Dry Ice Machine element temperature

[Garry G]

Hello,
we built a machine that has a pump that circulates the water on top of the dry ice and has a heating element to keep the water warm.
right now we only have 1 element in it so the water temperature is about 150F. Is that hot enough to get a nice thick fog?
Right now the fog we get out as the fan pushes it seems thin and dissipates pretty quickly.

just wondering if anyone has any ideas on this.

 

[RonHebbard]

Hello,
we built a machine that has a pump that circulates the water on top of the dry ice and has a heating element to keep the water warm.
right now we only have 1 element in it so the water temperature is about 150F. Is that hot enough to get a nice thick fog?
Right now the fog we get out as the fan pushes it seems thin and dissipates pretty quickly.

just wondering if anyone has any ideas on this.

Dry ice will QUICKLY chill your heated water then freeze it soon after.

Decades ago (Late 1970's / early 1980's), Stratford Ontario's Stratford Shakespearean Festival built three foggers each approximately a 36" cube (to fit through the necessary paths / passages of their then 3, now 4 theatres).

Within the box was a second fibre-glassed box, with the gap between insulated on the bottom and all sides. The inner box would've measured ~ 30" x 30" x 30"; heating elements, enclosed fused knife switches, thermostats, thermometers, a water pump and associated plumbing protruded from one "end" with a drain cock protruding from the opposite "end". The two sides maxed at ~36" to facilitate moving (on the attached dolly with its 'butch' casters). Atop each box sat a Dewar flask containing LN02.

Being located in the center of hog breeding country with LNO suppliers regularly making weekly runs to refrigerate sperm has its advantages; admittedly the fragrant aroma of open trailers hauling squealing pigs through the centre of town on their way to abattoirs did little to attract / impress visiting theatre patrons, especially when the trucks were idling at a stop light immediately outside several of Stratford's higher priced / elegantly fashionable / trendier dining establishments.

The inner box was heated with two, 2KW, 220 volt submersible heating elements.
Pre performance it took the two, 2KW heaters ~20 minutes to heat the water to just shy of a rolling boil (Boiling the water would produce steam which would escape via a pressure release valve, and require more frequent refilling of the water).
Pulsing the pump for ~5<7 minutes would chill the water to a temperature you'd be comfortable immersing your arms in up to your elbows; watch out for the momentary button powering the solenoid operated LN02 valve.

Dinner time, gotta toddle.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[BillESC]

During the disco era, my friend Fred and I started F & B Manufacturing, our only product was dry ice fog machines.

We built over a thousand in the next 3 years and shipped them around the world.

Based on 30 and 55 gallon drums, all had two 1500w domestic water heater elements. Room temprerature water could start to steam in about an hour in the 55 gallon drum, shorter in the 30. The 55 gallon drums had a 465 CFM squirrel cage fan. The ice basket could hold 80 lbs. of chopped dry ice.

We could fill a concert stage in about 15 seconds with two to tree feet of thick fog.

While visiting my brother in Mombasa, Kenya, Africa in 1980, we went to a disco and sure enough, just off the stage was one of our "Fog-It" fog machines.

 

[LesWilson]

I think your heater is underpowered. Look at this design and size. It uses dual heaters and puts out a nice dense fog in one pulse. Skip to 2:45 for an overview:

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[Harrison Hohnholt]

Hello,
we built a machine that has a pump that circulates the water on top of the dry ice and has a heating element to keep the water warm.
right now we only have 1 element in it so the water temperature is about 150F. Is that hot enough to get a nice thick fog?
Right now the fog we get out as the fan pushes it seems thin and dissipates pretty quickly.

just wondering if anyone has any ideas on this.

I would reccomend taking a look at the specs on our Aquafog it will at least give you an idea of what other similar devices do. Our temperature can be controlled from 100F to 160F. 150F should be fine. We also have some best practices for fog on that page regarding temperature and ice size.

Essentially, to get the most fog quickly you want a high temperature and small pieces so there is more surface area. You will run out of dry ice pretty quickly with that setup, it is good to experiement with different sizes of ice and different temperatures.