boiling cans - am I going to die

[dylanwinter]

Gosh it's true! owning a yacht is like an entry ticket to the millionaire club.

It's stuff like this that explains why so many men sail alone isn't it?

standards of both cuisine and hygiene imporve immensely when Jill is aboard.

The can boiling is usually a winter occupation. In a small boat its only possible to stand and cook when its warm enough to have the hatch open.

In the winter at night its troglodyte time. A slow cooking porcesss is a great thing whne the gas cyclinder is so cold that its hardly working at all.

Jill will only come sailing when the weather is hot enough for swimming.

of course I am sure that if I did the sort of sailing where the two bathroom boat was almost permanently plugged into the lecy on a marina pontoon then she might come sailing more often

But having seen all those blokes sailing alone in their 33 foot lozenges.... maybe that plan does not always work.

lets face it - in most cases - its the bloke who is keener on sailing than his partner.

Most cases....

before some-one jumps on me for being sexist... pointing out that your own dear Cynthia is keener than you are does not prove a sausage.

Dylan

[NOHOH]

... pointing out that your own dear Cynthia is keener than you are does not prove a sausage.

Dylan

..the proof of the sausage is in the eating?.......and whether Cynthia eats your sausage?

[Fire99]

If the can explodes it will spell disaster.


Okay, okay, I know where the door is.

It's ok, I can't throw veg at you with that performance. It's stuck in the tin.

[Searush]

PV=kT
Pressure x Volume - konstant x Temperature

So, volume is fixed, until the moment the can blows.
As temperature goes from 10 to 100 then pressure should go up in proportion?

Assuming the can is packed at atmospheric pressure then is the can designed to withstand 10 atm?

Empirically, yes.

Q Statistically how long will it be before Dylan encounters an out of spec can?
Discuss you reasoning and compare with his chances of wining the lottery.

For extra marks suggest the forces released in a spontaneous loss of envelope integrity [ it's a technical term] and describe the injuries likely to be encountered at 0,5 , 1 and 1,5 metres range.

OK, here goes;
An out of spec can might be over or under spec - only under spec is going to be an issue, so assuming that 1% are out of spec (a very high estimate I think) then only 1 in 200 cans represents ANY potential issue. Now, if the can is under spec we can assume a standard deviation curve which probably puts a further 40% of the under spec cans within the bounds of safe cooking so we are down to 1 in 2000 potentially failing. Remember that these are cans with a weakness that have already been pre-processed at above the temp Dylan can achieve so if they could fail they would fail then. If the factory had that many failures the cost of clean up would force them to improve their manufacturing process.
My conclusion is that the risk of failure is even lower than that of wilnning the lottery - and the risk of winning the lottery is infinitesimal.

Consequently the assesment or damage caused is pointless.

Edit; You may not consider this an "Exam Quality" answer, but I can assure you it is streets ahead of many exam answers I have marked in my time.

[Fire99]

This has no doubt already said, but I thought i'd throw it in the pot anyway:

If the can is in contact with the bottom of the pan then it can raise above the boiling point of water and theoretically cause errr a hot can.

But does it bother me? noooo. I use ladders unassisted and have turned on a light switch with slightly damp pinkies. I live on the edge!

[MonniotC]

If the can is in contact with the bottom of the pan then it can raise above the boiling point of water and theoretically cause errr a hot can.

Aha - that's why Dylan lays the cans on their sides. That way only a tiny part of each can is in contact with the pan itself, thus mitigating the effect. I bet even he didn't know he was that clever!

[AntarcticPilot]

I'm not sure you can let the goodness out of a tin of haggis.

You may, if you aren't very careful, let some in!

I once read a description of the making of haggis. I'm not eating it.

[dylanwinter]

Aha - that's why Dylan lays the cans on their sides. That way only a tiny part of each can is in contact with the pan itself, thus mitigating the effect. I bet even he didn't know he was that clever!

you got it

dozier than a dozy thing.



I did them on the side so that two fit in the shallowish pan

but now that I know the science behind the geometry.....

D

[bbg]

am I going to die?

I expect so, one day. But probably not from heating cans this way.

[Fire99]

I expect so, one day. But probably not from heating cans this way.

Dylan is more likely to snuff it, sailing down an undiscovered creek and getting his wellies stuck in the mud.