CANS CAN CHILL WITHOUT ICEBOX.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer GLENDALE - The afternoon sun is sweltering swel·ter·ing adj. 1. Oppressively hot and humid; sultry. 2. Suffering from oppressive heat. swel , and a six-pack of your favorite beverage sits in 3 inches of lukewarm water that has collected at the bottom of your supposed cooler. To combat this scenario, Glendale-based International Thermal Packaging Inc. has developed a self-chilling technology that quickly cools a beverage upon the flip of a tab or twist of a cap. The CoolBev idea was hatched 15 years ago by 58-year-old Dennis Thomas, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of International Thermal Packaging. Thomas said he had witnessed cans expelling carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. and began to ponder about a method which used less toxic materials to chill a drink. ``All we use is just a vinyl bag like the ones potato chips come in,'' Thomas said. Thomas was reluctant to reveal a detailed description of how the process works due to pending patents. However, he did discuss the materials and their interactions. There are three components used in the process: a vinyl bag, water and a piece of clay. Once the tab is pulled, the pressure released vaporizes a small amount of water in the vinyl bag. The expanding vapor absorbs the heat from the beverage. The heated water vapor is then collected by a tiny piece of clay, cooling the beverage up to 35 degrees. The device, which adds about 15 cents to the cost of a canned beverage, displaces less than one-third of the total container volume and takes a couple of minutes to fully chill the beverage. ``It's a very novel idea,'' said Richard Kaner, a University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , chemistry professor who has been a consultant on the CoolBev project for 14 years. ``As it's perfected, people will wonder how they could have lived without it.'' The chilling device is not available in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , although Thomas said a brewery in Europe may install the mechanism in cans by the end of July. ``We've got three letters of intent signed with can makers,'' Thomas said. ``I'm also talking to people in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, where some people don't have refrigeration refrigeration, process for drawing heat from substances to lower their temperature, often for purposes of preservation. Refrigeration in its modern, portable form also depends on insulating materials that are thin yet effective. anywhere.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) REALLY COOL IDEA A small vinyl bag, water and a piece of clay are installed in the can. When the can's tab is opened, the pressure causes water in the vinyl bag to vaporize va·por·ize v. To convert or be converted into a vapor. Vaporize To dissolve solid material or convert it into smoke or gas. , absorbing any heat from the beverage. The vapor is then absorbed by the clay. |
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