W33k 11 : Thermos Project Recap
Out of all the projects I’ve done so far this year, I think I’d
have to say this thermos project is my favorite because of all the creativity
needed to build a successful thermos, and how to keep the heat in as effectively
as possible.
Originally, I was going to use a bunch of wool socks,
wrapped around the cup, thinking that would hold the heat in, as wool socks are
terrible heat conductors therefore good at keeping things warm. I quickly
learned that in needed a sturdier container and then I turned to coffee cans.
We had some old metal coffee cans in the basement back when they used metal
coffee cans ( all they have is plastic now…) There was a smaller coffee can
that fit the little 16 oz cup almost perfectly. There was a lager coffee can that
the smaller coffee can could fit into, and I could just put insulating materials
in-between the cans. The first layer in the big coffee can was a piece of cork,
which after doing some research I found that it was a terrible conductor. The next
challenge was what to put around the smaller coffee can so it still fit inside
the bigger coffee can while it stayed warm, the solution was pool noodles. There
were some in my basement, already cut in half for a game long forgotten. I took
one out and took an exact-o knife to it,
cutting off sections that were the length on the coffee can and then when I had
extremely short pool noodles I cut them open so there were two halves hinged at
the uncut side. I wrapped duct tape around them to make a protective, heat
trapping ring around the cup. The only other material I used ( besides duct
tape) was the lining from an insulated reusable bag. I had a shiny foil-y
surface and I lined the outside of the cup with this, as well as both of the
coffee cans.
Last, I stuffed more insulating lining in-between the cracks
of the pool noodle and the smaller coffee can and the lid, and I considered the
project in the bag for me. it dropped twenty degrees in an hour, which I thought was really good, for a
thermos with a hole in the lids for the
thermometer.
On testing day, I heated water up as quickly as possible,
and I got twenty minutes of measurements, and it dropped only 10 degrees, which
I was very proud of until we were told we were going to retest. My stomach
dropped because I worried would get worse results the next time. The only
modification I did make was more duct tape on the surface of the pool noodles under
the uppermost lid.
The next day I was
shocked to find my modifications had
proved successful, there was only an eight degree drop ( although my temperature wasn’t exactly 353 K at the
starting point it was 351 K).
Looking back I probably would have tried putting more material
in-between the coffee cups or actually putting something inside the smaller
coffee cup, which I had left completely bare, but over all I was happy. I like
the science of heat retention.
