t00fatt
Well-Known Member
Forgetting about the Myrtlezap, it's design is irrelevant and comparing the PD to it will only end badly, as it has. We can only look at Tom's decision to add more surface area to his heat exchanger. Only with the myrtlezap out of mind can we ask questions. Was it the right thing to do? Does it make a significant difference in the rate the energy from the exchanger is transferred to the air? Well it absolutely does, there is no debating that it's elementary physics. So that takes us back to the first question, was it the right thing to do? Yes anything that will help transfer more energy to the passing air will help. What Tom is trying to do is no different from what the radiator in your car does. Transfer the most amount of heat as quickly as possible to the air, which is not very easy to do. Air has a relatively high specific heat, and is actually a great insulator. So it takes a significant amount of energy to raise a certain amount of air by one degree. The more energy you can transfer to the air, the more energy you have available to vaporize your beloved herbs.
Again this has nothing to do with the differences between the PD and the myrtlezap. But about Tom's decision to implement fins to his heat exchanger, which is far from uncommon that is exactly what you do when you want to increase the transfer of heat energy, you increase the surface area. The fins are not the only important part, you also need mass. Without enough mass to hold additional energy the fins will cool significantly as it gives off it's energy into the air. The extra mass holds extra energy to be used as the fins give it off. You could compare the added mass to a capacitor, while it is not the source of energy it acts as a buffer keeping the temperature and energy levels stable.
Again this has nothing to do with the differences between the PD and the myrtlezap. But about Tom's decision to implement fins to his heat exchanger, which is far from uncommon that is exactly what you do when you want to increase the transfer of heat energy, you increase the surface area. The fins are not the only important part, you also need mass. Without enough mass to hold additional energy the fins will cool significantly as it gives off it's energy into the air. The extra mass holds extra energy to be used as the fins give it off. You could compare the added mass to a capacitor, while it is not the source of energy it acts as a buffer keeping the temperature and energy levels stable.