Heat Exchanger pot for melting snow

>"Of greater concern to me is that large 3 L pots have been indicted in several cases of stove 'problems'. The very wide pot reflects too much heat back down onto the stove (and canister, if an upright). That makes me a bit nervous."

Interesting issue, Roger. I can totally see that a larger pot reflects more back ( although that metal is only 0C for snow melt and only 100C when boiling).

Any sense if air flow around that bigger pot is also a factor?

And if HX versus non-HX pots makes a difference?

It's not a problem I've encountered. Is it a warmer weather issue?

Hi David

I know the pot sits at somewhere between 0 C and 100 C, but it reflects IR radiation. There can be a lot of IR: that feature I have checked. Air flow – not sure how much of a factor. HX – don't know.

The worst case I know of was when there were two Whisperlites (MSR stoves anyhow) under big pots, roaring away near each other. There may also have been some extra cross-radiation going on. The fuel tanks got overheated and one (at least) exploded. One person got really bad burns from the exploding petrol to arms and face – really bad, while a second person got severe burns. The scarring was extreme, even after plastic surgery. The nearby tent got badly burned as well – of course.

I scare easily.

Cheers

>" the pot sits at somewhere between 0 C and 100 C, but it reflects IR radiation."

Hmm. Shiny metal reflects much more IR radiation especially from glowing-orange burner parts. Painted pot bottoms reflect much less IR. And, as my experiments showed, painted pot bottoms absorb more heat (presumably IR).

Anodised aluminium has a much higher emissivity than shiny titanium: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/emissivity-coefficients-d_447.html
Some paints can be higher still.

Anodised (or painted) aluminium therefore reflects much less IR and absorbs more heat than Ti

re "glueing" on fins, I built some stoves that took wood fires (rolled ss sheet stock) using some RGS* termed "pyro putty" I got from McMaster. Way beyond the capabilities of JBWeld epoxy. For aluminum, SS, cast iron…but they have a whole product line. Unfortunately, not cheap, goofing around cheap; worse, not unlimited shelf life. Dries. http://www.aremco.com/ceramic-metallic-pastes/

*Really Good S***