bradenton order a pizza for I.C. Can, and send it to Tempratech!
http://www.gotfuturama.com/Multimedia/EpisodeSoun
I thought this was going to be from the Self-heating Soup can guys, but it's not.
This one seems a little more real (not a case study), as the company already has some temp technology products that are further along... Also, the Gizmodo link says it holds 10oz.
in the words of homer simpson, mmmmmmmmmmmmMMMmmm, cold frosty beer, aghghgahghaghaghagh
... those materials you mix to get an extremely endothermic reaction? And what about the reaction byproducts?
Its not going to be real easy to recycle now, is it? Or can they melt the whole thing down, desiccant and all? Seems unlikely.
Unless this new way off chilling doesn't significantly affect the price of a given can of soda, I don't see it going anywhere.
If it's bulkier and more expensive what incentive do people have for purchasing a drink stored in such a can?
Wow, that's really cool!
In mother Russia, Can chills YOU! Hmm...
... but I want it now!
.
-- I care not for your foolish signatures.
Self-Chilling I.C. Can
(filed under gadgets) Speaking of cold beverages, Tempra Technology has developed the I.C. Can, a "100% safe and environmentally friendly" aluminum can that uses a self-chilling process involving a cooling gel, desiccant, and heat sinks. They claim to be able to drop the temperature of the 10-ounces of beverage inside by 30 degrees Fahrenheit in three minutes. It's pretty cool tech, but I can't help but wonder if it's all a bit convoluted. That doesn't mean I don't want to try one; unfortunately, Tempra is still looking for a partner to actually put a branded beverage inside. (Thanks, JEB!)
FROM THE MANUFACTURER'S WEBSITE:
Ingenious.
The I.C Can(TM) is the result of the solid partnership of Tempra Technology and Crown Cork & Seal, who are currently discussing commercialization and marketing of this self-chilling can to top beverage companies. Imagine: an icy cold beverage without refrigerated vending machines or bulky ice chests.
The world's first self-chilling can is finally here! It works. It's safe. And it's development is nearing completion now through the partnership of Tempra Technology and Crown Cork & Seal.
The advanced design utilizes the latest breakthroughs in thermal, insulating and vacuum heat pump technology. The self-contained I.C. Can(TM) is the approximate size of a 500 mL beverage can. This includes the beverage container itself, and the integral self-chilling device.
Proprietary engineering creates a temperature drop proven to reduce the I.C. Can's(TM) contents by a minimum of 30 Fahrenheit (16.7 C) in just minutes. When activated, the all natural desiccant contained within a vacuum draws the heat from the beverage through the evaporator into an insulated heat-sink container. It is this patented vacuum-power which lowers the temperature so dramatically and quickly, leaving the beverage inside cool and refreshing.
And it's safe! I.C. Can's(TM) innovative design is 100% safe and environ- mentally-friendly; easy to operate, store and transport. The self-contained I.C. Can(TM) uses no carbon dioxide, CFC, HFC, or any other compressed gases and is totally non-toxic, without risk of gas or vapor escape.
As Tempra Technology and Crown Cork & Seal continue to finalize development of the self-chilling I.C. Can(TM) for mass production, we'll also innovate new cutting-edge technologies for other applications in the beverage industry.
To learn more about the exciting - and very real - I.C. Can(TM), call 1-877-TEMPRA-1.
...that Coke Halliburton sent to Iraq was so expensive...
Seriously, which would you choose, a beverage that cost $1 which you had to refrigerate, or a beverage that costs $20 which you don't?
but have you considered the following argument: shut up.
Well unless the aluminum is now biodegradable, how environment firendly can it be?
For those of you NOT in the US:
30F = 16.66C
With the server slowing down under the load, maybe they'll be inspired to adapt the technology to a line of temporary high-intensity CPU heatsinks.
"Lawyers are for sucks."
- Doug McKenzie
I have a can that can not only keep cold things cold, it also keeps warm things warm.
What I haven't puzzled out yet is how on earth it knows which to do.
Can anyone tell me how to set my sig on Slashdot?
Imagine the rampant rise in frostbite cases in homeless people forced to wheel shopping carts full of these glacial monstrosities.
Or should I say "Coool!" (sorry)...
And hopefully, it will cool better than 30 degrees Fahrenheit under more situations. Coke is probably best about a few degrees above the freezing point of the solution, maybe around ~35 degrees Fahrenheit. If you can cool a can only 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and room temperature when you want to drink is about 80 degrees, that Coke isn't going to be cold enough for me.
I don't know how to drink less then 40 oz at a time. A paper bag is the only thermal technology I need!
Heavier, bigger, cans.. More junk to be thrown away. (yes I know its alu, but not every can gets recycled).
Whats wrong with a good old micro-fridge? Or just hang your beer up in a damp sock for a while..
Seriously, I think its about time sales taxes were put on non-environmental packaging gimmicks like this, or maybe a refundable deposit like in South Australia..
"You lied to me! There is a Swansea!"
Seriously, which would you choose, a beverage that cost $1 which you had to refrigerate, or a beverage that costs $20 which you don't?
If a 6 pack of beer cost $3.00 more, but was self-cooling and meant I didn't need to worry about keeping it cold, I'd pay for the convenience.
Nothing is worse than a warm beer when hunting or driving.
The british voted that the little widget inside beer cans/bottles (like in Guiness) was the best invention ever, to put fizzy back in the beer when opened.
Wonder if this little do-hickey will unseat that device.
On second thought, probably not... those wacky brits like warmish beer, for some odd reason.
Check out the best P2P sharing website: MEDIACHEST.COM
This product fairs well in the coolness department (huge pun intended), but how about pricing? I didn't see anything about how much this technology could possibly cost, and my bet is that it will well over quadupile the cost of current technolgies (big ass refidgerators)... So you gotta ask yourself, would I love a cold beer on my next week long trek through death vallie.... for $20? Okay I would.
Your mammas flamebait.
"Yours free in specially marked cases of Coke" - (Coke now maked as $50+ for a 12 pack) ... Oh, and you must love the useage of 2 different systems of measuring in the article (Mililitres AND Fahrenheit)
Now we just need to be able to retro-fit our slacks' zippers with these things, so when that cute girl from accounting walks by in her miniskirt, we can still get up from behind our desks ;)
Spray Freon into Beer, Beer gets colder. This is no longer feasible due to the limited availability of Freon.
And it's safe! I.C. Can's(TM) innovative design is 100% safe and environ- mentally-friendly; easy to operate, store and transport. The self-contained I.C. Can(TM) uses no carbon dioxide, CFC, HFC, or any other compressed gases and is totally non-toxic, without risk of gas or vapor escape.
So you say now. Just wait until this whole thing spins out of control and the process begins making flesh-eating zombies out of millions of innocent people who just wanted some cold Bawlz.
"The power of the sun, in the palm of my hand."
Need I say more? Hmmph!
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
If you check out the temp chart, it takes up to 13 minutes to reach full-cold temp. That means it would get colder as I drink my soda or whatever. That would be rather odd....I'm used to drinks getting warmer!
Moo.
Anyone else seen these, and maybe have a product name?
[
In a popular science magazine in the late 80's. Someone had developed a can that cooled based on releasing highly pressurized CO2 from a cylinder in the can. It worked, but was too expensive to catch on. Wish I could find a link now.
Go away, or I will replace you with a very small shell script.
"100% safe and environment friendly"
Says the manufacturer. Riiiiiight. Plain aluminum cans aren't 100% safe and environment friendly! Imagine a few hundred million cans full of dessicant and who knows what else thrown around unrecycled...
I'll believe it when there's actual facts posted about what's inside.
https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
Yeah, it will also undoubtedly raise the beverage price in only 0 seconds!
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
IN A CAN
...where they're still perfecting the recipe for ice.
they'll use some of these cans as coolers for their CPU.
Good stuff.
Two fish swim into a wall, one turns to the other and says, "Dam".
the volume occupied by 1 kilogram of pure water at 4 degrees centigrade and 760 mm of mercury.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
"Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change."
Moe: Oh boy, my deep fryer's here. I got it used from the Navy. You could flash-fry a buffalo in 40 seconds.
Homer: 40 seconds? Aww, but I want it now.
Do not touch -Willie
This will be a great seller in places with strange beer laws. For some reason, alot of places around the country won't let you buy cold beer. This will bypass those old laws nicley.
DeviantArt Page
NSFWof the 500ml size... how much is left over for the actual beverage???
Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
I've been toying with building my own single can cooler that would be usable for any 12 oz beverage can. Most of those car "refrigerators" use peltier modules to cool, but spread the thermal action across 6-12 cans. I was going to order just the module kit (from a place like http://electronickits.com/kit/complete/peltier/ck5 00.htm) and have one of the metal fabricators posted here a couple of weeks ago fabricate an aluminum sleeve with a plate and connect that assembly to the peltier module instead of the larger plate that the normal coolers would. You'd end up with a monstrocity that would slide over a single can and cool it down pretty quickly.
A revised design would turn it upside down, with the heatsink underneath and exhaust fans to dump out the heat, giving you more of a can holder instead of a can "hat", which would be more easily integrated into things like home theater seating or just an attractive housing for setting on your desk.
The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
The coolness factor is pretty high on this. Aside from that though, it is yet another way for a manufacturer to raise the price while lowering the amount of product that they sell you.
Pittsburgh Brewing Company manufacturers Iron City Light, known widely as IC Light. When I saw the can, that's the first thing I saw. I wonder if a fight will brew (pun intended) or if PBC will just do the typical thing and threaten a fight to get a sweet deal on the cans.
-- Fugacity: Confusing chemists since 1908
How fast can you safely cool a carbonated soft drink? Seriously, there is a limit, but I'm not sure what it is.
You see, I once had a warm 12-pack of Dr. Pepper in the kitchen, and 20 liters of liquid nitrogen in the garage, and I was thirsty... anyway, I had the sense to only try one can at a time, and I opened the can first. Only took a few seconds to get it cooled down to a slushy consistency, but in the process half of the Dr. Pepper came foaming and frothing out the top of the can, ran down the sides, and froze into a solid block of carbonated foam.
The end result was drinkable, but a bit wasteful and really messy. Perhaps next time I'll just try the dry ice, but I really don't think the heat transfer rate is going to be enough.
Back in the early 80's, one of my roomates came from Alaska. She had a pack that was self heating via a little tab, that a friend of hers had developed. I think that is the approach that is being used for the heating. As to the cooling, I am sure that it is a simple salt based approach. Good idea.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
> what incentive do people have for purchasing a drink stored in such a can?
Man, can you imagine how easy it will be to chrystallize stuff in this thing?
Illegal to buy cold beer? WHERE? I want to make sure I never visit!
(It's bad enough that here in VA you have to get your beer at the grocery store and liquor at the ABC store and never the twain shall meet...)
The House Between - Original Sci-Fi Series
That can not even convert Fahrenheit to Celsius properly *snip* Proprietary engineering creates a temperature drop proven to reduce the I.C. Can's(TM) contents by a minimum of 30 Fahrenheit (16.7 C) in just *snip* 30F is -1.1 C
not so sure how easy these things would be to recycle or where the cost/benefit curve in terms of "it costs me x in polution, electricity, repairs, etc. to buy and keep a can cold in the fridge versus the y it costs me to buy and store a self cooling can".
also, i'm having a flashback from calculus back in the day --- isn't the rate of temperature change proportional to the difference in temperatures between an object and it's surroundings? makes me curious as to under what sort of conditions these guys base their claims on... i suspect that it's three minutes at room temperature, but there are really four sets of heat transfers going on here: external world to the can, can to the external world, can to soda, soda to can. so modelling this turns into a scary system of differential equations.. aaaaaagh! (and they wonder why i'm a computer scientist and not an e.e.)
Kirin had a self-cooling keg a little more than a year ago:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5 ?nn20030626b5.htm/
There's more links (including diagrams of the process) if you Google.
I've seen 250 ml (~8 oz) glass bottles and aluminum cans; 330 ml (~12 oz) aluminum cans; 500 ml (~17 oz) plastic bottles; and ~575 ml (20 oz) plastic bottles. I have not, however, seen a 500 ml aluminum can, in either Europe or the United States.
Now perhaps this company is making one, but to compare it to a 500-ml aluminum beverage can as if 500-ml aluminum beverage cans actually exist is odd.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
How much would you pay for a bottle of beer that stays cold for nearly an hour longer?
Pittsburgh Brewing Co., maker of Iron City Beer, is asking an additional $1 per case. Alcoa and Pittsburgh Brewing today were announcing that about 20,000 cases of the new aluminum bottle beer are being shipped out this week to many of the 28 states where Iron City is sold http://www.postgazette.com/pg/04237/366764.stm.
It would be wonderful if you can use this technology with fuel cell cars ..
The same thing was said about DDT.
I was thinking of soft drink cans. As I now recall, I have in fact seen 500 ml aluminum cans in which beer is sold (as well as pint-sized cans).
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
If it's bulkier and more expensive what incentive do people have for purchasing a drink stored in such a can?
With the right marketing, people will buy anything.
Anybody remember this?
http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/
The jet engine for keeping beer cold.
All generalizations are false, including this one. Mark Twain
1) The desiccant volatilizes in the melt during recycling. A number of compounds come to mind. Ammonium nitrate (yes, THAT ammonium nitrate) is used in cold packs for athletic purposes, and decomposes at 250 C into water and N2O (nitrous oxide, or laughing gas). At about 300 C, it decomposes into other, less desirable oxides of nitrogen, and water.
2) As the reaction itself is inspired by the introduction of water, the "desiccant" must be water soluble; you get an endothermic reaction as it dissolves. Anyway- I don't know too much about recycling these days, but I've seen cans go into chippers so they can be blown into the back of a semi truck to go to the recycling plant. One would assume that at some point, those chips get washed before they get re-melted. Otherwise, carmelized sugar and other gunk left on the inside of the cans- even in tiny amounts, multiplied by many cans- would cause more problems than it's worth.
I meant to mod that offtopic! stupid down arrow key while select box still has focus!
After starting the patented vacuum-power can my beer froze in the can within a couple of minutes.
12 Celsius - 16,7 Celsius = Icecubes
I like frozen beer, but how can I fetch it out the damned can ?
they're lowering it BY 30 degs fahrenheit! not TO 30 degrees F
Does that mean we'll have some new Miller commercials?
d00d1: Are you gelling?
d00d2: I'm totally gelling
---
Those who can, do
Those who can't, teach
Those who don't know how, supervise
Moderated--must post as AC. This won't work if the temperature of the drink is higher than the ambient temperature. You have to do work on the coolant to release heat to the outside.
The production of steel from recycled stock requires only 24% of the energy required to produce it from iron ore. Aluminum recycling takes only 5% of the energy required to produce aluminum from bauxite. Plastic should be recycled because, when dumped, it leaches chemicals into the environment.
The fact that a bunch of backwoods libertarians think recycling is a loss is because classic property-rights libertarians are, for whatever reason, totally incapable of valuing externalities such as pollution and future production.
Then this will have a CHILLING EFFECT on this product line...
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
They've finally found a use for the core of the happy fun ball!
Ingredients of Happy Fun Ball include an unknown glowing substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space.
-QTone
and yet noone mentions the source of the plastic is fossil fuels, more bad..
Self-cooling cans have been around (in prototype form, at least) for years now. The problem seems to have been the environmental impact. The innovation fro Tempratech seems to be more in their specific, non-damanging (in theory) technology. Article on self-cooling cans from 2001.
I just learned that for news on cans, ain't nowhere better than CanTechOnline.
If I see one more post with "obligatory" in the title, I'll be obliged to punch my unsuspecting roommate.
If other reasons we do lack, we swear no one will die when we attack
So the question is, when this device activates to chill the beverage, what is it that gets hot?
And for those of us outside the US, can is slang for a urinal. So this company produced a self cooling urinal, cause you know how slippery those things can get when you've been sitting on it for a while and start sweating.
Although I'm not sure how the heck you sit on a urinal the size of a 500mL beverage.... oh.
Folks, I could be wrong here.
You are checking your backups, aren't you?
You do realize, some mildly sadistic person would make such a post just to get you to punch your roommate, right?
Will it taste different because of the high speed cooling? Are bottles slowly cooled in the fridge better tasting? ;)
But it's still a cool idea.
x .html
http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~arnesen/peltierbeer/inde
Do you really want MORE Budweiser in the can?
Mmmmmm... Fin Du Monde.
the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
I am not going to pay any extra for a can when you already get a sufficient cooling from the forming of Carbon Dioxide.
Within a couple of minutes of opening a standard can of drink, it cools several degrees, and when you pick it up to drink it, the even larger forming of CO2 that you get from pouring it into your mouth and having it react with your saliva is enough to make it cold.
fluid ounces are different from dry ounces. One is a unit of volume, another is a unit of force (force equals mass times acceleration).
And anyway, it's a pint of milk that's a pound, but that obviously differs with the temperature and fat content of the milk (density varies with both).
"A pint's a pound, the world around...if by this mnemonic you mean to remember that there are 16 units called 'ounces' in each, although the actual dimension being measured is different, and if by 'world' you mean 'United States of America and its territories.'" But that's a really long thing to remember.
Oh, go on, check out my job.
'Data' is a collective noun, not a normal plural. Which in the United States is treated as singular and in the UK as plural. You can be dogmatic about it if you like, but that's how Strunk & White plays it, and that's how it's been, by and large, for 100 years in the US.
The class is on a field trip. (US)
The class are on a field trip. (UK)
The herd is stampeding. (US)
The herd are stampeding. (UK)
The data is inconclusive. (US)
The data are inconclusive. (UK)
-fred
Sign #11 of Slashdot overdose: You see the phrase 'moderate Republican' and you wonder if that would be a +1 or a -1.
500 ml = 16.9070113 US fluid ounces
and 16.9070113 = 499 ml
And then they armed me with moderator points and the world mourned.
I couldn't agree more.
Sometimes for fun I'll strap a week's worth of gear to my back, and hike 20 miles into the bush. Set up camp, stay a day or 2, pack up, hike another 20 miles, wash, rinse, repeat.
Do this in the Rockies in late summer. There's usually a fire ban on, so if you want any of your food cooked or even warmed, you need to bring another several pounds of gear for a mini stove and fuel. Self-heating cans would be a godsend. And when it's 30C outside and you've been hiking all day with 40lbs strapped to your back, NOTHING would be better than a nice, cold drink. I'd pay a helluva premium for something like this, personally.
Anything that brings a few creature comforts is nice. Anything that does this without adding another 10lbs to my pack... that's heaven.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
The problem with recycled plastic is that it ends up costing more to use than regular plastic, so there's little demand, and so many municipalities require recycling, so there's an enormous supply. It's a horrible business to be in, and if even one of the wrong kinds of plastic bottle gets into your plastic resin, you can ruin an entire batch. If the price of oil skyrocketed, things would be different, but as it is some municipalities sneak their plastic recyclables into landfills, just to save money.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
Looking at the article title -
:: Entertainment :: Toys page.
Science: Tempratech Self-Cooling Can
Science is a hotlink that takes you to http://science.slashdot.org/
The summary has a LEGO as its graphic. It takes you to http://science.slashdot.org/search.pl?topic=159, which is the Slashdot
Is this intentional, or an editing mistake?
Sakshale
For every problem there is a solution that is simple, obvious and wrong.
Dominos Pizza
1403 57th Ave W
Bradenton, FL 34207-3656
Phone: 941-758-3030
From the address, I think that Tempratech must be located in one of the dinky little industrial parks that dominate that part of town.
Eagles may soar, but weasles don't get sucked into jet engines...
but I'd rather be able to purchase liquid nitrogen at the convenience store, than a can such as this.
self cooling fan...
oh nevermind...
-judging another only defines yourself
Nothing is worse than a warm beer when hunting or driving.
Oh, there's worse all right -- how about a warm beer while having sex with a fat chick on a hot day?
-kgj
-kgj
Could you make several layers of cans (ie, increasingly bigger ones) to get some really neat cooling for the center one?
I assume it'd be a quickly diminishing effect
Self-Microwaving Bavarian Cream dog anyone?
The problem with rapid cooling of carbonated drinks is that the solubility of CO2 in water decreases at low temperatures. And at high temperatures, the rate of de-sorption increases, just for kicks. It's a wonder any stays in the water at all.
Anyway, the ideal aim for speed cooling is to drop the temperature down to 'cold but drinkable' as rapidly as possible. Going below that temperature is as bad as not going cold enough.
As you noted, you need to get a rate of cooling such that the rate that gas is forced out of the drink is sufficently low.
What, then, is the rate of cooling? Well, it turns out (insert handwave here) that the rate of heat flow is determined by the difference in temperature. To a first approximation *handwave*, then, we can asses the rate of cooling by the temperature difference between drink and cooling medium.
Liquid nitrogen (LN2) is at 77 K. Room temperature is 298 K, giving a temperature difference of 220 K [0]. For comparison, the temperature difference between ice and room temperature (the annoyingly warm temperature soft drinks tend to be at) is 25 K. Thus we can consider that the rate of cooling from liquid nitrogen is about 10 times faster than from ice [1].
How long does it take to cool a soft drink with ice? Well, in my experience, about 20 seconds for around 330ml, with gentle agitation (i.e. a quick stir, or pouring over the ice). Thus the 'few seconds' the poster give for LN2 to hit freezing point is qualitativly correct [2].
The temperature of dry ice is 195 K, which gives around 125 K difference [3], thus an initial cooling rate around 5 times the heat transfer rate of ice, and half that of LN2. It's not quite, because thermal contact is better with the other two cases (liquid - solid interface, versus solid - solid for the dry ice [4]).
You could put the dry ice in the drink, or the LN2 in the drink. The problem with that is that if you drop the cold material in the drink, it might sink under the surface, flash freeze the surrounding liquid, and then turn to gas. This risks the ice exploding (and is more of an issue for dry ice than LN2).
The simplest way to avoid these problems is use enough coolant to get your drink down to ideal temperature, so that the whole mass of liquid will not freeze, always leaving a path for gas escape.
How much is that? Well, an estimate may be made as follows: If we assume that the coolant material are at the temperature of boiling/sublimation as appopriate, then the total energy absorbed per unit mass will be equal to the apporiate latent heat [5]. This allows a calculation of the mass required, if the total energy tobe removed from the drink is known.
If we assume [6] that the specific heat capacity (amount of heat energy taken to change the temperature of a substance) of the drink is equal to that of water, that gives a value of 4.2 kJ K-1 kg-1. Further, we assume that it's density is also equal to that of water, so that 1ml equals 1 g.
The appropriate specific latent heats for our coolants are: 199 kJ kg-1 for nitrogen and, surprisingly, 199 kJ kg-1 for CO2. I think that that great cosmic coincidence is proof that this sort of calculation is intended to occur.
Thus, to remove 25 K from 330ml of water, we need to remove 20 * 330 * 4.2 J = 27.7 kJ, if we take the desirable temperature of the drink to be 5 degrees centigrade. That's about 140 grammes of coolant.
The density of solid CO2: 1562 kg/
I've never been very comfortable with disposable technology, reguardless of environmental ramifications or lack thereof. Hell, I'm still not comfortable with write-once media like CD-Rs, and even when I'm forced to use one I try to put as much information as possible on them to avoid wasting potential storage space.
So I see something like this, and just... no. I don't see myself willingly using it. If the refrigeration technology is so efficient, clean and/or inexpensive, put it into a reusable cooler instead of the disposable cans. You'd get the added benefits of economy of scale (both in price and refrigeration) and it won't be such a pain in the ass to dismantle the cans to recycle them.
Or am I the only crazy person who cares?
If you connected these in series could you eventually liquefy the surrounding air?
The cryogenic temperature of released liquid hydrogen can liquefy ambient air, which can cause the same frostbite hazard as the liquid hydrogen. It is more likely to get in contact with condensed (liquid) air than it is with liquid hydrogen.
Can air be liquefied?
Maybe, but I think we also tend to have more alcohol per ml.
64 oz x 7.5% alc/vol = 4.8 oz of pure alcohol per serving (which is warm by the time you're done with it).
The US wins.
" the approximate size of a 500 mL beverage can" .... Just enough for my wife to cool me down!
Self cooling keg?
l keg.html
Right away, sir: http://www.tucherbraeu.de/bier/produkte/index_Coo
The problem with rapid cooling of carbonated drinks is that the solubility of CO2 in water decreases at low temperatures.
You have this backwards, solubility increases with decreasing temperature. The lower the temperature the more stable the CO3 ion is and the lower the average kinetic energy of CO2 gas molecules in the liquid are therefore decreasing the likelyhood that any one molecule will have enough energy to escape the solivated state. I suspect what has happened to his Dr.Pepper is that the LN2 cooled it so fast that the outer parts touching the can froze. This freezing had the effect of increasing the solute concentration in the remaining liquid (the ice was more pure than the liquid of course just like icebergs etc.) and when the solute concentration exceeded a certain threshold the CO2 was forced out of solution. So you can cool the drink as fast as you want, so long as you don't start freezing it.
- "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
I'm sorry, that graph may have been misleading since it gave concentration as p(negative log). Here is clearer graph http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/images2/174 solublegas.gif.
- "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
Way back in the 1970s or early 80s, I read about an even cooler idea than this in a fascinating book titled Future History (I think). Forget the dessicant and just put one can inside another (both very strong, and the outer one very well insulated), filling the space between with liquid nitrogen. The second you pop the top, the nitrogen returns to gaseous form, instantly sucking heat out of the contents of the inner can. Voilà, virtually instant cooling -- something like 40 degrees Fahrenheit in half a minute or so. And on top of it all, this should be reltively benign, environmentally, since Earth's atmosphere itself is largely made of nitrogen anyway (and that's where the liquid nitrogen could easily originate).
This risks the ice exploding (and is more of an issue for dry ice than LN2).
Exploding Ice? Now That's an experiment I want to work on!
- Jonathan
You are, indeed, quite correct.
The solubility doesn't go down again till the freezing point. My bad. For some reason, I was thinking of the density of water, which is just plain bizarre to get confused with.
The 'not freezing' requirement can be relaxed a little - a small (maybe 7-10 percent) ice crystals isn't a perceptable issue (from experience, with a -12 centigrade freezer). You're not going to be able to do cryogenic cooling without some ice being produced, in any real world sense, unless you stir it lots, which de-gasses the thing anyway.
Interesting result with freezing fizzy pop, by the way. I once left a bottle (plastic, 500ml) of soda in the freezer too long (by a couple of days), so that it was frozen solid. Opening the bottle (which is a pressure vessel), had the solid inside expand, and start to expand, until it was about 2 centimetres about the top of the bottle. I think that was the CO2 that was forced out of solution that expanded, with sufficent force to cause to ice to change shape. Very bizzare, if perfectly predicatable.
I could see the armed forces buying some of these. When it's 130 degrees F in Iraq, this could go well. I could see someone who's about to die of heatstroke enjoy one of these kept in his gear. I'm sure they wouldn't pack a lot of these since they have to be careful of packing too much, but this could be useful in emergencies.
I recall seeing this idea on the "The Inventors", which screened on Australian TV in the early 1970's. Clive Hale was the host from memory. Being an Australian invention, it was pitched as a self-cooling beer can.
I'd like to try one out, but the 10oz deal kinda sucks, since 12oz cans are the norm. I also buy my beer in the 24oz, besides the 12oz.
Another cooler that I've been using for years is made by LIFOAM of Canada Inc out of Toronto. It's called "The Fridge" drink cooler. Just toss them in you're freezer, and after they freeze they're good to go...just insert cold brew... keeps them good and cold for hours. Walmart and Kmart sell them, + a few other places I'd imagine. (just a happy consumer)
Life was hell, then I discovered Linux...
I hate cold drinks.
I just saw self-cooling beer barrels in our supermarket here in germany. But they were pretty expensive, about 50EUR for 30l...
cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
This is another "Pump_n_Dump" scam.
So you can cool the drink as fast as you want, so long as you don't start freezing it
Not that I care to argue your logic, but I have to disagree with that statement:
I witnessed 2 cans of (the other cola) explode (sending my friend who was washing them off diving for cover).
The cans were warm (not hot),
and were being washed off in cold (but not frozen(ice)) water in a sink.
They went kablam! He dove.
Laughing and pointing followed.
I'd just like to add that my own practical experience and "experiments" from my own parties. Dry ice is an excellent additive to drinks. I can pick up a pretty big block of dry ice at my local icecream-truck supply store for $10 or $20.
:) And interestingly when high proofage drinks start to freeze they tend to produce a rather nice super-chilled slushy state :) rather than freezing directly into a solid.
:)
There is a problem with your calculations though, the heat transfer is far lower than you think. The dry ice instantaneously vaporizes on contact with the beverage producing an insulating gas barrier. It maintains virtually zero contact between the beverage and the dry-ice. One small dry-icecube ends up chilling a drink at about the same rate as one or two large icecubes, though obviously it has the ability to eventually chill it much farther.
Don't forget about the signifigantly lower freezing point for high proofage alcohol/water mixtures
Virtually everyone has seen the dry-ice-in-water effect on TV and movies. Any time you see a supposed science lab with with beakers and tubing and colored liquids with white "boiling" bubbles and smoke coming off the top, well that's a chunk of dry ice at the bottom making the bubbles. The white smoke is invisible CO2 loaded with condensed water vapor - basicly an artificial cloud.
Serving "boiling" ice-cold and smoking drinks at a party is an easy way for a geek to pick up some pretty neat "mad scientist" cred. It impresses both other geeks and the 'normals'
And to repeat his disclaimer, DRY ICE CAN BE DANGEROUS!
The freeze-burn danger is comparable to the heat-burn danger of boiling water. ALWAYS WEAR HEAVY GLOVES WHEN HANDLING DRY ICE OR LN2! Always treat them with at least as much respect as you would treat boiling water or boiling oil!
You can drink "boiling" drinks with dry ice chips at the bottom, but DO NOT LET THE DRY ICE TOUCH YOUR MOUTH OR ANY OTHER EXPOSED SKIN. Swallowing dry ice would be very very bad both because of the freeze-burn risk and the fact that it will continute to produce large volumes of CO2 gas which will build up quite a bit pressure inside your stomach.
An extra issue is that in enclosed spaces CO2 gas or N2 gas can displace oxygen. CO2 isn't much of a threat in that way because even moderately elevated CO2 levels will trigger an intense cough reflex and you *will* involuntarily step away to clear air. However in a closed and unventliated area N2 gas could build up undetected. It is only an issue in an unusual and enclosed area, but you could unexpectedly pass out and asphyxiate. Never store or use LN2 except in a well ventilated area.
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I bought a couple of self cooling kegs in Germany. Their device? Compressed air. All you did was release the valve, and the escaping pressurised air surrounding the beer inside reduced the temperature. Really neat, even if you only got 20 L in a keg.
I wonder if this could be applied to the cans. They'd probably be 20 lb or something. Guess I'll just have to keep buying kegs.
if(!toilet_paper) roll.replace(new roll);
I remember a can made for guinness(sp?) that had a little nitrogen capsule in it. That was a good coolant (expansion of gas etc) and it mimicked the process of puring guinness from a tap, which is done with part nitrogen too(something with a glass full of froth).
If you don't like guinness, this was not for you as the nitrogen does not combine with other beers.
This space is intentionally staring blankly at you
Another thing from Pat Mills' 'Third World War' sci-fi/satire/Awful Warning comic strip from circa 1989 that's come true, then. Just hope nothing else does - there's already far too much from this ahead-of-its-time anti-corporatism story that's happened already!
You must think in Russian.
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If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, where does the road paved with evil intentions lead to?
Maybe recycled plastic does cost a lot to produce, but I see a lot of it in use so it doesn't seem to deter everyone. Almost all of the plastic containers used for products I buy from my local supermarket are made with 50% (or similar) recycled plastic. I think this kind of thing accounts for a substantial proportion of all plastic use.
... for one of the world's largest alcholic beverage producers. I believe I can 'out nerd' you by reporting that the sludge's expansion is merely due to volumetric increase of the CO2 coming out of solution when the bottle is opened and the pressure released.
- This and all my posts are public domain. I am a Physicist. I am not your Physicist. This is not Physically advice
While liquid nitrogen is dangerous in various ways, I'd be happy to spash a little over my hands, but I wouldn't be happy to splash boiling water or oil over my hands. The liquid nitrogen will evapourate off of my hands a lot more quickly than boiling water, so very little heat will be transferred.
Yes, yes. Though the very fact that the dangers are different and that people generally have zero experience with cryogens warrants special cautions.
Chuckle, if I posted what I've done with VERY small chips of dry ice some idiot would probably try it and earn themselves a Darwin award.
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