Interesting Technology of Hot Can Drinks

Ever heard of Hot Can Drinks? Drinks in a can that can HEAT whenever you want, wherever you need. So this is what this beverage looks like.

At first I was attracted with the color of the can and was covered with a special cover, very rare not like the other tin can. So I asked "abg kaunter" about the drinks and it worth for RM 5.50. Shared half-half coins with my best friend, Suhail and buy it with full of inquiry. Why it so expensive? Why it covered with such cap and all. Tuan Sham also joined with our research.

We read the instruction carefully on how to heat the drink in the can.

	Turn the can upside down & remove the tamper indication seal by peeling it off.
	Place the upside down can on a flat surface and firmly push the button at the bottom of the can. This button will depress by about half an inch and you will hear a 'crunch' sound.
	Gently shake the can from side to side for 30 seconds to ensure proper activation
	Turn the can upright and wait for 3 minutes whilst the beverage heats up. After 3 minutes, open the can and enjoy a delicious hot beverage

 
As we waited for 3 minutes, yes the can does show us some reactions such as vapor on top of it and vibration like there was high pressure inside the can. When we touch the can surface, indeed it was hot. The question is how does it happen? What kind of technology is this?


After a few researches, here the explanation of all this about.


Hot-Can has developed a special double chambered aluminum can which contains the beverage in the outer chamber and holds water and calcium oxide (quick lime) separately in the inner chamber. When the button at the bottom of the can is pressed, the water mixes with the quicklime, starting an exothermic reaction that heats the contents of the outer chamber in less the 3 minutes by 50-55°C to give you a piping hot drink.

The Science Part...

Heat is generated inside the Hot-Can from the mixing of Calcium Oxide (quicklime, CaO) with Hydrogen Dioxide (water, H2O) which produces Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2)

The formula for this exothermic reaction is:

CaO + H2O > Ca(OH)2 + Heat

Once the heating reaction is complete, the Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) reacts readily with Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ) in the air to form Calcium Carbonate (limestone, Ca CO3) and returns to its original state

The formula for this reaction is:

Ca(OH)2 + CO2 > Ca CO3 + H2O

The reactions are essentially CO2 neutral: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is released in producing the Calcium Oxide (quicklime, CaO ) by heating Calcium Carbonate (limestone, Ca CO3) to extremely high temperatures, and is subsequently reabsorbed during the reaction.



Another things that interested me was there are 2 stickers that will show us either the can is really hot or normal and it can be drink or not. You could see the 2 circles where the sticker were located and left was before the heat process and right was after.

The patented heat indicator label will clearly indicate when the correct drinking temperature has been reached, by changing from black color to GREEN color. Should the beverage become hotter than the optimum drinking temperature, the heat indicator label will change from black to RED.



Such a cool can. Will it be friendly with the environment? YEAHH!!!! Not only is the container recyclable, it also complies with beverage container recycling laws, or “Bottle Bills”, that provide financial incentive to consumers for recycling. The Hot-Can only produces natural bi-products such as water, calcium carbonate, and calcium hydroxide. These bi-products are the same minerals that make up coral reefs in our oceans and are a naturally occurring mineral in our soil and are frequently added to soil in farming to enhance the pH balance.

Moreover, it's almost impossible to boil exactly the right amount of water for a cup of coffee -- there's always a little left over. This means you're wasting precious power, water and time, not to mention drinking twice-boiled water in your next cup. The Hot-Can heats the perfect cup of coffee in less then 3 minutes, whilst using up to 65% less energy than a standard kettle in the process.



That's all about my research about this can.
Thank You.