🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <dougDC2wA2.IJs@netcom.com>, Doug Merritt <doug@netcom.com> wrote:
>In article <ts_zemanian-2007951158120001@ts_zemanian.pnl.gov> ts_zemanian@pnl.gov (Thomas S. Zemanian) writes:
>>A thermos _is_ a dewar flask.  See if you can round up enough for the trip.
>
>Have you actually tried this? It could be bad advice to recommend this
>if you're not sure it'll work. Two things that might go wrong: first,
>the thermos might break immediately from thermal shock. Second, it
>might break somewhere en route due to material brittleness at low
>temperatures.

I have tried it on numerous occasions.  It works.  I use a
stainless-steel thermos; I suspect you wouldn't want the kind with a
glass interior.

>>Oh, and _don't_ screw the top onto the thermos to make a seal.  You'll
>>need to allow boiloff, so you don't build up pressure in the thermos and
>>cause it to explode.
>
>Good advice, although then I wonder how to ensure that it can't
>spill, which you certainly don't want.

While I'm all for caution, I think it's possible to go overboard.
Obviously, you should try to put it somewhere where it won't spill,
but it's not the end of the world if it does.  Just don't keep it on
your lap!

Actually, a friend of mine was taking liquid nitrogen to a school
for some sort of presentation a couple of years ago, and his thermos
did spill in the back seat of the car.  It produced a big
plume of water vapor, surprising both him and some other drivers, 
but other than that there was no harm done.  He had to go back and
get more, so maybe he was a little bit late for his presentation.

-Ted