Hi Dave,
So black or shiny which is best???
Some people suggest putting water in your fuel to limit the amount of sooting on the pots... when using alcohol as fuel
I personally favor undiluted Fuel.....
Why?
Well, from a scientific view point water has a very high specific heat, higher than methylated spirits. or bio-ethanol What this means is that not only are the fuels less powerful per gram, but the fuel also needs to heat up and evaporate the water added to the fuel! This wastes precious energy which could be used to heat the food or water in the pan.
So for my money I'm a BLACK PACKER! Why?
I believe that being black makes it more "thermodynamically efficient"... (That means it boils faster) Its basic Physics,,,,,
All objects absorb and emit electromagnetic radiation. The rate of heat transfer by radiation is largely determined by the colour of the object & Black is the most effective, and white the least.
32+ years of sooty build up...
Black and proud of it....
Some might argue the black patina insulates against heat transfer, the black coating is carbon which is the best conductor known, so it won't insulate the pots quite the opposite I'm sure.
The problem of soot getting in your kit?
The pot will go black sure but once a black sooty patina has formed a quick wipe with a wet cloth before you pack and carry removes the excess soot after each use and the whats left is pretty hard to shift so the black doesn't transfer & won't mark anything.
More science :~
Heat transfer always occurs from a region of high temperature to another region of lower temperature. Heat transfer changes the internal energy of both systems involved according to the First Law of Thermodynamics.[1] The Second Law of Thermodynamics defines the concept of thermodynamic entropy, by measurable heat transfer.
Thermal equilibrium is reached when all involved bodies and the surroundings reach the same temperature. Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature.[2] Heat Transfer
The rate of heat transfer by radiation is largely determined by the colour of the object. Black is the most effective, and white the least. People living in hot climates generally avoid wearing black clothing, for instance. Similarly, black asphalt in a parking lot will be hotter than the adjacent gray sidewalk on a summer day, because black absorbs better than gray. The reverse is also trueblack radiates better than gray. Thus, on a clear summer night the asphalt will be colder than the gray sidewalk because black radiates energy more rapidly than gray.
An ideal radiator, often called a blackbody, is the same colour as an ideal absorber, and captures all the radiation that falls on it. In contrast, white is a poor absorber and also a poor radiator. A white object reflects all radiation, like a mirror. (A perfect, polished white surface is mirror-like in appearance, and a crushed mirror looks white.)
There is a clever relation between the temperature of an ideal radiator and the wavelength at which it emits the most radiation. It is called Wien's displacement law and is given by:
λmaxT=b
Where b is a constant equal to 2.9×10-3 m⋅K.
Alan
