Anyhow my question to you OF is in your opinion how much convection vs conduction do you think the solo is? I know when I have left my herb in the solo burning on 3 and unused it got brown but vaped as normal when I did a new session. Taste did suffer but not meds IMO. The same thing happened with the pinnacle which I did on purpose to test.
Excellent question. Like many great questions, no simple answer I think? As you point out, left alone it definitely works on the stuff it has against (or very near) the cup. It turns dark. But it clearly isn't getting too far into the load in such cases, the color is more normal and the THC is remaining. The hottest thing in the area is the bowl I think. Yes, points in the heater are hotter, but for our purposes that metal is probably the place to start. Being metal, it's all basically the same temperature. Heat is transferred by conduction to the load and then airflow is used to spread it around within the load happens. Something like MFLB where shaking distributes the heat after conduction delivers it?
I think much the same thing happens in most vapes, like say Vapor Blunt? For the most part convection vapes use significantly higher than vaping temperature heat sources to heat the air so it's the hottest thing in the load, VG and Cera LL being examples. There's also a class I think that tries to deliver well controlled temperature air by using a temperature controlled mass with lots of surface area so that basically all the airflow is the same temperature. HA and Volcano I think are examples?
In reality, as you suggest, I think they all have very common element 'of both schemes' and maybe even a little radiation thrown in to keep it fresh?
I think convection vapes might be identified where the heat source is remote from the load with only hot air between? I don't think that's what we have here.
So back to your question, I think (almost) all the heat arrives by conduction. Convection distributes it and definitely plays a role as the heat is removed (as I saw with the last experiment, it's the reason the temperature drops so fast when I stop hitting it, it's being sucked out the wire leads still but not replaced by hot air going past from below)?
Interesting point you raise about conduction v convection. Was there not some talk of passive conduction? Or something like that. I think its safe to say there is a lot of conduction going on either way, but the way it rips vs vapes away when left alone suggest some convection? No?
Thanks, glad folks take an interest. I think a 'layman's recap' might be worth a try.
I think you're thinking passive convection not conduction. As opposed to active convection. Passive is where the hot air (water, oil or other 'working fluid') is mechanically moved from source to load by virtue of gravity. That is the hot stuff rises to be replaced by the cooler. Often termed 'thermal siphon'. Forced convection is usually fan or pump driven. A teapot is passive convection, your car engine active for instance.
Yes, there's not doubt a little passive convection, but notice how the bottom gets darker than the top? To me that means it's hotter down there.
Whatever the reason, don't leave it standing? In cases like HA, this effect is much less since the source is so much further away when the airflow stops.
OF
