Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Boiling Water in a Paper Cup for the LOLz

Gordo
Gordo Member Posts: 856
edited June 2019 in Radiant Heating
Come for the burning cup, stay for the esoteric steam knowledge!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdS-h2RDx7E
Warning to those with earphones.
All Steamed Up, Inc.
"Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
Alan (California Radiant) Forbesnewinnj

Comments

  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506
    Gordo Nye, the science guy.
    Lot of work for a cup of tea..
    steve
    GordoIronman
  • nibs
    nibs Member Posts: 511
    I'll 'ave me tea at six oclock.
    STEVEusaPA
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    I would have thought the cup would burn up. Didn't think the water would move fast enough to carry the heat away.

    Well, my old boss used to say you can't burn up a boiler section if it has water on the other side. Guess he was right
    Gordo
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,273
    Nice! Next trick, throw some sediment in the cup, with water and try it again! Will heat transfer be slowed enough for the cup to burn??? o:)

    Yours, Larry
    Gordo
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    In grade school we boiled water in a brown paper bag. The little flap underneath burned right off, but the rest of the bag held fine, until the heat finally got to the part of the bag without water in it and burned it off.
    Paper bags are so flimsy any more that it would be an interesting experiment to see if they lasted as long in the fire.
    Rick
    Gordo
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Thanks, Gordo. This reminds me of something I did during my seminar days. To show the different heat-transfer capabilities of air and water, I would have two party balloons. One held air and the other held water. I touched the tip of the Bic lighter to the one with the air and it did what you would expect. Then I did the same to the one with the water. The balloon would turn black but never burn. I stood there with the flame to it for quite a few minutes and talked about how water is always better for moving heat from one place to another, and how marvelous hydronics is. It always resulted in a roomful of nodding heads.
    Retired and loving it.
    Gordo
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    @nibs : Righto, gov'ner!
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
  • JoeyG_2
    JoeyG_2 Member Posts: 14
    Wow!! We used to do that @ Boy Scout Camp back in the day. So cool!
    Joey G
    Gordo
  • Voyager
    Voyager Member Posts: 393
    Physics is fun. :)
    Gordo
  • Lance
    Lance Member Posts: 265
    I did this 30 years ago with an oxyacetylene torch. A torch that melts steel like butter. All it did was scorch the paper and turn it into burnt paper, but it never leaked. The water boiled the heat away as fast as 6000F applied.
    Gordo