If you have ever looked into the insides of a Desktop computer you might have noticed a prominent fan placed over finned metal block mostly made out of aluminium. That's called a heat sink and its designed to take away all the heat generated by the microprocessor. Without a proper heat sink the processor might just burn up or melt away. The heat sink basically spreads out the heat over a larger area thus dissipates heats in lesser time.
Physicist Lee Huang though just the opposite, how about using a heat sink to absorb more heat from a gas stove flame more efficiently? A normal cooking pot as you know has a smooth surface at the bottom. A lot of heat from the burner flame escapes from the sides ending up being uselessly lost to the surrounding. A seemingly simple but effective idea is to attached fins at the bottom/base of the cooking pot. This results in more heat being utilized for heating the content in the pot compared to that of a normal pot with a smooth bottom. This results in lesser cooking time resulting in saving time and money. A great solution for commercial and house hold applications. The finned pots end up being 30-50% more energy efficient then their smooth counterparts.
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| Picture Courtesy http://www.sustainablefoodservice.com |
On the downside though the pot might end up being difficult to clean and can only be used on Gas Stoves. Despite the fact, Mr. Lee now holds a patent for this idea. The idea first became popular some 50 years ago but was never put to commercial use.
Whatever may be the case, Mr. Lee has his own Company called 'Eneron' located at the heart of Silicon Valley, a line a products called Turbo Pot being extensively used by household and commercial customers alike.
Sometimes the most simplest of Ideas can truly end up being innovative and revolutionary.
You might think why didn't that ever crossed my mind!?
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