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Tempratech Self-Cooling Can 492

Posted by michael from the grab-a-cold-one dept.
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.'"
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Tempratech Self-Cooling Can More

Tempratech Self-Cooling Can

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  • Conversion (Score:5, Informative)

    by ack154 ( 591432 ) * on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:48PM (#10059327)
    For those of us in the US:

    Google [google.com] has the conversion.

    500 ml = 16.9070113 US fluid ounces

    • Re:Conversion (Score:5, Funny)

      by Shakrai ( 717556 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:52PM (#10059392) Journal

      "The self-contained I.C. Can is the approximate size of a 500 mL beverage can."

      'proven to lower beverage temp by a minimum of 30 degrees Fahrenheit in only three minutes.

      Congratulations! It's not often that a submission has the potential to ignite a metric vs imperial debate on both sides of the spectrum! For good measure let's debate the merits of the metric time system too! Three minutes = 180 seconds = headache to compute.

      • Re:Conversion (Score:5, Funny)

        by isorox ( 205688 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:13PM (#10059683) Homepage Journal
        American Pint of beer = 473ml
        European standard beer = 500ml
        British Pint of beer = 568ml

        Which prooves that Europe is better then America, and the UK trouces you all!

        (Apart from Germany that regularly have 1l (34 fluid ounce) glasses)

        • Re:Conversion (Score:5, Funny)

          by parksie ( 540658 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:17PM (#10059732)
          U.S. pints are only 473ml? No wonder you all seem to be able to hold your liquor, you're cheating!

        • This is appropriate (Score:5, Funny)

          by nightsweat ( 604367 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @04:23PM (#10060525)
          Do you really want MORE Budweiser in the can?
          Mmmmmm... Fin Du Monde.
      • I don't know about you, but if you just use dimensional analysis, any conversion is easy. This was one of the best takeaways from freshman chemistry...

        http://wine1.sb.fsu.edu/chm1045/notes/Intro/Dima na l/Dimanal.htm

    • Re:Conversion (Score:5, Insightful)

      by LostCluster ( 625375 ) * on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:53PM (#10059409)
      Which would mean that this product would more likely be marketed to the makers of beer rather than the makers of soft drinks... as most soft drinks are found exclusively in bottles in all sizes above 12 oz.

      Besides, the increased cost would seem silly when attached to a soft drink can price, but would likely be more presentable for a "premium" beer brand not available any other way .
      • "Which would mean that this product would more likely be marketed to the makers of beer rather than the makers of soft drinks"

        Why the hell they don't put beer machines next to soda machines in parks and other public places is beyond me. There's no way kids would purchase beer, it's not sweet enough!

    • Re:Conversion (Score:2, Funny)

      by macz ( 797860 )
      Metric schmetric, to paraphrase Abe Simpson:

      "My car gets fourty rods to the hogshead and that's the way I like it"

    • the volume occupied by 1 kilogram of pure water at 4 degrees centigrade and 760 mm of mercury.

    • Conversion (Score:3, Funny)

      by 955301 ( 209856 )
      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.

      • Re:Conversion (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Ioldanach ( 88584 )
        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.

        Which has yet another meaning to those in the US. In the US, the urinal is what a male uses standing up. You don't sit on one. Now, a toilet you sit on, so to treat it as US slang he created a tiny self cooling toilet.

      • Sitting on a urinal?

        Crazy Europeans.

  • OFR: Obligatory Futurama Reference (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:48PM (#10059328)
    $ whois tempratech.com ...
    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/EpisodeSound s/1ACV01/04.mp3 [gotfuturama.com]

  • self heating soup? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jabella ( 91754 ) * on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:48PM (#10059329) Journal
    I thought this was going to be from the Self-heating Soup can [superhappybunny.com] 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.

  • That'll be a bitch to recycle. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by paanta ( 640245 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:49PM (#10059352) Homepage
    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.

    • Re:That'll be a bitch to recycle. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by FortKnox ( 169099 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:52PM (#10059387) Homepage Journal
      Fantastic point. I know there used to be a canteen and thermos that kept beverages colder (or hotter) like 5 times longer than a normal thermos, and got rid of the 'metally' or 'plasticy' tastes. But it wasn't at all recyclable, so the whole project was dropped.

      I think that if it ain't recyclable, its a cool experiment at most.
      • On the other hand, a lot of desiccants are recycleable. You can pop them into an oven to dry the material out. Still, there's a lot of infrastructure behind the traditional aluminum can recycling schtick. I guess maybe this would be most appropriate for fancy (expensive) things anyway, like maybe a nice bottle (er, can?) of white wine. :) Don't expect to see it in your 50 cent can of coke. Damn. That should be it's, not its, up there. Beware the grammar police.

        • Re:That'll be a bitch to recycle. (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Politburo ( 640618 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:44PM (#10060050)
          On the other hand, a lot of desiccants are recycleable. You can pop them into an oven to dry the material out.

          You're not thinking about recycling fully. While getting a virgin or near-virgin material back is a good goal, many other factors must be considered. Such as: energy required to recycle back to near-virgin material, energy required to create virgin material (from the ground, other materials, however it is acquired), amount of virgin material (or constituents) available, etc.

          While dessicant may be easily recycled, it may not be worth it. Burning a bunch of oil, coal and gas to dry it out may harm the environment more than just tossing it in a landfill. However, if the raw materials to make dessicant are non-sustainable/limited, then recycling becomes beneficial again.
      • From what I understand the stainless steel vacuum thermoses do not impart significant flavor to beverages, and in fact can keep beverages cool for long periods of time. If SS isn't good enough for you, Nissan (makers of the world's finest vacuum thermoses) also makes a Titanium model, but it's extremely expensive as you might suspect.
    • Strange as it may sound, for the first time in 5 years I have moved to a place that has recycling. Perhaps other places wouldn't have a problem with this can because they don't have mandatory recycling?
    • So much for 100% environmentally friendly ;). I'll buy the environmentally friendly argument once they find a way to make cans out of hemp ;)

    • Re:That'll be a bitch to recycle. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Orne ( 144925 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:29PM (#10059863) Homepage
      Funny you mention that, since Aluminum recycling is one of the few materials that are actually cost-effective to recycle vs produce from raw ore. Most things, like PET plastic [recyclingtoday.com] use more energy in the recycling process than manufacturing the things from scratch (once you include sorting and transportation costs, which are not insignificant).

    • Recycling (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Big Bob the Finder ( 714285 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:33PM (#10059912) Homepage Journal
      That depends upon what is used as the "desiccant." Two possibilities come to mind:

      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.

      • Re:Recycling (Score:3, Insightful)

        by k98sven ( 324383 )
        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.

        Actually, drink residues is the smaller problem. -Warm water will get rid of that. The lacquer on the outside of the can is a different story. And there are processes there to remove it.

        So you're most likely right. Whatever substance they're using, the exist

  • Maybe, but I'm thinking no... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Dutchmaan ( 442553 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:50PM (#10059361) Homepage
    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?
    • Beer at tailgates. You inevitably run out of ice, and the beer gets warm sitting 100+ degree temperatures. These could be great for that purpose.

      --trb
    • Well, there's hunting, fishing, tailgate parties, BBQ's. If I can have a cold can of Dr. Pepper out in the woods or on the lake where a fridge is out of the question and a cooler is problematic, then why not pay a little extra for some convenience?
    • I know it's a little alien to my fellow geeks but... Pretty much any time you do an all-day outdoor event (BBQ, picnic, camping), these would be nice. After a day of hiking out in the middle of nowhere, a cold can of Mt. Dew would be wonderful (but nearly impossible).

      So, while not going to be very popular during the winters around here, I suspect there'd be a distinct advantage come the 4th of July.

      ~D
  • In mother Russia, Can chills YOU! Hmm...

  • 3 minutes.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Linegod ( 9952 ) <pasnak AT warpedsystems DOT sk DOT ca> on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:51PM (#10059375) Homepage Journal
    ... but I want it now!

    .

  • Article Text (Both) (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:51PM (#10059377)
    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.
    • This is NOT the world's first self-chilling can. Probably 10 years ago I read an article in Popular Mechanics (or Popular Science) about a company who was coming out with a self-chilling can. It fit into the lid of a normal soda can, displacing about an ounce of fluid. Inside the chiller was compressed carbon dioxide, which was released when the can was opened, thus using Charles' Law to reduce the temperature of the can.

  • So that's why... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by severoon ( 536737 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:51PM (#10059382) Journal

    ...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?

    • 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?

      Depends on how much the refrigeration costs, doesn't it?

    • Re:So that's why... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Aadain2001 ( 684036 )
      Who says it's going to be $20? I'd buy it if it was $1.25 compared to teh $1. First for the coolness (no pun) factor, and second, I wouldn't have to worry about drinking it as soon as I got it. Buy it now, through it in my bag, drink it later when I'm thirty and have it self cool itself. Oh, and I don't know if any of you have had this experience, but putting an already chilled can in a bag causes massive amount of condensation to be left in the bag, getting everything wet. Being able to put in a room

  • Conversion (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    For those of you NOT in the US:

    30F = 16.66C
    • For those of you in Iraq or Texas, When the ambient temperature is 120 F your coke will be 90. That's better than 120 but jeepers. There needs to be a Super IC that cools at least 50 or 60 off the ambient temp.

  • Obligatory... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Asprin ( 545477 ) <(moc.oohay) (ta) (dlonrasg)> on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:53PM (#10059398) Homepage Journal

    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.

  • I can ebat that... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Phat_Tony ( 661117 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:53PM (#10059402)
    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.
    • For those who haven't figured out how a Thermos works... it tries as best it can to be an airtight device with walls thick enough to not let heat in orr out.

      Therefore, with just a little loss due to small leaks, it's more-or-less a closed system. Whatever temperature the liquid was when you put it in, you can expect that to be the temperature it'll be when you take it out with only a sight movement towards the temperature of the room it was stored in. The Thermos doesn't do anything... it's job is to preve
  • But all this technology will come at what cost?Yeah, I'd love to have a self-cooled coke can that doesn't require an ice chest to chill on trips. But unless the premium is kept down to perhaps 5 cents a can, maybe 10 at most, there's no way I'm going to be willing to trade-off the cost.

    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 coo

  • Oh great.. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by adeyadey ( 678765 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:55PM (#10059434) Journal
    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..

  • I'd buy it. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gannoc ( 210256 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:55PM (#10059435)
    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.

  • Price (Score:2)

    by Launch ( 66938 )
    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.

  • 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!

  • Weird Experience (Score:5, Interesting)

    by cephyn ( 461066 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @02:58PM (#10059475) Homepage
    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!
  • A friend had a gizmo which I thought was quite slick, but I can't find any such item on the market. It was a small tray for ice cubes, and a motorized wheel. Put the can on the ice, and the motor would roll the can against the ice cubes. It was surprisingly efficient at pulling most of the heat out of tepid soda in a couple of minutes. Great for desk situations where your mini-fridge isn't restocked.

    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.
  • "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.
  • "lower beverage temp by a minimum of 30 degrees Fahrenheit in only three minutes."

    Yeah, it will also undoubtedly raise the beverage price in only 0 seconds!

  • Product Info (Score:5, Informative)

    by mnewton32 ( 613590 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:02PM (#10059543) Homepage
    since their image-laden page (complete with .GIF text!) took about 40 seconds to load, I figure they'll be /. fodder in no time. So here's the text from the product page:
    Tempra Technology and Crown Cork & Seal present the first real self-cooling can.

    There's finally a real, working, practical self-cooling can. The Instant Cool Can (I.C. Can) is a 100% safe and environmentally-friendly self-chilling process that cools using brilliantly simple water evaporation. In fact, it's proven to lower beverage temperature by a minimum 30F (16.7C) in just three minutes.

    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.

  • the low-tech original (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ArmedLemming ( 18042 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:04PM (#10059576)
    This reminds me of a low-tech [rolexawards.com] equivalent which won a humanitarian award for making a big difference in impoverished countries' local communities.

    Good stuff.

  • ObSimp (Score:4, Funny)

    by White Roses ( 211207 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:06PM (#10059602)
    3 minutes to cool a can? What would Homer say?

    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.

  • Will work in places with strange laws (Score:5, Insightful)

    by slusich ( 684826 ) * <slusich@gm[ ].com ['ail' in gap]> on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:09PM (#10059639)
    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.
  • of the 500ml size... how much is left over for the actual beverage???

  • Individual Can Cooler (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LetterJ ( 3524 ) <j@wynia.org> on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:12PM (#10059676) Homepage
    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.

  • Trademark battle ensuing? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by zymurgy_cat ( 627260 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:14PM (#10059701) Homepage
    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.

  • How fast is too fast? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Rorschach1 ( 174480 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:18PM (#10059745) Homepage
    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.

    • Re:How fast is too fast? (Warning, physics ahead) (Score:5, Informative)

      by DarkMan ( 32280 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @06:00PM (#10061415) Journal
      Warning: Bored physcist ahead. Reading the following may result in loss of eyebrow, and the opinion that a factor of ten is 'close enough'. Note that cryogenic material has risks associated with it. The level of risk with LN2 is similar, prehaps a little less, than for boiling water. Treat arrodingly.

      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.

      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'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.

        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.

  • The concept isn't new (Score:3, Informative)

    by IvyMike ( 178408 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @03:52PM (#10060151)
    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 [cantechonline.com].

    I just learned that for news on cans, ain't nowhere better than CanTechOnline [cantechonline.com].

  • Just feels like a waste... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Guppy06 ( 410832 ) on Tuesday August 24, 2004 @06:00PM (#10061417)
    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?

  • A similar product in Germany. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Hershmire ( 41460 ) on Wednesday August 25, 2004 @03:01AM (#10065427) Homepage
    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.

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